Ontario reducing capacity limits at large spectator venues to 1,000 people

Ontario will be restricting spectators at large sporting and entertainment events to 1,000 people amid a recent rise in COVID-19 cases.

The announcement was made on Thursday afternoon and will impact most spectator sporting events, concert venues and theatres.

As of Friday, capacity will be reduced to 50 per cent at these venues, or 1,000 people, whichever is less.

Capacity limits were reduced to 50 per cent for most indoor venues in mid-December, including restaurants, retail stores and personal care services. Larger venues were not included in this list; however, the province did ban eating or drinking in these areas.

As of Dec. 31, this list will expand to include indoor venues where there is a large number of spectators.

“I don’t think anyone’s being fooled that we’re not having widespread community activity across Ontario,” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore told reporters.

The announcement comes as multiple Toronto doctors expressed concern that thousands of people were able to attend a Raptors game at the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night even though health officials have urged people to reduce their contacts and avoid large gatherings.

The doctors argued that the province put restrictions on long-term care visitors and was considering options for schools, and yet 10,000 people could gather to watch a sports game.

“It's not specifically about the Raptors game, it's about the message it sends to the public. And I think it's really confusing,” Dr. Michael Warner told CP24 at the time. “When I see 10,000 people at the Raptors game, you know with masks below their nose and bandanas over their face, it doesn't provide me with a lot of happiness with respect to what the government is doing or not doing to make sure Omicron doesn't spread like wildfire.”

Numerous people, including Raptors President Masai Ujiri, contracted COVID-19 at an event attended by the team on Dec. 5.

Earlier this month, Toronto Public Health reported potential COVID-19 exposures at a Raptors game. In the month of December, officials have also reported multiple exposures at movie theatres, concert venues and a select number of restaurants in the city.

Multiple shows, including "The Nutcracker" and “Come From Away” have been cancelled due to COVID-19. The World Junior Hockey Tournament was also cancelled as a number of teams had players in isolation protocol.

In a statement, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) said that upcoming Maple Leaf and Raptors games "will transition to operating without any sold tickets"  as of Dec. 31. Exceptions will be made "for league and team requirements up to 1,000 per game."

"It is expected that these limits will be in place for the next three weeks at which time the province has indicated they will reassess restrictions," officials said in a statement. " Maple Leafs and Raptors Season Seat Members will receive follow up information within the next 24 hours as ticketing details are finalized. We look forward to hosting fans again as soon as the province deems it safe to do so."

The new capacity limits were announced at the same time as new COVID-19 testing guidelines and shortened isolation periods.

The government also said that students will not be returning to school until Jan. 5 to allow for more time to deploy additional safety measures.

A record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday with 13,807 new infections.