Ontario hits first benchmark to leave Step 3 but three more things still need to happen first
Ontario has hit the first benchmark to exit Step 3 and move toward a complete reopening, but there are already calls for a contingency plan to avoid a fourth lockdown in the fall.
According to Health Minister Christine Elliott, 80 per cent of the eligible population has now received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
That is one of the key targets Ontario must hit to exit Step 3 and "return to normal," Elliott said.
In order to move out of Step 3, the province must also have 75 per cent of the population with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, no public health unit can have less than 70 per cent of their eligible population vaccinated and other key indicators – like hospital capacity and case counts – must remain stable.
To date, Ontario officials report that nearly 70 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.
The earliest date Ontario can leave Step 3 is Aug. 6.
On Thursday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) issued a letter urging the Ford government to "communicate its plan to lift all business capacity restrictions."
They want the government to develop a contingency plan that ensures small businesses will not have to close for a fourth time if COVID-19 cases rise in the fall.
"CFIB also urges the government to allow all public health units that have hit the 70 per cent fully vaccinated target to immediately remove all capacity restrictions as has already happened in several provinces," CFIB President Dan Kelly said.
According to Kelly, "an alarming 18 per cent" of Ontario’s small businesses are actively considering bankruptcy.
Earlier this month, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said he "absolutely" expects a rise in COVID-19 cases starting in September and the province is already preparing to respond to the potential surge.
Moore said he has seen modelling from Public Health Ontario and the province’s science table that suggests cases will increase when the cooler weather arrives.
"I absolutely expect a rise in COVID activity in September," Moore said, adding that an increase in cases would mainly affect the unvaccinated population.
"Last summer, we had the same type of lull," he said. "Ontarians are taking great advantage of the outdoors, but as soon as we come back [to] the indoors, normally, all respiratory viruses start to come back, especially around the third week of September."
He said Ontario health officials are already working with local public health units to prepare for a potential surge in cases and that there’s a "real call to arms" to increase vaccine coverage before September when people will return to more indoor activities.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6863597.1714161309!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.