Most of Ontario to move into stage 2 of re-opening Friday

Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand-Norfolk and Halton are among the regions that will move into stage two of re-opening on Friday.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Monday morning, alongside four of his ministers.

The regions of Durham, York and Lambton will also move into stage two.

Officials say they made this decision based on numbers from this weekend.

The province reported 181 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest number of new daily cases since late March.

Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex will remain in stage one.

The latest batch of data suggests Toronto and Peel regions remain the epicentre of the pandemic in Ontario.

Locally, 28 of Ontario’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 of them reporting no new cases at all. 126 of today’s 181 new cases, or 70%, are from Toronto and Peel.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) June 15, 2020

Stage 2 means restaurants and bars, including wineries and breweries, shopping centres, community centres and salons can open as long as safety and physical distancing precautions are in place.

Ford is stressing that people should remain vigilant and follow public health guidelines.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Lisa MacLeod has announced a new initiative aimed at boosting the tourism industry in the province.

She will be in Niagara Falls on Friday to kick off a province-wide tour.