Ontario announces phased reopening plan, restrictions to ease starting Jan. 31

Ontario will begin easing pandemic restrictions at the end of this month, starting with the reopening of restaurants, gyms and movie theatres at 50 per cent capacity.

Premier Doug Ford announced the phased reopening plan in a news conference Thursday morning.

The provincial government says public health indicators are beginning to show signs of improvement.

In the absence of concerning trends in public health and health care indicators, Ontario will follow a phased approach to lifting public health measures, with 21 days between each step.

Jan. 31

Starting Jan. 31 at 12:01 a.m., the province will begin to gradually ease restrictions, including but not limited to:

• Increasing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors;
• Increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50 per cent in indoor public settings, including but not limited to:
• Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities;
• Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies);
• Shopping malls;
• Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms;
• Cinemas;
• Meeting and event spaces;
• Recreational amenities and amusement parks, including water parks;
• Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions; and
• Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments;
• Religious services, rites or ceremonies
• Allowing spectator areas of facilities such as sporting events, concert venues and theatres to operate at 50 per cent seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less
• Enhanced proof of vaccination, and other requirements would continue to apply in existing settings

Feb. 21

• Increasing social gathering limits to 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors;
• Removing capacity limits in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including but not limited to restaurants, indoor sports and recreational facilities, cinemas, as well as other settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements;
• Permitting spectator capacity at sporting events, concert venues and theatres at 50 per cent capacity;
• Limiting capacity in most remaining indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is not required to the number of people that can maintain two metres of physical distance;
• Indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies limited to the number that can maintain two metres of physical distance, with no limit if proof of vaccination is required;
• Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there is dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs

March 14

• Lifting capacity limits in all indoor public settings. Proof of vaccination will be maintained in existing settings in addition to other regular measures;
• Lifting remaining capacity limits on religious services, rites or ceremonies;
• Increase social gathering limits to 50 people indoors with no limits for outdoor gatherings