Here's everything closed in Toronto with the second COVID-19 lockdown
Last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that Toronto and Peel Region will be placed into a lockdown as COVID-19 cases rise in both regions.
Starting Monday, Toronto is facing several new restrictions for at least the next 28 days.
Under the Lockdown level of the province’s COVID-19 framework:
- No indoor organized public events or social gatherings will be allowed except with members of the same household;
- Individuals who live alone, including seniors, may have close contact with one other person;
- Outdoor organized public events or social gatherings can have a maximum of 10 people;
- Weddings and funeral services where physical distancing can be maintained can proceed with up to 10 people indoors or 10 people outdoors;
- Religious services, rites, or ceremonies where physical distancing can be maintained can proceed with 10 people indoors or 10 people outdoors;
- Retail stores are only open for curbside pick-up or delivery;
- Supermarkets, grocery stores, pharmacies, discount and big-box retailers that sell groceries will remain open at 50% capacity;
- Beer, wine, and liquor stores, safety supply stores, hardware stores, and convenience stores will remain open at 50% capacity;
- Restaurants, bars, and food and drink establishments will be open for takeout, drive-through, and delivery only;
- Indoor and outdoor dining is prohibited;
- Personal care services are closed;
- Casinos, bingo halls, and other gaming establishments are closed;
- Indoor sports and recreational facilities, including pools, are closed with limited exceptions;
- Schools, before and after school programs, and child care will remain open;
- Post-secondary schools will be open for virtual learning with some limited exceptions for training that can only be provided in-person, such as clinical training or training related to a trade.
The new restrictions are meant to prevent a province-wide lockdown, Ford said on Friday.
“We have to make the tough but necessary decisions now to protect our hospitals, long-term care, and retirement homes, and every person in this province,” the premier said.
Toronto and Peel Region, which are both currently in the Red-Control level of the province’s framework, have seen rising cases in recent weeks, despite having public health measures in place since early October.
Ontario reported a record-breaking 1,589 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, of which more than half came from Peel and Toronto.