Patio dining, non-essential shopping allowed starting Friday as Ontario enters Step 1
Simcoe Muskoka business owners waiting to reopen and remove restrictions on what items they can sell will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the province moves into Step 1 of its economic reopening plan earlier than initially scheduled.
The province announced that Ontario would shift into the first stage of reopening on Friday rather than Monday.
"The only reason we're able to do so is because of the enormous sacrifices made by individuals, families and communities across Ontario," Premier Doug Ford said in a statement Monday.
Moving to Step 1 means limited patio dining, indoor shopping and outdoor gatherings up to 10 people.
Stores can open all aisles with no restrictions on what can be sold, and non-essential retail can welcome back customers with a 15 per cent capacity limit.
Here is what else is permitted in Step 1:
- outdoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres
- indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 15 per cent capacity of the particular room
- essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity
- outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households
- outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sport training to be permitted with up to 10 people, among other restrictions
- day camps for children permitted to operate in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines for COVID-19
- overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals
- concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 performers, among other restrictions
- outdoor horse racing tracks and motor speedways permitted to operate without spectators
- outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions
"As we begin to enjoy the benefits of the first step in our roadmap like meeting friends on a patio or visiting your favourite local store, please do so safely by continuing to follow all public health guidelines," Ford added.
It's anticipated the province will move to Step 2 roughly three weeks later; however, there are no exact dates.
Complete details on what Ontario's three-tiered reopening plan means for Simcoe Muskoka are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.