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Province Easing COVID Restrictions


  • By Cory Crossman


ShArE


Province Easing COVID Restrictions

Premier Ford announced the easing of COVID-19 restrictions (updated Jan 28th). The Premier announced that Ontario will take a phased approach to reopening, with 21 days between each phase. The Premier outlined the plans for three key dates:

  • January 31st restaurants, bars, gyms, and other low-risk indoor venues will be allowed to open at 50% capacity. Large venues, including stadiums, concert venues, and observation areas at sports facilities, will be able to open at 50% capacity or 500 people, whichever is less. Social gathering limits increased to 10 people indoors/25 outdoors.
  • February 21st capacity limits will be lifted for restaurants, gyms, etc. Large venues, including stadiums and concert venues, can open at 50% capacity. Social gathering limits increased to 25 indoors/100 outdoors.
  • March 14th all indoor capacity limits would be lifted (proof of vaccination rules still in effect). Social gathering limits increased to 50 indoors/unlimited outdoors.

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 31, 2022 (12:01AM)

  • increasing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors
  • increasing capacity at organized public events to 25 people indoors
  • increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50 per cent in most indoor public settings, including but not limited to:
    • restaurants, bars, other food or drink establishments without dance facilities and strip clubs
    • non-spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as gyms and businesses offering personal fitness training)
    • cinemas
    • meeting and event spaces
    • museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions
    • casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
  • allowing indoor spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as sporting events), concert venues, and theatres to operate at 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 500 people, whichever is less
  • proof of vaccination requirements will continue to apply in existing settings
  • singing and dancing in restaurants and bars and other select settings will not be allowed except for workers or performers
  • requiring the number of patrons permitted to sit at a table in bars and restaurants and meeting and event spaces and other venues at which food or drink is sold or served, including nightclubs, restobars and strip clubs that serve food and drink to be limited to 10 people and patrons must remain seated
  • allowing food or drink services at indoor sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, bingo halls and other gaming establishments, and horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues. Individuals will be required to remain seated when consuming food or drink in these venues, limiting the number of close contacts while masks are removed. Masks will continue to be required when individuals are not eating or drinking.
  • Removing the requirement for most businesses to collect patron information for contact tracing. This is aligned with recent changes to the testing and case and contact management guidance and will allow businesses to focus their efforts on the enforcement of other public health measures in these settings, such as masking requirements. Public health units continue to have the ability to raise awareness of significant exposures warranting notification, such as through news releases.

EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 21, 2022 (12:01AM)

  • increasing social gathering limits to 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors
  • increasing capacity at organized public events to 50 people indoors
  • lifting the 500-person limit on indoor spectator events, in spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as sporting events), concert venues, and theatres where proof of vaccination requirements are in effect, while requiring a capacity limit of 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity
  • increasing capacity limits to 100 per cent in the following indoor public settings where proof of vaccination requirements are in effect, including:
    • restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments and strip clubs
    • non-spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as gyms and businesses offering personal fitness training)
    • cinemas
    • racing venues
    • meeting and event spaces
    • studio audiences in commercial film and television production
    • casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
    • businesses or facilities that are permitted to “opt-in” to proof of vaccination requirements, during the time when proof of vaccination requirements are in effect.
  • indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies limited to the number that can maintain two metres physical distance (no limit if proof of vaccination required).
  • increasing capacity limits to 25 per cent in the indoor areas of the following settings where proof of vaccination requirements are in effect:
    • food or drink establishments with dance facilities (such as nightclubs, wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there is dancing)
    • bathhouses and sex clubs
  • capacity limited to permit physical distancing in all other indoor public settings, including but not limited to:
    • personal care services
    • retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies)
    • shopping malls.
  • requiring patrons to remain seated while eating or drinking at indoor restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments (with or without dance facilities), sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments, and horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues.

EFFECTIVE MARCH 14, 2022 (12:01AM)

  • lifting capacity limits in all public settings
  • increase social gathering limits to 50 people indoors with no limits outdoors
  • lifting remaining capacity limits on religious services, rites or ceremonies

Proof of vaccination will be maintained in existing settings in addition to other regular measures

More details are available in the media release here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1001451/ontario-outlines-steps-to-cautiously-and-gradually-ease-public-health-measures.

 

This information is provided with thanks to The Canadian Live Music Association & City of London Government Relations



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