WATCH: Second state of emergency declared, including stay-at-home order

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is declaring a state of emergency, the second since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It's effective immediately. Effective Thursday, Ford is issuing a stay at home order.

The declaration allows the government to make and amend emergency orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA).

For the emergency declaration, provincial offence officers, including police, have the authority to disperse crowds both indoors and outdoors. The limit for outdoor gatherings has been lowered to five people from 10.

Provincial offence officers will have the authority to issue tickets to people in businesses for not complying with orders, such as not wearing a mask.

Most retail businesses will have to close by 8 p.m.

A province-wide shutdown has been in place since Dec. 26.

Public Health Ontario has reported more than 3,000 new cases of the virus nearly every day this year so far. Today, Public Health Ontario confirmed eight new cases of the UK variant, which spreads quicker, bringing the total number of cases to 14.

More details to come.