The province has officially moved into the next phase of lifting COVID restrictions.
Step Two of the Roadmap includes more outdoor activities and limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn, with other restrictions in place. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;
- Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 5 people;
- Essential and other select retail permitted at 50 per cent capacity;
- Non-essential retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
- Personal care services where face coverings can be worn at all times, and at 25 per cent capacity and other restrictions;
- Outdoor dining with up to 6 people per table, with exceptions for larger households and other restrictions;
- Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 25 per cent capacity of the particular room;
- Outdoor fitness classes limited to the number of people who can maintain 3 metres of physical distance;
- Outdoor sports without contact or modified to avoid contact, with no specified limit on number of people or teams participating, with restrictions;
- Overnight camps for children operating in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
- Outdoor sport facilities with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
- Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
- Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
- Outdoor fairs, rural exhibitions, festivals, permitted at 25 per cent capacity and with other restrictions.
Even before day one of this stage, the Premier has already been hinting at an earlier than expected move to Step 3.
“We’ll be sitting down with the new chief medical officer of health, Dr. Moore, and we’ll get his advice, and if he gives us the green light, let’s get this province open and start moving. I can’t wait.”
The Ford government has tentatively said that we’ll stay in Step 2 for 21 days so health experts and officials can ensure COVID indicators don’t start moving in the wrong direction with loosened restrictions.
As of Sunday, more than 76% of Ontario adults have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 33% are now fully vaccinated.
That’s already within framework needed to move onto Step 3.