Here's what's open in Simcoe Muskoka as Ontario enters Step 3 Friday

Barrie, Ont. -

For the first time in months, indoor dining, fitness centres, and personal care services can reopen to welcome back customers and clients across Simcoe Muskoka and the province.

Ontario officially entered the final phase of its three-tiered COVID-19 reopening plan Friday at 12:01 a.m., five days ahead of schedule.

As more indoor services reopen with restrictions, such as capacity limits and physical distancing measures, the Simcoe Muskoka health unit cautions residents to continue to follow safety measures.

"It is still vital that we continue to follow the precautions necessary to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 in our area," said Simcoe Muskoka's medical officer of health. Dr. Charles Gardner.

"To that end, I urge all individuals 12 years of age and older to get their full two-dose series of COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as they are able."

WHAT'S ALLOWED IN STEP 3

Step 3 of the Roadmap focuses on resuming indoor services with larger numbers of people and restrictions in place.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 100 people;
• 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;
• Indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities can reopen with a maximum of 50 per cent capacity;
• Indoor meeting and event spaces are permitted to operate with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect and capacity limited to 50 per cent capacity or 1,000 people (whichever is less);
• Essential and non-essential retail can open for shoppers as long as a two-metre physical distance can be maintained;
• Personal care services can fully reopen, including services requiring the removal of a face covering;
• Museums, galleries, historic sites, aquariums, zoos, landmarks, botanical gardens, science centres, casinos and bingo halls, amusement parks, fairs and rural exhibitions, festivals, with capacity limited to 50 per cent indoors and 75 per cent outdoors;
• Concert venues, cinemas, and theatres permitted to operate at:

1. up to 50 per cent capacity indoors or a maximum limit of 1,000 people for seated events (whichever is less)
2. up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum limit of 5,000 people for unseated events (whichever is less); and
3. 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 may resume 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, are permitted to have up to 25 per cent capacity or up to a maximum limit of 250 people (whichever is less).

The province will remain in Step 3 for at least 21 days before most restrictions are lifted and a true sense of normalcy returns.