COVID19

RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT:

On Friday, April 16th, the Government of Ontario announced that the emergency declaration and stay-at-home order will be extended to a total duration of 6 weeks. A summary of some other strengthened public health measures is provided below.

EFFECTIVE SATURDAY, APRIL 17 AT 12:01 A.M.

• Outdoor gatherings and organized public events are prohibited, except for members of the same household or one member of another single-person household

• Non-essential construction work is prohibited

• Capacity limits for retail where in-person shopping is permitted is reduced to 25%

• All outdoor recreational amenities will be closed

EFFECTIVE MONDAY, APRIL 19 AT 12:01 A.M.

• Places of worship, funerals, and weddings will be limited to a capacity of 10 people indoors or outdoors. Drive-in services are permitted

• Travel from Manitoba and Quebec into Ontario will be restricted, except for the purposes such as work, medical care, or the transportation of goods

STAY-AT-HOME ORDER:

The Stay-At-Home order requires everyone to remain at home, except for essential and permitted reasons such as:

• going to the grocery store or pharmacy (e.g., food, medications);

• accessing health care services (e.g., medical appointments, getting vaccinated);

• exercising outdoors with members of their household;

• supporting vulnerable community members; or

• for essential work that cannot be performed remotely. 

Businesses or organization that remain open must ensure that any person who performs work for them conducts their work remotely, with limited exception, unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site at the workplace.

The full details for the Stay-at-Home order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act are available here.

SUMMARY OF KEY PROVINCIAL SHUTDOWN MEASURES:

In response to the rapid increase in COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations across the province, the Government of Ontario has announced that they are activating the province-wide emergency brake in all regions, effective Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 12:01 a.m.

These measures will be in place for at least 28 days and the full details are available in the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020: O.Reg. 82/20 (Stage 1). A summary of key public health and workplace safety measures are highlighted below.

CAPACITY LIMITS:

• Indoor organized public events and social gatherings are not allowed, except with members of the same household (i.e., the people you live with)

• Outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings must comply with public health advice on physical distancing and have no more than 5 people.

• Capacity limits for weddings, funerals, and other religious services, rites, or ceremonies is set to a maximum of 15% occupancy of the indoor room and to the number of people that can maintain two metres of physical distance from each other outdoors. This does not include social gatherings associated with these services, such as receptions, which are not permitted indoors and are limited to five people outdoors.

SERVICE RESTRICTIONS:

• Restaurants, bars, and other food and drink establishments are permitted to open only for take out, drive through, and delivery, including the sale of alcohol.

• Pharmacies, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers’ markets, and stores that primarily sell food and groceries must limit capacity to 50% for in-person retail shopping.

• Other retail stores that are permitted to remain open for in-person shopping, including discount and big box stores, and liquor stores, must limit capacity to 25%. Discount and big box store in-person retail sales to grocery items, pet care supplies, household cleaning supplies, pharmaceutical items, health care items, and personal care items only.

• Restricting access to shopping malls to limited specified purposes, including access for curbside pick-up and delivery, via appointment, with one single designated location inside the shopping mall, and any number of designated locations outside the shopping mall, along with other restrictions. Shopping malls must open no earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 8 p.m. and must not deliver goods to patrons outside of the hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Permitting outdoor garden centres and plant nurseries, and indoor greenhouses that engage in sales to the public, to operate with a 25 per cent capacity limit and a restriction on hours of operation to between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

• Permitting other stores (e.g., safety supply, telecommunications, optical, vehicle and equipment repair) to operate for in-person retail by appointment only and subject to a 25% capacity limit and restricting allowable hours of operation to between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. with the delivery of goods to patrons permitted between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

• Limiting the majority of non-essential retailers to only operate for curbside pick-up and delivery, via appointment, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., with delivery of goods to patrons permitted between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm, and other restrictions.

• Showing a property is permitted by appointment only – no open houses allowed

• Outdoor recreational amenities are permitted to open, if participants can maintain at least two metres of physical distancing for all activities.

For more details about public health restrictions in the retail setting, click the Retail tab under the ‘Sector Specific Public Health Measures’ section of this page.

CLOSURES:

• Non-essential retails stores closed for in-person shopping, with some exceptions.

• Meeting or event spaces are closed, except to provide some services.

• Facilities for indoor sports and recreational fitness activities are closed, except under certain conditions. Accessing closed indoor and outdoor recreational amenities is not allowed.

• Day camps

• Amusement parks, water parks

• Bathhouses and sex clubs

• Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments

• Concert venues, theatres and cinemas (includes drive in or drive through events)

• Horse racing (open for training only, no races or spectators)

• Motorsports

• Museums and cultural amenities

• Personal care services

• Tour and guide services

• Zoos and aquariums (permitted to operate for the care of animals)

BUSINESSES OR ORGANIZATIONS PERMITTED TO REMAIN OPEN MUST:

• Post signs at all entrances to the premises, in a conspicuous location visible to the public, that inform individuals how to screen themselves for COVID-19 prior to entering the premises.

• Actively screen every person who works at the business or organization before they enter the premises.

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