Ontario going to Reopening Step 3 Friday, July 16

Ontario will further loosen COVID-19 pandemic restrictions as it moves to Step 3 of its “Roadmap to Reopen” this coming Friday, July 16.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement issued Friday, July 9, “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our frontline heroes, and the ongoing commitment of Ontarians to get vaccinated, we have surpassed the targets we set in order to enter Step Three of our Roadmap.

“While this is welcome news for everyone who wants a return to normal, we will not slow down our efforts to fully vaccinate everyone who wants to be and put this pandemic behind us once and for all.”

He had previously announced that Step 3 would only occur when 70 to 80 percent of all adults 18 and older had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 25 percent had also gotten a second, booster shot.

As of July 8, over 77 percent of Ontarians 12 and over had received one dose, and over 50 percent their second.

The province said it had also wanted to see continued decreases in hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care units due to COVID-19, and those had dropped.

Again, as of July 8, 202 patients, including three from Manitoba, were in Ontario ICUs, compared to 286 two weeks earlier.

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot stated, “Vaccines remain our ticket out of the pandemic so if you haven’t booked your appointment yet, please do so today.”

Step 3 focuses on the resumption of additional indoor and outdoor services, including:

Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 100 people with limited exceptions;

Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;

Indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted with physical distancing;

Indoor dining permitted with no limits on the number of patrons per table with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect;

Indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities to open subject to a maximum 50 per cent capacity of the indoor space. Capacity for indoor spectators is 50 per cent of the usual or 1,000 people, whichever is less. Capacity for outdoor spectators is 75 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 15,000 people, whichever is less;

Indoor meeting and event spaces permitted to operate with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect and capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity or 1,000 people, (whichever is less);

Essential and non-essential retail with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;

Personal care services, including services requiring the removal of a face covering, with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;

Museums, galleries, historic sites, aquariums, zoos, landmarks, botanical gardens, science centres, casinos/bingo halls, amusement parks, fairs and rural exhibitions, festivals, with capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity indoors and 75 per cent capacity outdoors;

Concert venues, cinemas, and theatres permitted to operate at up to 50 per cent capacity indoors or a maximum limit of 1,000 people for seated events, whichever is less; and up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum limit of 5,000 people for unseated events, whichever is less; and up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum of 15,000 people for events with fixed seating, whichever is less;

Real estate open houses with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;

And indoor food or drink establishments where dance facilities are provided, including nightclubs and restobars, permitted up to 25 per cent capacity or up to a maximum limit of 250 people, whichever is less.

Face coverings in indoor public settings and physical distancing requirements remain in place throughout Step Three. Face coverings will also be required in some outdoor public settings as well.

The province will remain in Step Three of the Roadmap for at least 21 days and until 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and over has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75 per cent have received their second, with no public health unit having less than 70 per cent of their population fully vaccinated.

Ontario’s epidemiological situation is distinct from other jurisdictions and the Delta variant is the dominant strain in Ontario, which is not the case with some other provinces.

As a result, face coverings will also continue to be required for indoor public settings.