Starting at 12:01 AM on June 11th, Ontario found itself at Step one of a three-step plan that should bring the province back to normal life in a safe and orderly fashion, seeking to restart the economic, social, personal and educational life of the province without running the risk of sparking new outbreaks of the virus, by gradually and cautiously relaxing existing restrictions and public health emergency measures that had been enacted a short time ago in order to stop the terrible recent third-wave outbreak in this province.
The gradual implementation of the aforementioned plan will be based on two factors,
- Province-wide vaccination rates.
- Verified improvements in specific key public health and healthcare indicators.
While in Step 1, everybody should still go on following all hitherto applicable public health measures, advice, and restrictions. Step 1 has already begun to be implemented, since June 11th, as pointed out earlier. Ontario will stay in Step 1 for at least 21 days in order to be able to determine and verify its impact on specific key public health and health system indicators.
Should there have been steady improvements in specific key public health and health system indicators by the end of the aforementioned 21-day period, and should specific vaccination target thresholds have also been reached by then, Step two would then be implemented. It should last at least 21 days. Every step has been projected to last for at least 21 days.
The minimum vaccination target thresholds for each step are,
Step 1 – At least 60% of adults have been vaccinated with at least one dose.
Step 2 – At least 70% of adults have been vaccinated with one dose and at least 20% with two doses.
Step 3 – At least between 70% and 80% of adults have been vaccinated with one dose and 25% with two doses.
The guidelines earmarked for each step have been set as follows,
Step 1 – Resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds with a lower risk of transmission, as well as allowing limited indoor settings with appropriate restrictions.
Step 2 – Further expansion of outdoor activities as well as resuming limited indoor services with small numbers of individuals, with face coverings still having to be worn at all times.
Step 3 – Increasing allowed access to indoor settings, with specific restrictions, including where there would be larger numbers of individuals and where face coverings would not always be able to be worn.
Gathering guidelines having been earmarked for each step are as follows,
Step 1 – Not more than ten individuals for outdoor gatherings, with the exception of year-end school gatherings and retirement home gatherings, where some restrictions may still apply.
Step 2 – Not more than 25 individuals for outdoor gatherings, and not more than 5 for indoor gatherings.
Step 3 – Allowance of larger outdoor and indoor gatherings with specific size limitations.
Retail business guidelines having been earmarked for each step are as follows,
Step 1 – Essential and select retail shall be restricted to 25% capacity, being able to sell all goods, including discounts and big box.
Non-essential retail shall be restricted to only 15% capacity, while retail stores in malls shall stay closed unless they have a street-facing entrance. Some other specific restrictions shall apply for shopping malls as well.
Step 2 – Essential retail shall be restricted to 50% capacity, while non-essential retail shall be restricted to only 25% capacity.
Step 3 – Essential and non-essential retail shall be allowed to open with capacity limited so as to be able to allow a physical distancing of at least 2 meters between individuals.
The same aforementioned capacity limitations shall also apply to liquor stores.
When it comes to religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, indoor allowed attendance shall be restricted to 15% for Step 1, 25% for step 2, and almost full for Step 3, with specific guidelines for each case, while outdoor attendance shall be allowed for all three stages, still restricted to being able to keep at least a 2-meter separation between attending individuals for all three steps.
The guidelines having been earmarked for restaurants and bars are as follows,
Step 1 – Only outdoor dining shall be allowed with up to 4 people per table from different households, as well as maintaining current protective restrictions.
Step 2 – Only outdoor dining shall be allowed with up to 6 people per table from different households, as well as maintaining current protective restrictions. Outdoor karaoke shall also be allowed while maintaining current protective restrictions.
Step 3 – Indoor dining shall be allowed under establishment-specific capacity limitations and protective restrictions, while outdoor dining shall still be allowed as long as individuals maintain at least a 2-meter separation at all times. Buffets and karaoke’s shall be allowed under establishment-specific capacity limitations and protective restrictions.
The same aforementioned guidelines shall be applied to strip clubs.
The guidelines having been earmarked for personal care services, like beauty parlors and the like, are as follows,
Step 1 – They shall still stay closed. However, sensory deprivation pods shall be allowed to operate when prescribed or administered by a regulated health professional, with some restrictions.
Step 2 – Establishments shall be allowed to open, restricted to 25% capacity up to a limit of 5 individuals. However, appointments shall be required for these services. Furthermore, any such services requiring the removal of face masks shall not be allowed.
Step 3 – Such establishments shall be allowed to open, as long as individuals maintain at least 2 meters of separation between each other at all times. Further establishment-specific restrictions shall be applicable.
Outdoor recreational facilities shall be allowed to open with certain restrictions for stages 1 and 2, thereafter unrestrictedly for stage 3.
Outdoor swimming pools, splash pads, spray pads, whirlpools, wading pools, and water slides shall be allowed to open since stage 1.
Construction activities shall also be allowed to take place since stage 1.
The guidelines having been earmarked for tours and guide services are as follows,
Step 1 – Boat and motor vehicle tours shall not be allowed at this stage. Outdoor tours shall be allowed to operate with up to ten individuals only, with certain restrictions.
Step 2 – Outdoor tours shall be allowed to take place with fewer restrictions, allowing more individuals but maintaining protective measures.
Step 3 – Both indoor and outdoor tours shall be allowed, still maintaining protective and size restrictions.
Driving instruction shall not be allowed during stage 1, except for drivers of commercial vehicles. Thereafter, it shall be allowed for stages 2 and 3, still with some restrictions