Ontario announced its Roadmap to reopen. A three-step plan to safely reopen the Province and gradually lift public health measures based on the province-wide vaccination rate and improvements in key public health and health care indicators. As per the Plan, Ontario will remain in each step for at least 21 days. The Province will move to the next step if vaccination thresholds have been met, along with positive trends in other key public health and health system indicators. In response to recent improvements to these indicators, Ontario will allow more outdoor recreational amenities to reopen, with restrictions in place, effective May 22, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. As per information by Ontario Govt, Roadmap to Reopen outlines three steps to easing public health measures, guided by the following principles:
- Step One: This is starting phase with an initial focus on resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds where the risk of transmission is lower, and permitting retail with restrictions. This includes allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, outdoor dining with up to four people per table and non-essential retail at 15% capacity.
- Step Two Further expanding outdoor activities and resuming limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn. This includes outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, outdoor sports and leagues, overnight camps, personal care services where face coverings can be worn and with capacity limits, as well as indoor religious services, rites or ceremony gatherings at 15% capacity.
- Step Three Expanding access to indoor settings, with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings can’t always be worn. This includes indoor sports and recreational fitness; indoor dining, museums, art galleries and libraries, and casinos and bingo halls, with capacity limits.
Highlights: Restrictions on outdoor recreation facilities will come to an end Saturday after first coming into effect on April 17. which means activities such as golf courses, tennis courts, skateboarding parks, sports fields, BMX and skate parks, shooting ranges and archery ranges, and horse riding will resume.
Outdoor gathering limits for social gatherings and organized public events will be expanded to five people