Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is prepared to use emergency measures to deal with protests against coronavirus restrictions that have been sweeping the country since late January, The New York Times reported.

“We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue,” Trudeau said in a news conference, adding that the protests will pose “serious challenges to law enforcement’s ability to effectively enforce the law”.

It was first passed in 1988 but has never yet been put into practice. The law expands the powers of the federal government, allowing, among other things, to prohibit people from gathering in certain places or to close down certain areas altogether.

The head of the government of the Canadian province of Ontario, Doug Ford, had earlier declared a state of emergency in the region amid protests by truckers. In the Canadian capital, Ottawa, rallies are still going on, police officers have already arrested 25 people in connection with the protests.