Ontario relaxes dining restrictions in COVID-19 red and grey zones
- Michael Kras
- 20 Mar 2021
Further stretching the definition of ‘lockdown,’ the Ontario government has just announced that it is relaxing restrictions on dining for regions in the grey ‘lockdown’ zone, red zone, and orange zone of the provincial COVID-19 reopening framework.
Premier Doug Ford has now allowed for restaurants in the grey zone to open for outdoor dining, with physical distancing and other public health measures in place. Indoor dining still remains shuttered in this zone.
In the red zone – where Hamilton is currently classified – indoor dining is allowed to expand from 10 patrons maximum to a new limit of 50 per cent capacity or 50 total patrons with physical distancing in effect; whichever number is smallest.
COVID-19 Response Framework – Adjustments to indoor dining capacity limits in Hamilton effective Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 12:01am. #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/J26s2TJumq
— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) March 20, 2021
Similarly, the orange zone’s limits on indoor dining have also been expanded from a previous 50 patrons to a new maximum of 100 patrons with physical distancing.
The Ford government adds that tables for indoor dining (or outdoor in the grey zone) must be limited exclusively to members of the same household with the exception of people who live alone.
“While some regions are proceeding to levels with less restrictive measures and adjustments are being made to dining capacity, everyone must continue to adhere to all public health and workplace safety measures,” reads a statement from Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.
“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 cautious and vigilant in order to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 and protect themselves and their communities.”
These announcements also come alongside a steady climb of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario, with the province logging 1,754 new confirmed cases on Friday alone as it reckons with the pandemic’s third wave.
Read more on the Ontario website.
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