Businesses look ahead to operating with few restrictions
Some Barrie businesses are excited by the news of what operations may look like once the province moves past Step Three of its reopening plan.
On Friday, the provincial government confirmed that once Ontario is ready to move past Step Three, only a small number of current restrictions will remain in place, including no longer limiting capacity in businesses.
"We couldn't ask for more," says Sunny Jung, the owner of Everleigh, a gift shop located in downtown Barrie. "Stores like ours need volume. Often people don't want to wait too long, and they'll just go, and this is the kind of store where people take literally half an hour and more."
Businesses will still be required to have a safety plan and ensure appropriate signage for passive screening is posted.
The loosened restrictions can't come soon enough for Stella Gan, the owner of Liberty North, an event centre. While she hopes that the lifting of capacity limits will bring back large weddings and conferences, she remains concerned.
"For those conferences and events, there's still some hesitation on the clients part because of the unknown," Gan says. "There's that fear, 'will the lockdown come back in place or the restrictions come back in place?"
The province has more metrics to hit for Step Three to be lifted, including having 75 per cent of the eligible population fully immunized.
To avoid more lockdowns, Dr. Sohail Gandhi, a Stayner physician who was once the president of the Ontario Medical Association, says getting as many vaccinated as possible remains critical.
"We are going to see an increase of people with mild cases, coughs, sore throat, muscle aches, but based on the United Kingdom, we should hopefully not see people in hospital, but we'll need to watch for that," says Gandhi.
While no date has been provided for when the province will exit Step Three, the premier has said it could be as soon as the middle of August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.