Further relaxation of restrictions starting Thursday, Feb. 17

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday, Feb. 14, announced further relaxation of COVID-19 public health restrictions would come on Thursday, Feb. 17, and that by the end of the month health passports will no longer be required to be admitted to certain settings such as indoor restaurant dining.

The latter, he noted, was subject to a continued decline in COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations across Ontario.

Businesses and other indoor public settings will still have an option to require passports for anyone seeking admission.

Premier Ford said, “Given how well Ontario has done in the Omicron wave we are able to fast-track our reopening plan.

“This is great news and a sign of just how far we’ve come together in our fight against the virus. While we aren’t out of the woods just yet we are moving in the right direction.”

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott added, “With hospitalizations and intensive care unit  admissions continuing to decline, we are committed to maintaining a gradual and cautious approach to protect our hospital capacity and ensure patients can access the care they need when they need it.”

Effective February 17, 2022, Ontario will further ease public health measures, including:

Increasing social gathering limits to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors;

Increasing organized public event limits to 50 people indoors, with no limit outdoors;

Removing capacity limits in the following indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including but not limited to: restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities; non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms; cinemas; meeting and event spaces, including conference centres or convention centres; casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments.

The changes will also:

Allow 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity at sports arenas;

Allow 50 percent of the usual seating capacity for concert venues and theatres;

Increase indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, restaurants where there is dancing and bathhouses and sex clubs;

Increase capacity limits for indoor weddings, funerals or religious services, rites, or ceremonies to the number of people who can maintain two metres physical distance, and no limits if the setting requires vaccine passports for admission.

Capacity limits in other indoor public settings, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, retail and shopping malls, will be maintained at, or increased to, the number of people who can maintain two metres physical distance.

In addition, Friday, February 18, Ontario will expand booster dose eligibility to youth aged 12 to 17.

As of March 1, if COVID-19 numbers continue to decline, capacity limits will be lifted for all indoor public settings.

The requirement for vaccine “passports” showing proof of immunization will also be lifted as of March 1, but businesses and other settings will have an option to continue to demand them.

Masking requirements will remain in place for now.