Ontario Moving To Step 1 Of Reopening On Friday

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The province of Ontario will be moving to Step 1 of the provincial reopening plan this Friday June 11th at 12:01am.

“Thanks to the ongoing success of Team Ontario’s vaccine rollout and the ongoing improvements in public health trends, we are able to enter step one of the Roadmap and begin to safely and cautiously lift restrictions,” said Premier Doug Ford in a news release. “The only reason we’re able to do so is because of the enormous sacrifices made by individuals, families and communities across Ontario. As we begin to enjoy the benefits of the first step in our roadmap like meeting friends on a patio or visiting your favourite local store, please do so safely by continuing to follow all public health guidelines.”

In order to safely enter Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopen, Ontario needed to have vaccinated 60 per cent of adults with at least one dose for two weeks or longer, ensuring the first dose offers a strong level of protection against COVID-19. As of June 6th, 2021 at 8:00pm, 72 per cent of the 18+ population in Ontario had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with over 10 million doses now having been administered.

The province says Step 1 focuses on the resumption of more outdoor activities with smaller crowds where risk of transmission is lower. It will also permit more limited indoor settings to be open, all with restrictions in place. The government has also amended Step 1 to permit indoor religious services, rites and ceremonies, including wedding and funeral services limited to 15 per cent capacity.

Here’s what can open under Step 1:

• Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 10 people;
• Outdoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
• Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 15 per cent capacity of the particular room;
• Non-essential retail permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
• Essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
• Outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households;
• Outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sport training to be permitted with up to 10 people, among other restrictions;
• Day camps for children permitted to operate in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines for COVID-19 produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
• Overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals;
• Concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 performers, among other restrictions;
• Outdoor horse racing tracks and motor speedways permitted to operate without spectators; and
• Outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions.

The government says the province will remain in Step 1 for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. If at the end of the 21 days the province has vaccinated 70 per cent of adults with one dose and 20 per cent of adults with two doses and there are “continued improvements in other key public health and health system indicators,” the government says the province will move to Step 2.