TORONTO – Green light for early stage 3. The provincial government has decided to accelerate the easing of restrictions by moving the scheduled date from 21 July to next Friday. The executive then succumbed to pressure from many mayors who called for the reopening phase 3 to be brought forward, in light of all the epidemiological data recorded in Ontario and, at the same time, taking into account the significant progress made in recent weeks in the mass vaccination campaign. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our frontline heroes, and the ongoing commitment of Ontarians to get vaccinated, we have surpassed the targets we set in order to enter Step Three of our Roadmap,” said Premier Doug Ford. “While this is welcome news for everyone who wants a return to normal, we will not slow down our efforts to fully vaccinate everyone who wants to be and put this pandemic behind us once and for all.”

In order to enter Step Three of the Roadmap, Ontario needed to have vaccinated 70 to 80 per cent of individuals 18 years of age or older with one dose and 25 per cent with two doses for at least two weeks, ensuring a stronger level of protection against COVID-19. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Ontario’s health care partners, as of July 8, 2021, over 77 per cent of the population in Ontario ages 12 and over have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and over 50 per cent have received their second dose. More than 16.6 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered provincewide.

The province also needed to see continued improvement in other key public health and health care indicators, including hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and the weekly cases incidence rates. After entering Step Two, during the period of June 29 to July 5, 2021, the provincial case rate decreased by 23.3 per cent. As of July 8, the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs is 202, including three patients from Manitoba, as compared to 286 two weeks ago. The province expects these positive trends to continue over the coming days before entering Step Three.

“Ontario has continued to see improvements in key health indicators, allowing the province to move to Step Three of the Roadmap and safely resume more of the activities we’ve missed,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “While this is exciting news, we most still remain vigilant and continue to follow the public health measure we know work and keep us safe. Vaccines remain our ticket out of the pandemic so if you haven’t booked your appointment yet, please do so today.”

But what will actually change with the transition from phase 2 to phase 3?

From Friday, outdoor meetings and public events organized with up to 100 people will be allowed, while indoor gatherings and public events organized with a maximum of 25 people will be allowed.

Green light for indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services allowed with physical distancing. Restaurants will be allowed to consume meals without limits on the number of customers per table with physical distancing and other restrictions still in place.

Sports and recreational facilities will be able to operate with a maximum capacity of 50% of the interior space. The capacity for indoor spectators will be either 50% of the seats with a maximum of 1,000 people. The capacity for outdoor spectators will be 75% with a maximum of 15,000 people.

The internal spaces for meetings and events can operate with physical distancing and a maximum capacity of 50%. For essential and non-essential stores, the capacity will be unlimited provided that the distance of at least two meters between customers can be guaranteed.