Ontario pauses next step of reopening plan as COVID-19 cases increase
Ontario is pausing the next step of the reopening plan after an increase in COVID-19 cases.
On Nov. 15, capacity limits were supposed to be lifted in remaining high-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required.
That step has been delayed at least 28 days, the province said Wednesday.
These higher-risk settings include:
- Food or drink establishments with dance facilities such as night clubs and wedding receptions in meeting/event spaces where there is dancing
- Strip clubs
- Sex clubs and bathhouses
The restrictions currently in place limit nightclubs and bathhouses to 25 per cent capacity or 250 patrons, whichever is less.
At strip clubs, there is no set capacity limit but establishments must ensure there is physical distancing of at least two metres between groups.
No other changes to the reopening plan have been made at this time.
Health officials said that while Ontario's hospital and intensive care capacity remains stable, certain public health trends, including the effective reproduction number and percent positivity, have increased slightly over the past week.
Ontario's rolling seven-day average of COVID-19 cases now stands at 502, up from 379 at this point last week.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said Wednesday Ontario is pausing the reopening plan "out of an abundance of caution."
"To ensure we maintain our progress, it is necessary to make this deliberate pause," Moore said.
Moore said while he expects cases to keep rising in Ontario, he does not think the province will need to reintroduce restrictions on a provincial level.
"Honestly, I do not see us stepping backwards," Moore said. "If we have to, we'll pause, but we won't take a step backwards."
Moore said if any additional restrictions are needed, they will be brought in on a regional basis.
"This battle against this fast, furious, foe will be fought at a regional level."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.