Capacity limits for Ontario restaurants, gyms to end as soon as Monday: sources
Capacity limits on restaurants and gyms in Ontario could be lifted next Monday, as the Ford government considers new measures for establishments that require proof of vaccination certificates, sources say.
CTV News Toronto has learned that Premier Doug Ford met with this cabinet Thursday afternoon to also discuss when to dial back the mandatory masking policies in public settings. Multiple sources pointed to the spring as a potential timeframe to end the mandate, while others say the government intends to slowly pull back public health measures beginning in January.
The government is expected to officially announce the new measures on Friday, along with Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, who has to sign off on the new measures.
Among the considerations, sources say, is a proof of vaccination opt-in option for sectors of the economy that still have capacity limits. Museums for example, could maximize capacity as long they require guests be fully vaccinated.
Ontario has been operating in Step 3 of the province’s reopening plan for more than three months now, which has seen additional indoor services with larger numbers of people become available with restrictions in place. Capacity limits for some settings, including sporting and concert venues, were lifted by the government on Oct. 8, though gyms and restaurants were not included in the policy change—a move which industry leaders said was a disappointment.
Speaking to reporters last week, Premier Doug Ford said the government’s long-term COVID-19 reopening strategy would provide residents and businesses alike with clear guidelines and timelines for what to expect in the months ahead as the province continues to manage the spread of the virus.
He said the plan would also include details of “where and when” the government may need to reapply public health restrictions should they be required to stop a “surge in transmission.”
“The chief medical officer of health has been clear: the objective is to avoid further lockdowns and if additional measures are necessary, they will be localized, tailored and aimed at limiting disruption to businesses and families because this is not just a plan for the short term, but for the long term,” Ford said at the time.
Ontario’s COVID-19 situation has improved in recent months with the province logging fewer and fewer infections each day as vaccination rates inch higher and higher.
In fact, on Wednesday, the province reported 304 new infections, marking the lowest daily case total recorded since the beginning of August.
Friday’s expected announcement comes on the same day that Ontario’s enhanced COVID-19 vaccination QR code certificate goes into effect, which allows fully vaccinated individuals more streamlined access to non-essential settings.
The announcement will be streamed live on CTVNewsToronto.ca and the CTV News app.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.