Government of Ontario releases three-step roadmap to safely reopen the province

On May 20, 2021, the Government of Ontario, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, released the Roadmap to Reopen, a three-step plan to safely reopen the province and gradually lift public health measures. The steps are based on the province-wide vaccination rate and improvements in key public health indicators, such as hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and new admissions and case rates. The province will remain in each of the three steps for at least 21 days to evaluate the measures’ impacts on the key public health indicators. If at the end of the 21 days, the vaccination thresholds have been met and the positive cases trend is acceptable, then the province will move forward to the next step of the reopening plan.

The three steps of the Roadmap to Reopen are as follows:

Step One: Focuses on resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds and permitting retail with restrictions. This includes but is not limited to:

• Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people;
• Outdoor dining with up to 4 people per table;
• Outdoor fitness classes, personal training and sports training up to 10 people;
• Non-essential retail at 15 percent capacity;
• Outdoor religious services, rites and ceremonies with capacity limited to permit 2 metres’ physical distancing;
• Horse racing and motor speedways without spectators;
• Outdoor horse riding;
• Outdoor pools and wading pools with capacity limited to permit 2 metres’ physical distancing;
• Outdoor zoos, landmarks, historic sites, and botanical gardens with capacity limits;
• Campsites, campgrounds, and short-term rentals; and
• Overnight camping at Ontario Parks.

Step One may begin after 60 percent of Ontario’s adults are vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and if public health indicators demonstrate that the province can safely move to Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen. Based on current trends, the province expects to enter Step One the week of June 14, 2021, but will confirm closer to that date.

Ontario will remain in Step One for at least 21 days. If at the end of those 21 days the province has vaccinated 70 percent of adults with one dose and 20 percent of adults with two doses, and there are positive trends in public health indicators, Ontario will move to Step Two.

Step Two: Focuses on further expanding outdoor activities and resuming limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn. This includes but is not limited to:

• Outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people;
• Indoor gatherings of up to 5 people and other restrictions;
• Outdoor dining up to 6 people per table;
• Outdoor sports and leagues;
• Overnight camps;
• Outdoor meeting and event spaces with capacity limits;
• Non-essential retail at 25 percent capacity, essential retail at 50 percent capacity;
• Personal care services where face coverings can be worn and with capacity limits;
• Outdoor cinemas and performing arts with capacity limits;
• Horse racing and motor speedways for spectators with capacity limits;
• Outdoor tour and guide services with capacity limits;
• Indoor religious services, rites or ceremony gatherings at 15 percent capacity;
• Public libraries with capacity limits;
• Outdoor waterparks and amusement parks with capacity limits; and
• Fairs and rural exhibitions with capacity limits.

Ontario will remain in Step Two for at least  21 days. If at the end of those 21 days the province has vaccinated 70 to 80 percent of adults with one dose and 25 percent are vaccinated with two doses, and positive trends in public health indicators continue, Ontario will move to Step Three.

Step Three: Focuses on expanding access to indoor settings, with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings cannot always be worn. This includes but is not limited to:

• Outdoor gatherings with larger capacity limits;
• Indoor gatherings with larger capacity limits and other restrictions;
• Indoor sports and recreational fitness with capacity limits;
• Indoor dining with capacity limits;
• Essential and non-essential retail capacity expanded;
• Personal care services with capacity expanded and other restrictions;
• Indoor cinemas and performing arts facilities with capacity limits;
• Indoor and outdoor religious services, rites or ceremony gatherings with capacity limited to permit 2 metres’ physical distancing;
• Indoor museums and art galleries with capacity limits;
• Libraries;
• Casino and bingo halls with capacity limits;
• Indoor zoos, aquariums, waterparks and amusement parks with capacity limits; and
• Other outdoor activities from Step Two permitted to operate indoors.

Public health and workplace safety measures will continue to apply across all steps, including maintaining physical distance, capacity limits, and wearing face coverings in indoor spaces and whenever physical distancing is a challenge.

The province-wide emergency brake restrictions currently remain in effect while the province assesses when it will be moving to Step One of the roadmap with the Stay-at-Home order expiring on June 2, 2021. However, effective May 22, 2021 at 12:01 am, Ontario began allowing more outdoor recreational amenities to open, with restrictions in place. These include, but are not limited to golf courses and driving ranges, soccer and other sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, splash and spray pads and skate parks. This does not include outdoor sports or recreational classes. Limits on outdoor social gatherings and organized public events have been expanded to 5 people, which allows the aforementioned amenities to be used by up to 5 people, including members of different households.

It remains to be seen to what extent workplaces not addressed above will be required to remain closed or  continue to have workers work remotely in each step, and it may be that this varies by region depending on which zone the region is in.

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.‎

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