Ontario has begun reopening today — here's what that means for you

Jan 31 2022, 2:25 pm

Ontario has finally entered the long-awaited first stage of its reopening plan, and that means you can do more than just dine indoors at your favourite eatery again.

Premier Doug Ford announced on January 20 that the province will begin reopening on January 31, in accordance with a months-long plan put forth by the provincial government to blunt the transmission of Omicron.

Starting today, Ontario is softening COVID-19 restrictions, taking gradual steps towards an eventual full reopening.

“We can be confident that the worst is behind us and that we are now in a position to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures,” Ford said when he announced the plan earlier this month. “While February will continue to present its own challenges, given current trends, these are challenges we are confident we can manage,” Ford said.

Here’s what the freshly-loosened restrictions mean for Ontarians:

  • Social gathering limits have increased to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
  • Indoor public settings like restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance space, are allowed to operate at a capacity limit of 50%.
  • Other settings now open and operating at half capacity include:
    • Retailers, grocery stores, shopping malls and pharmacies
    • Non-spectator sports areas and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms
    • Movie theatres and meeting and event spaces
    • Recreational amenities and amusement parks, museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions
    • Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
    • Religious services, rites, or ceremonies
    • Spectator spaces like sporting events, concert venues and theatres operate at 50% seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less

Proof of vaccination is still be required for these areas.

These measures will begin to soften further starting February 21, when the government will increase social gathering limits and remove indoor capacity restrictions in certain settings.

Ontario will enter the final stage of its reopening plan on March 14, when capacity limits will be lifted in most spaces and eased further in some.

Check out the full reopening timeline here.

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