Ontario will tighten up restrictions after COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
Ontario has announced that there will be more restrictions put in place due to COVID-19. Cases have continued to rise as different variants are being discovered and this has caused a new plan to be put in place. Ontario government says that it will return to a modified Step 2 plan of reopening.
This plan is centered around the limitation of social gathering, including closing down gyms. This does not include athletes training for the Olympics, Paralympics, or select professional and elite amateur sports.
The new restrictions went into effect on Wednesday. All schools moved to remote learning on Wednesday and this will continue until at least January 17. Also, those who are vaccinated under 12 years old will only be required to quarantine for five days when they contract COVID-19. If they continue to have symptoms, they must continue to isolate until they reach 24 hours of being symptom-free.
This decision comes after cases continue to rise. In December, Ontario decided to limit indoor dining to 50% capacity and set a curfew of 11 P.M. Below, you can find the full list of restrictions that have been put into place.
Ontario’s New COVID-19 Restrictions
- Indoor dining at restaurants and bars closed.
- Only outdoor dining, takeout, drive through and delivery permitted.
- Social gathering limits reduced to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
- Retail stores, malls, public libraries and personal care services limited to 50 per cent capacity.
- Saunas, steam rooms and oxygen bars closed.
- Capacity at weddings, funerals and religious services limited to 50 per cent capacity per room.
- Outdoor services must have two-metre distancing between all attendees.
- Employees must work remotely unless their work requires them to be on site.
- Gyms and other indoor recreational sport facilities closed, except athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and certain professional and elite sports leagues.
- Outdoor facilities are permitted but with a 50 per cent capacity limit on spectators.
- Museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, historic sites, amusement parks, festivals and other attractions closed.
- Outdoor establishments allowed with restrictions and capacity limits.
- Indoor meeting and event spaces closed with limited exceptions, except those with outdoor spaces, which can operate with restrictions.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues on, different areas are making decisions on how to handle it. For Ontario, they have moved quickly and have taken some major steps. It will be interesting to see if anything else comes out of this decision.
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