Ontario will allow restaurants, gyms, cinemas and other indoor settings to reopen at 50 per cent capacity as of Jan. 31 as part of a wider plan to gradually lift most COVID-19 restrictions by mid-March.
On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford announced that the province will gradually lift current public health measures to blunt transmission of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
On Jan. 5, the government reverted to a modified Step 2, resulting in the closure of indoor dining, gyms, cinemas and 50 per cent capacity limits in retail settings.
The current restrictions were set to be in effect until Jan. 26, but today the government announced it will loosen restrictions at the end of the month.
“The evidence tells us that the measures we put in place to blunt transmission of Omicron are
Working,” Ford said in a press release on Thursday. “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.”
As of Jan. 31, capacity limits will increase or be maintained at 50 per cent in select indoor settings, including restaurants, bars, non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, museums, cinemas, casinos and religious services.
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Enhanced proof of vaccination with QR codes will continue to apply in these settings.
Private social gathering limits will also increase to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
Less than a month later, on Feb. 14, further lifting of measures are expected to be implemented including removing all capacity limits in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including restaurants, sports and recreational facilities and cinemas.
In addition, spectator capacity at sporting events, concert venues and theatres will be raised to 50 per cent.
And lastly, as of March 14, Ontario will virtually lift all remaining public health restrictions in all indoor settings and increase social gathering limits to 50 people indoors and no limits for outdoor gatherings.
Speaking at a COVID-19 press briefing yesterday, Elliott said that the province is seeing “glimmers of hope” and “signs of stabilization” in the health-care system.
“Omicron cases are expected to peak this month with a peak in hospitalizations and ICU admissions to follow,” she said at the press briefing.
“New hospitalizations are slowing and are now doubling closer to every two weeks. Experience in our hospitals has confirmed Omicron is not as severe as Delta, with far fewer patients requiring intensive care than in previous waves, despite much higher rates of transmission in the community.”
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