THUNDER BAY - Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday that the province will once again allow indoor dining establishments and gyms to reopen and will increase gathering limits starting Jan. 31 as part of a three-step plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions put in place in the province on Jan. 5.
“Per cent positivity has now dropped to 15.9 per cent, new admissions to hospitals are starting to slow, and patients are spending a lot less time in the hospital when admitted. And our work force is stabilizing, with more people coming back to work than calling in sick,” said Ford.
“As I said at the time, the measures, while necessary, were intended to be time limited. They were one more tool to blunt the spread of Omicron and protect our hospitals. The evidence tells us that these measures are working and that we can expect trends to continue as Omicron cases peak this month.”
Each step of reopening will be separated by 21 days in order for the province to monitor public health trends with the option to “pause” between steps depending on Ontario health trends.
“I want to be crystal clear; we are not out of the woods yet. The coming weeks will continue to pose real challenges, especially to our hospitals. But these are challenges our hospital system can manage. We can be confident in our ability to care for our people,” said Ford.
During step one, starting Jan. 31, indoor dining, gyms, retailers, shopping malls, and cinemas can reopen at 50 per cent capacity and social gathering limits will increase to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, the province said.
The province also announced that spectators will also be allowed at sporting events, concert venues and theatres at 50 per cent seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments can also reopen.
On Feb. 21, the province will enter step two and will remove capacity limits in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including restaurants, indoor sports facilities, recreational facilities, and cinemas as well as other settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vacation requirements.
Spectator capacity at sporting events, concert venues, and theatres will be 50 per cent capacity on Feb. 21.
Indoor capacity limits of 25 per cent will be put in place for higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, wedding receptions in event spaces where there is dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs.
Ontario will also increase indoor social gathering limits to 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoor at this time.
Indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is not required will be limited to the number of people that can maintain two metres of physical distance.
Step three will begin on March 14 and Ontario will lift all capacity limits in indoor public settings, but proof of vaccination will still be in effect.
Social gathering limits will increase to 50 people indoors at the time, with no limits for outdoor gatherings. Remaining capacity limits on religious services, rites, or ceremonies will also be lifted at this time.
A date for lifting Ontario's proof of vaccination system and mask mandate was not announced and the government currently has no plan to add a required third dose to vaccine passports.
“Thanks to the efforts of Ontarians going out to get their booster dose and adhering to current public health and workplace safety measures, we are in a position where we can begin planning to gradually and cautiously ease restrictions,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, chief medical officer of health.
“The months ahead will require continued vigilance, as we don’t want to cause any further disruption to people’s everyday lives. We must continue to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our communities by following the measures in place and by vaccinating those who have not yet received their doses.”
