Much of Ontario to enter Stage 3 of reopening July 17

Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Photo: Bruce Reeve

TORONTO — Ontario will allow more businesses to reopen, expand access to child care and loosen strict limits on indoor gatherings as it pushes ahead with its pandemic recovery this week, Premier Doug Ford said as he touted the “cautious” plan to continue the economic restart.

Stage 3 of the provincial reopening effort begins July 17 in regions outside the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas, the Niagara Region, and Windsor-Essex, Ford said.

All other health units cleared to enter the next phase of economic recovery will see significant changes in everything from public gathering limits to the range of services available.

Jurisdictions entering Stage 3 will be able to hold indoor gatherings of up to 50 people not including venue staff, while outdoor gatherings can now include as many as 100 people as long as physical distancing measures are in place.

“We’re being pretty vigilant, we aren’t rushing into anything,” Ford said. “We’re opening up slowly in Stage 3, and being very, very cautious about it.”

Ford said the arrival of Stage 3 means most businesses will be allowed to resume operations at levels not seen since before the pandemic prompted widespread shutdowns in mid-March.

Restaurants, for instance, will be permitted to resume indoor service as long as tables are spaced two metres apart to encourage physical distancing. Bars and night clubs will be allowed to serve food and host live entertainment, but dancing will not be allowed indoors.

Fitness facilities, movie theatres, casinos, performance venues and conference centres are among the businesses given the green light to reopen with public health measures in place.

Personal care services, which largely resumed under Stage 2 last month, can expand to include facial contact _ though saunas and steam rooms are still banned under the new rules.

A handful of services and business types remain banned under the relaxed regulations, including amusement and water parks, restaurant buffet service, overnight children’s camps and private karaoke rooms.

Ford said the move to Stage 3 was made possible by the continued decline in COVID-19 numbers across most of the province, noting 21 of 34 local health units reported no new cases at all on Monday.

The rollout resembles the transition to Stage 2, with only outbreak hotspots and border regions being held back.

Most of Ontario entered Stage 2 of reopening on June 12, with another seven regions following on June 19.

Toronto, Peel and parts of Windsor-Essex were allowed to progress to Stage 2 five days later, and the remaining communities were in the second stage as of July 7.

Ford said the government would provide updates each Monday as to when new regions may be able to enter the next phase of the recovery plan.

“I want the people in these regions to know that we won’t leave anyone behind,” Ford said.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the province was planning to expand the number of children allowed in daycare centres effective July 27, from the current cohorts of 10 to 15 children.

Lecce said that should help restore 90% of the province’s pre-pandemic child-care system capacity.

“We know how critical child care is to ensure that all working moms and dads can return to work safely,” Lecce said.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said people should expect that many of the public health measures that restrict gatherings and dictate the need for physical distancing will remain in place for the “foreseeable future.”

Public health officials will monitor for any spike in COVID-19 cases and could move parts of the province back to previous stages if required, she said.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the government must put further supports in place for businesses in regions that are being left behind in Stage 2.

“As we prepare to move into a new stage of our economic reopening, we must remember that small businesses across the province are struggling because Doug Ford didn’t provide the kind of direct support needed to keep Main Street healthy and vibrant,” she said.

Ontario reported 116 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, along with three new deaths due to the novel coronavirus.

The total number of cases now stands at 36,839, which includes 32,663 marked as resolved and 2,722 deaths. More than 20,896 tests were completed over the previous 24 hours.

The numbers of people in hospital because of the virus, as well as those in intensive care and on ventilators, all slightly decreased.