By Alexandra Vanquest
July 19th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
After months of lockdown and restrictive measures, there is at last some good news for Ontario residents.
The province has moved into Step 3 of the Road to Reopen plan five days earlier than expected.
The new chief medical officer of health confirmed the news to reporters last week, saying that the acceleration of the timetable was, in large part, due to the large number of local citizens who are putting themselves forward daily to get vaccinated.
Step 3 of the plan has two main objectives – to expand what can happen in an indoor setting and to further expand outdoor activities.
Among the new changes for indoor locations:
• Up to 25 people at a time can attend indoor gatherings and public events;
Spaced out to meet social distancing requirements – people are now able to get out for an indoors meal.
• Indoor dining is now permitted with no capacity limits other than the proviso that tables should be at least two metres apart;
• More people are now allowed to attend religious services like weddings, funerals, and christenings;
• Indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities can operate at up to 50% capacity (with spectators capped at 1,000 people);
• Similarly, concert venues, theatres and cinemas can operate up to 50% capacity (up to the same limits); and
• Nightclubs and other places of entertainment can operate up to 25% capacity, with up to a maximum of 250 attendees allowed.
Outdoor locations are also opening up.
• With limited exceptions, up to 100 people can attend outside gatherings and organised events;
• Outdoor sporting and recreational facilities are now capped at up to 75% of the approved capacity, or 15,000 people, whichever is the lower;
• Casinos, museums, aquariums, galleries, fairs, and amusement parks are capped at 75% capacity or a maximum of 5,000, (which is the lower) for unseated events. In the case of mixed seating events, the crowd limit is revised upwards to 15,000 people.
Online casinos have always been available and are becoming more and more popular. You gamble when and where you want.
Of course, those interested in playing online are not limited to visiting physical casinos. There are many online versions available and some of the newest online casinos in Canada are listed here.
Provincial officials have confirmed that masks and face coverings will still be mandatory for indoor public events during Step 3, and that masks will be required in some public settings along with the observation of other public health protocols.
Getting to the 80% vaccinated level is what it will take to open things up even more.
Even where it is not obligatory, people will still be encouraged to wear masks over the coming months to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus.
It is expected that Ontario will remain at Step 3 for at least 21 days, and until at least 80% of those eligible – currently all those aged 12 and older – have received at least one anti-Covid vaccination and 75% have received two jabs.
If those targets can be met, then the provincial government has indicated that it is prepared to remove the majority of the remaining health and workplace safety measures, including lifting the capacity limits for both indoor and outdoor events.
Many Ontarians, fed-up with more than a year of restrictions on personal freedoms, will have their fingers crossed these thresholds can be met, and that life can finally get back to some sort of normal.
