Capacity limits begin to lift as Ontario accelerates reopening plans
Ontario’s accelerated reopening plan starts on Thursday, with capacity limits lifting in a number of indoor settings.
Large indoor settings and high-risk settings will continue to have capacity limits in place until March 1.
- You might also like:
- Nearly all COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario to be lifted by the beginning of March
- Here’s what you need to know about Ontario’s sped up reopening timeline
- Premier Doug Ford acknowledges family's division over COVID-19 mandates
These are the settings where capacity limits have been lifted entirely:
- 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, including conference centres or convention centres
- Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
- Indoor areas of settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements.
Sporting events, theatres and concert venues are now able to operate at 50% of their listed capacity. High-risk settings like nightclubs, restaurants with dance floors, strip clubs and bathhouses are allowed to operate at 25% capacity.
Restrictions on social gatherings have also been eased. Indoor social gatherings are able to host up to 50 people, while outdoor gatherings can have up to 100. Indoor public gatherings have a maximum capacity of 50, while outdoor public gatherings will have no limit.
Indoor weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies, rites and rituals are now able to increase capacity to the number of people who can still physically distance. Capacity limits can be lifted entirely if the location requires proof of vaccination.
Indoor capacity limits on retail settings such as grocery stores, malls, and pharmacies, have been lifted to allow for the number of people who can fit inside while maintaining 2 metres distance.