The Government of Ontario confirmed 177 new COVID-19 cases and six virus-related deaths on Sunday morning.

Today’s cases are higher than Saturday’s 176, Friday’s 159, Thursday’s 143, Wednesday’s 153, Tuesday’s 146, Monday’s 114, and Sunday’s 166.

Of the newly announced cases, 22 are in Toronto, 16 are in Hamilton, and 12 are in Peel Region.

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Health Minister Christine Elliott said over 14,800 tests were completed, and 18,114,229 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Ontario is reporting 177 cases of #COVID19 and over 14,800 tests completed. Locally, there are 33 new cases in Grey Bruce, 32 in the Region of Waterloo, 22 in Toronto, 16 in Hamilton and 12 in Peel Region.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) July 18, 2021

Ontario is now in Step 3 of the provincial COVID-19 reopening plan.

Gyms, fitness studios, and indoor dining are permitted to open. Indoor gatherings can now have a maximum of 25 people, and up to 100 people can gather outdoors.

The province will remain in Step 3 for at least 21 days, or until key public health indicators are met, such as having 75% of Ontarians aged 12 and over fully vaccinated.

Dr. Kieran Moore, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, has said that once those benchmarks are met, the “vast majority” of public health and workplace safety measures can be lifted.

These include indoor and outdoor capacity limits and gathering restrictions. Only a small number of measures will remain in place, including passive screening for COVID-19.

To date, Ontario has seen 548,217 COVID-19 cases and 9,294 deaths.