On February 14, 2022, the Ontario government announced that the province will be moving to the next phase of reopening earlier than anticipated, with further restrictions being eased on February 17, 2022 at 12:01 a.m.
The new measures include:
- 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:
- 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;
- casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments;
- indoor areas of settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements.
- Allowing 50 percent of the usual seating capacity at sports arenas.
- Allowing 50 percent of the usual seating capacity for concert venues and theatres.
- Increasing 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, etc.
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 of physical distance.
Effective March 1, 2022, the province expects to further lift restrictions, including:
- Lifting capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings.
- Lifting proof of vaccination requirements for all settings.
See the official announcement from the Office of the Premier here. As the latest public health measures related to COVID-19 continue to affect how employers operate, please contact our team with any questions about what the upcoming measures could mean for your business.
Many thanks to Eleanor Dennis for her assistance with this article.