Ontario Announces Lifting of Public Health and Safety Measures
Today, the provincial government has announced the lifting of certain public health and safety measures. The Ontario government will follow a phased approach to gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions, with 21 days between each step, starting January 31, 2022.
Effective January 31, 2022 at 12:01am
- Increasing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors;
- Increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50% in indoor public settings, including but not limited to:
- Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities;
- Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies);
- Shopping malls;
- Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms;
- Cinemas;
- Meeting and event spaces;
- Recreational amenities and amusement parks, including water parks;
- Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions;
- Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments; and
- Religious services, rites, or ceremonies.
- Allowing spectator areas of facilities such as sporting events, concert venues and theatres to operate at 50% seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
- Enhanced proof of vaccination, and other requirements would continue to apply in existing settings.
Effective February 21, 2022 (Family Day):
- Social gathering limits will increase to 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
- Removing capacity limits in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including but not limited to:
- Restaurants;
- Indoor sports and recreational facilities;
- Cinemas; and
- Other settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements.
- Permitting spectator capacity at sporting events, concert venues, and theatres at 50% capacity.
- Indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is not required capacity will be limited to the number of people that can maintain 2m of physical distance.
- Indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies limited to the number that can maintain 2m of physical distance, with no limit if proof of vaccination is required.
- Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25% in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including:
- Nightclubs;
- Wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there is dancing; and
- Bathhouses and sex clubs.
- Enhanced proof of vaccination, and other requirements would continue to apply in existing settings.
Effective March 14, 2022:
- Lifting of 100% capacity limits in all indoor public settings. Proof of vaccination will be maintained in existing settings in addition to other regular measures.
- Lifting remaining capacity limits on religious services, rites, or ceremonies.
- Increase social gathering limits to 50 people indoors with no limits for outdoor gatherings.
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