As Ontario continues to face a deadly, catastrophic third wave of COVID-19 that is overwhelming the province's hospitals and intensive care units, calls are growing for Premier Doug Ford to resign from his position due to his handling of the pandemic.

Following Ford's announcement of new restrictions Friday that once again fell short of what experts had recommended and instead offered mostly non-solutions, columnist David Moscrop penned an op-ed for the Washington Post called Doug Ford must resign.

It’s past time. Doug Ford must resign. https://t.co/bqWnjoEgMv

— David Moscrop (@David_Moscrop) April 18, 2021

"Over a year into the pandemic, things are worse in Ontario than they have been since it began. Despite warnings from health experts and dire predictions from modeling, the province was slow to adopt necessary measures to slow transmission," wrote Moscrop.

"They even waited, as QP Briefing reports, 'an extra week to implement a stay-at-home order to see if the modeling that predicted overflowing hospitals was coming true."

"Now, Ford's latest measures miss the mark while exacerbating stressors and risks for essential workers, parents and others struggling day to day," the piece continues.

"Instead of sick days, a coherent and accessible vaccination program, and better testing and tracing, Ontarians are getting lectured for not yanking up their bootstraps enough while they go nuts at home or drag themselves into an unsafe workplace."

#FordResign we don’t need a fourth wave in the fall. We’re not even sure the third wave will be over by then due to your incompetence https://t.co/QkZjb5l53E

— Alpha A. (@teach_n_travel) April 20, 2021

The writer didn't shy away from expressing the urgency of Ford's removal — quite the opposite, in fact — and it quickly became the most read story on the Washington Post's website.

The most read story on the @washingtonpost’s site right now is “Doug Ford must resign” #Onpoli pic.twitter.com/wDUJlLRIOk

— Travis Dhanraj (@Travisdhanraj) April 18, 2021

"Getting rid of a premier with a majority government is difficult outside of an election. But Ontarians cannot wait to hold Ford accountable at the ballot box," Moscrop said. 

"A caucus revolt might do it. But even without one, for the good of the province and his own party, Ford should catch the next train to political oblivion."

This week, Ontario Liberal Party leader Steven Del Duca also issued a statement calling for Ford's resignation.

Since last week, @fordnation has been in hiding, not making a single public appearance minus one bizarre tweet.

This is a Premier in witness protection, and it’s never been so clear he needs to go. #FordMustResign #onpoli https://t.co/S4LvhQTiVi

— Steven Del Duca (@StevenDelDuca) April 20, 2021

"Doug Ford is the worst Premier in Ontario history at a time when leadership matters the most," said Del Duca. 

"He should resign now before he makes things any worse. If he does, I will be the first to commend him, because it takes real guts to get out of the way when he's screwed up this badly. But he won't. Because he only cares about himself and his special friends."

The Liberal party also put out a petition calling for Ford to step back. 

Doug Ford has failed to lead Ontario through this crisis and his negligence is putting Ontarians at risk. He must resign.

Add your name if you agree:https://t.co/M0TAVbauRX

— Ontario Liberal Party | Parti Libéral de l'Ontario (@OntLiberal) April 19, 2021

Members of the public have likewise been calling for a leadership change, with hastags including #FordFailedThePeople, #FordLiedPeopleDied, #FordfailedOntario and #FordResign all trending on Twitter in Ontario this week.

@fordnation signs aren't enough - in person workplaces aren't safe.#PaidSickDays let PC MPP s vote for their constituents on this issue. Save lives or #FordResign https://t.co/in7zaBjkwo

— Brook Mill (@BrookMill16) April 20, 2021

Groups of frontline and healthcare workers such as Health Providers Against Poverty have also been outspoken when it comes to expressing their dissatisfaction with Ford's pandemic response, calling for the premier to either finally introduce paid sick leave and improve vaccination rates or to step aside.

Healthcare providers are DONE

We are done with slow vaccination rates

We are done with police in public health

We are done with a lack of paid sick days

We are #DonewithDougFord

Please RT and share if you are #DoneWithDougFord#HealthWorkersFightBack pic.twitter.com/HQmmucWW5M

— Health Providers Against Poverty (@HPAP_Ontario) April 19, 2021

Ford has meanwhile been pretty MIA this week, failing to show up for Question Period at Queen's Park on both Monday and Tuesday, prompting yet another Ford-related hashtag to begin trending on Twitter: #WhereIsDougFord.

Maybe he's trying to decide which font to use for his resignation letter. #WhereIsDougFord

— BendaleVlogs (@BendaleVlogs) April 20, 2021

"Ford was never fit to be premier of Ontario," wrote Moscrop in his op-ed. 

"The pandemic didn't reveal that; it just bathed it in the garish light of emergency. Both before his time in provincial politics and since, he has shown no distinction other than his extraordinary capacity to alienate, divide and fail. And the failures are many and epic."