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The Ontario government announced today that it will allow more recreational amenities to reopen starting this Saturday, May 22, with restrictions in place such as the need to maintain physical distancing.
These amenities include but are not limited to golf courses and driving ranges, soccer and other sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, and skate parks. No outdoor sports or recreational classes are permitted. Outdoor limits for social gatherings and organized public events will be expanded to five people, which will allow these amenities to be used for up to five people, including with members of different households. All other public health and workplace safety measures under the provincewide emergency brake will remain in effect.
The province also announced today a three-phase approach to easing public health measures, which it is calling Roadmap to Reopen. The province will remain in each step for at least 21 days, moving to the next step if vaccination thresholds have been met, along with positive trends in other key public health and health system indicators.
Step One , which requires 60 per cent of adults to be vaccinated with one dose, has an initial focus on resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds where the risk of transmission is lower, and permitting retail with restrictions. This includes allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, outdoor dining with up to four people per table, and non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity. If current trends continue, the government expects the province will enter Step One in the week of June 14, 2021.
Step Two, which requires 70 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 20 per cent vaccinated with two doses, will further expand outdoor activities and resume limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn. This includes outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, outdoor sports and leagues, personal care services where face coverings can be worn and with capacity limits, as well as indoor religious services, rites or ceremony gatherings at 15 per cent capacity.
Step Three, which requires 70 to 80 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 25 per cent vaccinated with two doses, will expand access to indoor settings, with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings can’t always be worn. This includes indoor sports and recreational fitness; indoor dining, museums, art galleries and libraries, and casinos and bingo halls, with capacity limits.
Publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools in the province will continue to operate under teacher-led remote learning. Premier Ford expressed concern about modelling from Ontario’s Science Advisory Table which showed that reopening schools on June 2 could lead to a six to 11 per cent increase in cases.
The provincewide emergency brake restrictions remain in effect while the province assesses when it will be moving to Step One of the roadmap with the stay-at-home order expiring on June 2, 2021.
“As a result of the strict public health measures we introduced to stop the spread of COVID-19 variants, we are seeing a steady improvement in our situation as ICU and hospital numbers begin to stabilize,” said Premier Ford. “While we must remain conscious of the continued threat the virus poses, with millions of Ontarians having received at least their first dose of vaccine we can now begin the process of a slow and cautious re-opening of the province in full consultation with our public health professionals.”
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