Ontario lifts capacity limits in restaurants, gyms, casinos today
Municipal leaders and business owners welcomed the lifting of capacity limits for facilities requiring proof of COVID-19 immunization on Monday, but said more help is needed to bounce back from the pandemic.
Starting at midnight, restaurants, gyms, casinos and other locations required to ask customers for proof of immunization could open to a full house.
Other spaces not subject to that provincial rule like museums and galleries, places of worship and personal care services were also permitted to fully open, but only if they required proof of vaccination.
Edison Xue, the manager of La Prep restaurant in downtown Toronto, said the province's decision to lift capacity restrictions is good, but won't help his business as long people continue to mostly work from home.
"It's really hard to say (if it's) going to help my business or not because my business really depends on how the pandemic goes," Xue said on Monday.
"It really depends (on) how many people really come back to work, not like once or twice a week."
Mayors of the largest municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area said they support the province's move to lift capacity limits.
"This is a sign of the progress we have made across the GTHA and the entire province combatting COVID-19 and getting residents vaccinated," the group said in a written statement following a meeting.
They also encouraged people to support local businesses, especially restaurants still struggling from losses they accumulated during the health crisis.
"Many businesses have a COVID hangover from the earlier stages of the pandemic and need our support by shopping, eating and drinking local," the statement said.
Premier Doug Ford announced the changes on Friday as he unveiled plans for managing the pandemic long term.
Those plans include aiming to remove all public health measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 by late March, including mask mandates.
Proof-of-vaccination requirements will start to be lifted early next year -- as long as trends don't become concerning -- starting with restaurants, bars, gyms and casinos in January.
Ford describes his approach to loosening restrictions as "super cautious."
Ontario reported 326 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and no new deaths from the virus.
The province said 87 per cent of residents aged 12 and older had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 83 per cent had received both shots.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2021.
- With files from Maan Alhmidi
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.