July 9, 2021 - The Government of Ontario has announced that the province will be moving to Step Three of its Roadmap to Reopen starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 16, 2021. This applies to the entire Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) catchment area.
The Roadmap is a three-step plan to safely and carefully reopen the province and gradually lift public health measures based on province-wide vaccination rates and improvements in key public health and health care indicators.
Step Three of the Roadmap focuses on the safe resumption of additional indoor services with larger numbers of people, with restrictions in place. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 100 people with limited exceptions;
- Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;
- Indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted with physical distancing;
- Indoor dining permitted with no limits on the number of patrons per table with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect;
- Indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities to open subject to a maximum 50 per cent capacity of the indoor space. Capacity for indoor spectators is 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 1,000 people, whichever is less. Capacity for outdoor spectators is 75 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 15,000 people, whichever is less;
- Indoor meeting and event spaces permitted to operate with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect and capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity or 1,000 people, (whichever is less);
- Essential and non-essential retail with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
- Personal care services, including services requiring the removal of a face covering, with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
- Museums, galleries, historic sites, aquariums, zoos, landmarks, botanical gardens, science centres, casinos/bingo halls, amusement parks, fairs and rural exhibitions, festivals, with capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity indoors and 75 per cent capacity outdoors;
- Concert venues, cinemas, and theatres permitted to operate at:
- up to 50 per cent capacity indoors or a maximum limit of 1,000 people for seated events (whichever is less)
- up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum limit of 5,000 people for unseated events (whichever is less); and up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum of 15,000 people for events with fixed seating (whichever is less).
- Real estate open houses with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres; and
- Indoor food or drink establishments where dance facilities are provided, including nightclubs and restobars, permitted up to 25 per cent capacity or up to a maximum limit of 250 people (whichever is less).
The Province plans to remain in Step Three of reopening for at least 21 days and until 80 percent of the eligible population aged 12 and over has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75 per cent have received their second, with no public health unit having less than 70 per cent of their population fully vaccinated. Public health and workplace safety measures will continue to apply, including maintaining physical distance, and wearing face coverings in indoor spaces.
For further details, please refer to the news release.
TBDHU will continue to support businesses and workplaces in implementing and adopting all of the measures required to protect their workers and the public. Resources and supports specific to sectors will be updated next week and will be available on the health unit website.
As usual, if you get any COVID-19 symptoms, even mild ones, isolate immediately and arrange to get tested at your local assessment centre.
Visit TBDHU.com for more information.
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For more information - Health Unit Media: news@tbdhu.com.