Recreational Activities Allowed in Ontario During Shutdown Starting April 3, 2021

Ontario government has announced a province-wide shutdown starting April 3, 2021 for 28 days.

According to the new rules, you can only gather outdoors with a maximum of 5 people and indoor activities are not allowed except with members of your household (or one other household if you live alone).

You are not allowed to travel outside your region or the province unless absolutely necessary.

You may go for walks and bike rides in nearby parks.

**Update April 7th: Ontario has issued a new stay-at-home order today to fight an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases fuelled by variants of the virus.

Effective Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., the province-wide Stay-at-Home order requires everyone to remain at home except for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services (including getting vaccinated), for outdoor exercise, or for work that cannot be done remotely.

Currently, there is no new information regarding outdoor recreational activities (they remain open). Malls and all non-essential retailers will have to close starting April 8th.

• Retail Stores Open During Ontario’s Stay at Home Order Starting April 8th
• What is Open/Allowed During Ontario’s Stay-at-Home Order Starting April 8th

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Recreational Activities Allowed in Ontario  – April 3 to 7, 2021

You can do the following recreational activities near your home:

• Dining from restaurants: You are allowed to get food from restaurants via delivery, take-out or drive-through. In-person dining at restaurants is not allowed.
• Retail therapy: Malls are open with 25% capacity and retail shopping is also allowed. All shops other than stores that sell food are allowed to open with 25% capacity while supermarkets, convenience stores, indoor farmer’s markets and other stores that primarily sell food is allowed to open with 50% capacity.
• Hotel stays: Hotels, motels, lodges, cabins, cottages, resorts are allowed to open with indoor pools, fitness centres or other recreational facilities closed, but short-term rentals (like AirBnB) are only allowed to open to individuals who are in need of housing.
• Camping: Recreational camping is not allowed, but campsites for trailers and recreational vehicles with electricity, water services and facilities for sewage disposal may be provided for individuals who are in need of housing.
• Outdoor recreational amenities allowed to open (you may visit places offering the following activities and join for activities subject to gathering rules):
  • parks and recreational areas
  • baseball diamonds
  • batting cages
  • soccer, football and sports fields
  • tennis, platform tennis, table tennis and pickleball courts
  • basketball courts
  • BMX parks
  • skate parks
  • frisbee golf locations
  • cycling tracks and bike trails
  • horse riding facilities
  • shooting ranges, including those operated by rod and gun clubs
  • ice rinks
  • tobogganing hills
  • snowmobile, cross country, dogsledding, ice-skating and snow-shoe trails
  • playgrounds
  • portions of parks or recreational areas containing outdoor fitness equipment
  • golf courses and driving ranges
  • ski hills
• Libraries: Allowed for contactless curbside, delivery or pick-up, but you can not browse books indoors.

Recreational Activities not allowed:

The following businesses are not allowed to open. Hence individuals cannot visit these locations for recreational activities:

• Amusement parks, water parks
• Bathhouses and sex clubs
• Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments
• Concert venues, theatres and cinemas (includes drive-in or drive-through events)
• Horse racing (open for training only, no races or spectators)
• Motorsports
• Museums and cultural amenities
• Tour and guide services
• Zoos and aquariums (permitted to operate for the care of animals)
• Fitness: Gyms are not allowed to open. Outdoor classes are also not allowed.

You may like: Parents to Get New $400 Ontario COVID-19 Child Benefit Starting April 26, 2021

Ideas for walks and hikes near your home (do not travel to other regions):

See here for outdoor winter activities for almost every single region in Ontario. Though spring has sprung, you can still check the articles and choose outdoor parks near you for walks.

FYI: Remember to book campgrounds if you are planning to go camping in the summer. Reservations are already open for Ontario Parks and various Ontario conservation areas. Parks Canada (Bruce Peninsula, Point Pelee, Thousand Islands etc) reservations for camping between May 2021 and March 2022 will open in April. Seats on Daytripper (boat) to Georgian Bay Islands National Park will also open this month. You should also remember to book your parking spot if you plan to visit the Grotto in Bruce Peninsula National Park. 

ICYMI: You can now visit Ontario parks for free by borrowing day-use permits from participating Ontario libraries.

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