Ontario's new COVID-19 restrictions are officially in effect

Ontario’s new COVID-19 restrictions officially came into effect at 12:01 am on Sunday in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the province.

In light of the Omicron variant quickly taking hold in the province, Premier Doug Ford announced the new restrictions on Friday. They include capacity limits, limits on social gatherings, and more.

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We’ve rounded up all the new rules in one place for easy access:

Capacity limits

Capacity limits have been reintroduced in a number of indoor public settings. Capacities will be reduced to 50% across the board in the following settings:

• Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments.
• Strip clubs.
• Personal care services.
• Personal physical fitness trainers.
• Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies).
• Shopping malls.
• Non-spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (e.g. gyms).
• Indoor recreational amenities.
• Indoor clubhouses at outdoor recreational amenities.
• Tour and guide services.
• Photography studios and services.
• Marinas and boating clubs.

Additional measures

On top of reducing capacity, the province is introducing new rules to ensure that people at sporting events, casinos and other indoor settings keep their masks on.

The new measures are varied and wide-ranging. They are listed below:

• 10 people will be allowed to be seated together at a restaurant.
• Patrons will be required to remain seated in restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments, meeting and event spaces and strip clubs.
• Bars and restaurants, meeting and event spaces will be required to close by 11 pm.
• Strip clubs will also have to close by 11 pm.
• Take out and delivery will be permitted beyond 11 pm.
• Dancing is not permitted except for workers or performers.
• Food and/or drink will be banned at sporting events; concert venues, theatres and cinemas; casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments; and horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues.
• The sale of alcohol will be restricted after 10 pm and consumption of alcohol in businesses or settings after 11 pm.

Social gatherings

Indoor social gatherings will be capped at 10 people, down from 25. Outdoor gatherings have been reduced from 100 people to 25.