Ontario Moves Eight Regions, Introduces New Rules on Restaurants

By: Laura Steiner

Ontario has moved eight regions on its COVID-19 reopening framework, and introduced new rules on restaurants.

Regions moving to Red/ Control:

• Brant,
• Chatham-Kent, and Leeds,
• Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
• Ottawa Public Health (as of 12:01 a.m.)

Orange- Restrict:

• Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

Yellow- Protect

• Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health;
• North Bay Parry Sound District;
• Porcupine Health Unit; and
• Timiskaming Health Unit

Toronto, and Peel will remain in the Grey or lockdown zone due to increase cases, and positivity rates.  Halton will remain in red.

The province will also introduce new rules for restaurants based on the designations.  Starting Saturday at 12:01 a.m. those in Orange, and Red zones will be able to open indoor dining on a standard scalable calculation up to 50% while remaining subjected to physical distancing rules.  Those in the red zone will be limited to 50, while those in orange will be limited to 100.  Other rules include the following:

• Limiting tables for indoor dining to members of the same household with exemptions for patrons who live alone and caregivers;
• Limiting tables for outdoor dining in Grey-Lockdown to members of the same household with exemptions for patrons who live alone and caregivers; and
• A sign posted by the establishment in a location visible to the public that states the maximum capacity (number of patrons) they are permitted to operate under.

“We have entered the third wave of the pandemic and the rates of variants of concern, continue to rise so it is important that people remain cautions and vigilant in order to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 and protect themselves and their communities,” Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Dr. David Williams said.

Ontario recorded an increase of 1,745 cases since yesterday.  40 of which are from the more contagious variants of concern.  Halton region recorded an increase of 49 cases today.  There has been 24 confirmed cases of the UK variant according to Public Health Ontario.