Toronto "ready for Stage 2" as outdoor pools, shopping malls set to reopen
Mayor John Tory announced that Toronto is ready as services and businesses can reopen when the city enters Stage 2 on Wednesday.
“Today is a good news day for Toronto and the many businesses patiently ready to open their doors again,” Tory said on Monday. “It’s not a moment too soon from a public health standpoint. We are ready to oversee the safe restart of some services.”
On June 24 at 12:01 am, restaurants and bars can reopen their patios.
And, shopping malls, barbershops, hair salons, nail salons, and aesthetics businesses can reopen most of their services.
Also, SwimTO plan can proceed with splash pads opening on Wednesday and 15 outdoor pools opening Friday with more on Saturday. Wading pools will resume services July 1.
“We are ready for Stage 2. As long as we continue to follow public health guidelines we will keep making good progress,” Tory said.
According to the City, businesses that can reopen for modified services with appropriate public health measures in place and subject to conditions that include:
- restaurants and bars for delivery, takeout, and outdoor dining only
- shopping malls, except for indoor dining spaces including any tables and seating in food courts
- personal care services, such as barbershops, hair styling, nails, tattoos, and aesthetic services (but not for care of a patron’s face, such as facials and beard trims)
- drive-in cinemas and drive-thru concerts, theatrical productions, performance or artistic events.
And, many recreational and cultural spaces can also reopen, subject to conditions:
- water recreational services, including splash pads, wading pools, indoor and outdoor swimming pools
- community centres for a very limited number of modified uses, including certain outdoor sports and recreational activities, day camp, pools, splash pads, spray pads and wading pools, and indoor activities and services other than non-aquatic indoor sports and recreational fitness activities.
- Campgrounds, museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and heritage institution
- libraries with limited on-site services.
Examples of activities that can resume, subject to conditions:
- film and television production
- tours and guide services
- certain personal services.
According to the City, under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, businesses and facilities that re-open to the public must ensure to “the fullest extent possible” that customers and members of the public who visit the business or facility are able to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres.
The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area mayors said that as municipalities enter Stage 2 this week, they will all be “focused on supporting more businesses to open safely and successfully and on the opening of more municipal services that we know our residents need.”
“We trust as we move forward into Stage 2 together and on to future stages that the province will continue to work closely with local Medical Officers of Health and to demonstrate sensitivity to possibly differing regional realities,” the statement said.
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Earlier on Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced that Toronto and Peel Region could move into the next stage of reopening on Wednesday, June 24 at 12:01 am.
On Friday, Toronto’s new coronavirus cases had been on a consecutive downward trend for 14 days.
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said that 37 new coronavirus cases as the city reaches a total of 13,893 cases with 11,879 recovered.
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