Ontario moving to Step Two of reopening plan on June 30
On June 24, 2021, the Government of Ontario announced the majority of the province will move into Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The Waterloo region will not be moving into Step Two with the rest of the province due to the Delta variant currently circulating in the community.
Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen permits the resumption of more outdoor activities with larger groups and of limited indoor services so long as restrictions to limit transmissions are still followed.
For more details regarding Ontario’s full three-step Roadmap to Reopen plan, please see our previous bulletin here.
Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen includes but is not limited to:
- Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;
- Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to five people;
- Essential and other select retail permitted at 50 percent capacity;
- Non-essential retail permitted at 25 percent capacity, including stores in shopping malls;
- Personal care services where face coverings can be worn at all times, and at 25 percent capacity and other restrictions;
- Outdoor dining with up to six people per table, with exceptions for larger households and other restrictions;
- Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 25 percent capacity of the particular room;
- Outdoor fitness classes limited to the number of people who can maintain three metres of physical distance;
- Outdoor sports without contact or modified to avoid contact, with no specified limit on number of people or teams participating, with restrictions;
- Overnight camps for children operating in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
- Outdoor sport facilities with spectators permitted at 25 percent capacity;
- Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas, with spectators permitted at 25 percent capacity;
- Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 percent capacity; and
- Outdoor fairs, rural exhibitions, festivals, permitted at 25 percent capacity and with other restrictions.
Step Two mandates that specific businesses must remain closed, including casinos, nightclubs and indoor fitness centres.
Under the rules for Step Two, workplaces must also continue to ensure that all employees who can work remotely, do so. In addition, employers will still be expected, at a minimum, to continue all COVID-19 related workplace health and safety measures, including but not limited to workplace screening, enhanced hygiene practices, physical distancing, and face coverings.
For further information, please consult our Coronavirus Resource Centre or feel free to contact any member of our DLA Piper Canadian Employment and Labour Law Service Group, who will ensure that you are acting upon the most up-to-date information.
This article provides only general information about legal issues and developments, and is not intended to provide specific legal advice. Please see our disclaimer for more details.
