Ontario to begin economic re-opening Friday

Based on the provincewide vaccination rate and continuing improvements in key public health and health system indicators, the Ontario government, announced Monday it will move the province into Step One of its Roadmap to Reopen on Friday, June 11 – three days ahead of schedule.

To enter step one, Ontario needed to have vaccinated 60 per cent of adults with at least one dose for two weeks or longer. As of June 6, 72 per cent of the 18+ population in Ontario had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with more than 10 million doses now having been administered.

Regarding provincial case rates, the province is currently exceeding the best-case scenario presented in recent modelling.

Step one focuses on the resumption of more outdoor activities with smaller crowds where risk of transmission is lower.

It will also permit more limited indoor settings to be open, all with restrictions in place. Step One has been amended to also permit indoor religious services, rites and ceremonies, including wedding and funeral services limited to 15 per cent capacity.

Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen includes but is not limited to:

– Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 10 people;
– Outdoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
– Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 15 per cent capacity of the particular room;
– Non-essential retail permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
– Essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
– Outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households;
– Outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sport training to be permitted with up to 10 people, among other restrictions;
– Day camps for children permitted to operate in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines for COVID-19 produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
– Overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals;
– Concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 performers, among other restrictions;
– Outdoor horse racing tracks and motor speedways permitted to operate without spectators; and
– Outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions.

The province will remain in Step One for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. If at the end of the 21 days the province has vaccinated 70 per cent of adults with one dose and 20 per cent of adults with two doses and there are continued improvements in other key public health and health system indicators, the province will move to Step Two of the Roadmap.

Click here for the complete Three-Step Roadmap to Safely Reopen the Province