Ontario's Reopening Plan Starts Monday & These Are All The Rules You Need To Know
Indoor dining, gyms, and more are finally opening again.
Well, things will finally start getting back to normal next week as Ontario jumpstarts its reopening plan and begins lifting restrictions at businesses and workplaces across the province.
Starting up this Monday, January 31, at 12:01 a.m., Ontarians can go back to enjoying meals right at their favourite restaurants again, as indoor dining will open up to 50% capacity.
Gathering sizes are also increasing as it will bump up from five to 10 people inside, while outdoor gatherings can have up to 25 people.
Everyone who's been missing their weekly workouts at their go-to gym can go back for a proper sweat, as fitness facilities will open again at half their capacity.
Several other indoor public places will be back in business next week, too, as the following services and venues will be up and running at 50% capacity:
- Shopping malls
- Movie theatres
- Retailers, including grocery stores and pharmacies
- Meeting and event spaces
- Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms
- Amusement parks, water parks, and recreational amenities
- Museums, galleries, zoos, aquariums, and other similar spots
- Casinos, bingo halls, and other gaming venues
- Religious services, rites, and ceremonies
- Concert venues, sporting events, and other spectator areas (either at half capacity or a max of 500 people.)
Aside from all of the excitement that comes with the reopening, there are also some new rules and changes that will be hitting up the province next week.
You can eat and drink at more venues, but with some limits
Anyone itching to have popcorn and soda at the movies will actually be able to do so now, but there are some ground rules.
In an email to Narcity from the Ministry of Health, everyone will have to stay seated while eating their food or sipping on their drinks in order to limit the number of close contacts while masks are removed at this time.
Masks, however, will have to be put back on for whenever you're finished and will have to stay on for the rest of the time you're at the venue.
The same rules apply to anyone watching a live sporting event, catching a concert, or going to a bingo hall or other gaming establishment that's held indoors.
Contact tracing is a thing of the past
Starting this Monday, businesses are no longer required to gather guest information for contract tracing purposes.
"This is aligned with recent changes to the testing and case and contact management guidance and will allow businesses to focus their efforts on the enforcement of other public health measures in these settings, such as masking requirements," a spokesperson to the Ministry said.
But, whenever there's a significant exposure, local public health units will still notify residents about it, like through news releases.
You can literally go back to work
If you're tired of working from home, you can head back to the office come Monday as the government is lifting the legal requirement to work from home except when it's necessary.
"The Chief Medical Officer of Health recommends that individuals who are able to work from home continue to do so, helping to limit mobility and reduce the number of daily contacts," the spokesperson said.
Some health services will resume again
As of January 5, the Ford government put a pause on all non-urgent surgeries and other procedures so as not to overwhelm the hospitals' critical care units.
The Ministry of Health said the province will be taking a "phased approach" to bringing back health services that were paused.
While non-emergent surgeries aren't yet coming back, cancer screening, diagnostic services, pediatrics, private hospitals, independent health facilities, and some ambulatory clinics will resume again as early as Monday.
"This approach is in line with our cautious and gradual approach to easing public health measures, while recognizing the ongoing pressures our hospitals are facing. Careful resumption of this activity, in these targeted areas, is least likely to adversely impact inpatient capacity readiness or health human resources in hospitals," the spokesperson said.
The Ontario government laid out a timeline for when and what public health measures will loosen over the next couple of months, with the next bout of major changes coming up on February 21.