Ontarians will be allowed to eat at sporting events on Monday, will not need to provide contact information
Ontario has released more details about what individuals should expect when the province moves to the first step of the latest reopening plan, which will see indoor dining return and establishments like movie theatres and sporting venues operate at 50 per cent capacity.
In new regulations approved Thursday afternoon, the government specified that individuals attending indoor events at a sporting or concert venue, a movie theatre, or other gaming establishments will be allowed to eat and drink, as long as they remain seated.
The new regulations can be considered good news for places such as movie theatres, who said they were disappointed to hear earlier in the week that popcorn would be banned in cinemas to reduce transmission during the opening.
These venues must still screen patrons prior to allowing entry; however the government has said that most businesses will no longer need to collect information for contact tracing.
“This is aligned with recent changes to the testing and case and contact management guidance and will allow businesses to focus their efforts on the enforcement of other public health measures in these settings, such as masking requirement,” officials said in a statement.
The province is also removing the legal requirement to work from home except where necessary, although Ontario’s chief medical officer of health recommends that those who are able to work from home continue to do so.
Dr. Kieran Moore reiterated this fact at a news conference on Thursday afternoon, saying that individual case management is no longer beneficial based on the vast community spread of Omicron.
"You have to take personal responsibility based on symptoms, knowing when to access health-care systems and (rapid antigen tests)," Moore said. “We have to learn as a society to live with this virus, live with the risk.”
Officials also offered clarification on capacity limits, saying that the 50 per cent limit applies to rooms within a facility as opposed to the number of people who can fit in the building as a whole.
For religious ceremonies and services, capacity restrictions have changed to allow as many people as can fit in the space while remaining physically distant. The province said those responsible for indoor weddings, funerals or other religious services “may elect to require attendees to provide proof of identification and of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”
These new regulations come into effect on Jan. 31 as the province enters the first of three reopening stages.
On Monday, movie theatres, meeting rooms and event spaces will be able to operate with 50 per cent capacity indoors. The same goes for indoor restaurants, bars, retailers, museums, and religious services.
- FULL LIST: What’s reopening in Ontario and when
Spectators will once again return to sporting events and concert venues at 50 per cent capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
However, social gathering limits will remain more restricted, with 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
The government plans to lift further restrictions on Feb. 21, however Ford said that if public health trends have not improved the government “won’t hesitate” to pause between steps “for a few extra days.”
Dr. Peter Juni, the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, told CTV News the province needs to carefully monitor hospitalizations as it reopens, especially considering the fact that many residents have still not gotten their booster shots.
“We see now ways that our third dose rollout has fallen asleep a bit, which worries me a lot,” he said. “e have less than half a million third doses per week, that's far too little, may need to make it to you know, nine million at least by the end of February and we are far away from that.”
“And then we have the additional reopening and we just should expect that our hospital numbers and ICU numbers could go up a bit again.”
ONTARIO TO BEGIN RESUMING NON-URGENT SURGERIES
The province also said that it will be taking a “phased approach” to resume some health services that were paused earlier this month.
This includes non-urgent surgeries and procedures in pediatrics, diagnostic services, cancer screeings, some ambulatory clinics, private hospitals, and independent health facilities.
However, officials warned that not all hospitals will immediately resume these procedures and that “hospitals will need to meet certain criteria.”
Very few details were released regarding what those criteria are, however officials said in a statement that it would be based on “local context and conditions.”
With files from CTV News Toronto's Colin D'Mello
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.