Ontario lifting capacity limits at gyms, fitness centres on Monday

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The Government of Ontario is lifting COVID-19 restrictions at gyms and fitness centres across the province next week.

Officials announced that as of 12:01 am on Monday, facilities will be able to operate at 100% capacity and will no longer have to abide by physical distancing requirements.

Since they were permitted to reopen in July, Ontario’s gyms have been limited to 50% capacity.

The move is part of the next phase of Ontario’s COVID-19 reopening plan, which details how the province will manage the pandemic over the long term.

The plan outlines the province’s gradual approach to lifting all remaining public health and workplace safety measures by March of 2022.

“Thanks to our cautious and careful approach to re-opening, we are now in position to gradually lift all remaining public health measures over the coming months,” said Premier Doug Ford.

“This plan is built for the long term. It will guide us safely through the winter and out of this pandemic, while avoiding lockdowns and ensuring we don’t lose the hard-fought gains we have made.”

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The transition was made possible by rising vaccination rates and falling COVID-19 cases, and follows the introduction of the enhanced vaccine certificates with QR codes.

The new proof of vaccination system went into effect on Friday.

Ontario reported 492 new COVID-19 cases on October 22, bringing the total seen since the start of the pandemic to 596,772.