Toronto 
Ontario government rolled out a new colour-coded system on Tuesday, November 3rd to mitigate the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the province.
On November 16th, Ontario lowered the thresholds for imposing stricter COVID-19 measures under its colour-coded framework in light of new projections that showed the province is on track to see 6,500 new daily COVID-19 cases by the middle of next month.
Update April 1, 2021: The Ontario government is imposing a provincewide shutdown as a result of an alarming surge in case numbers and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the province. The provincewide emergency brake will be effective Saturday, April 3, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. and the government intends to keep this in place for at least four weeks.
The current COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open, will be paused when the provincewide emergency brake comes into effect.
Ontario Health Regions in the Yellow Zone
Effective March 26, 2021:
- Algoma Public Health;
- Huron Perth Public Health.
- Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit;
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit.
- Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health;
- North Bay Parry Sound District;
- Porcupine Health Unit
Effective April 3, 2021
Rules and Restrictions for Regions in the Yellow Zone
General public health measures (gatherings, workplace requirements and face coverings)
- Events and social gatherings (for example, barbeques):
- 10 people indoors
- 25 people outdoors
- Organized public events and gatherings:
- 50 people indoors
- 100 people outdoors
- Religious services, weddings and funerals:
- 30% capacity indoors
- 100 people outdoors
- Requirement for workplace screening
- Face coverings required in:
- indoor workplaces
- indoor public spaces, with limited exemptions
- Where patrons without face coverings are within two metres of workers, workers much use additional protections such as eye protection
- Workplaces must develop and implement a communication/public education plan (highlighting risk)
- Physical distancing must be maintained
- Non-essential travel from areas of high-transmission to areas of low transmission should be avoided
Restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments
- Require patrons to be seated; 2 metre minimum between tables
- Dancing, singing and performing music is permitted, with restrictions
- Karaoke permitted, with restrictions (including no private rooms)
- Require patron contact info (one per party)
- No buffet style service
- Night clubs only permitted to operate as restaurant or bar
- Line-ups and patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue; 2 metres distance and face covering required
- Face coverings except when eating or drinking only
- Eye protection where patrons without face coverings are within 2 metres of workers
- Limit operating hours, establishments must close at midnight
- Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- No consumption of liquor permitted between 12 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Require contact information for all seated patrons
- Limit of 6 people may be seated together
- Limit volume of music (to be no louder than the volume of a normal conversation)
Sports and recreational fitness facilities
- Capacity limits:
- 10 people indoors (classes)
- 25 people outdoors (classes)
- 50 people indoors (area with weights or exercise equipment)
- Spectators allowed (50 indoors and 100 outdoors)
- Limit of 50 people per room basis if operating in compliance with a plan approved by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
- Team or individual sports must be modified to avoid physical contact; 50 people per league
- Exemption for high performance athletes and parasports
- Limit volume of music to conversation level and prevent shouting by both instructors and members of the public
- Face coverings required except when exercising
- Increase spacing between patrons to 3 metres for areas of a sport or recreational facility where there are weights or weight machines and exercise and fitness classes
- Require contact information for all patrons and attendance for team sports
- Require reservation for entry; one reservation for teams
- A safety plan must be available upon request
Meeting and event spaces
- Limits:
- 50 people indoors
- 100 people outdoors
- exception for court and government services, weddings, funerals
- Booking multiple rooms for the same event not permitted
- 50 indoors per room, where physical distancing can be maintained if venue operates in accordance with the approved plan from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
- Limit operating hours, establishments must close at midnight
- Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- No consumption of liquor permitted between 12 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Require contact information for all seated patrons
- Limit of 6 people may be seated together
- Limit volume of music (to be no louder than the volume of a normal conversation)
- A safety plan must be available upon request
Retail
- Stores must have passive screening for patrons (for example, posting signs outside the store front about not entering if you have COVID-19covid 19 symptoms). This does not apply to indoor malls, which will have to do screening in accordance with instructions by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
- A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
- Fitting rooms must be limited to non-adjacent stalls
- Line-ups and patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue; 2 metre distance and face covering required
- Limit volume of music (to be no louder than the volume of a normal conversation)
- For malls, a safety plan must be available upon request
Personal care services
- Oxygen bars, steam rooms, saunas, and whirlpools closed
- Require contact information from all patrons
- A safety plan must be available upon request
Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments
- Capacity cannot exceed 50 persons
- Table games are prohibited
- Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- No consumption of liquor permitted between 12 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Require contact information from all patrons
- A safety plan must be available upon request
Cinemas
- Limit in facility and area:
- 50 indoors
- 100 outdoors
or - 50 indoors per auditorium if cinema operates in accordance with the approved plan from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
- Face coverings except when eating or drinking only
- Drive-in cinemas permitted to operate, subject to restrictions
- Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- No consumption of liquor permitted between 12 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Require contact information from all patrons
- A safety plan must be available upon request
Performing arts facilities
- Limits with 2 metre physical distance maintained:
- 50 spectators indoors
- 100 spectators outdoors
- Singers and players of wind or brass instruments must be separated from spectators by plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier
- Rehearsal or performing a recorded or broadcasted event permitted
- Performers and employees must maintain 2 metre physical distance except for purposes of the performance
- Drive-in performances permitted
- Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- No consumption of liquor permitted between 12 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Require contact information from all patrons
- A safety plan must be available upon request
For more information, see Ontario.ca
Drive-Through and Drive-In Events and Activities in Ontario
Are you searching for COVID-19 safe activities that you can enjoy without leaving the car? Here is a list of drive-in movies, Christmas lights tour and other activities that you ...
Read More
Read More
@Nancy – Yes Hair Salons are open.
Are hair salons open yet for haircuts? I have been cutting my hair myself and it is not always a pretty sight.
What about wearing masks in Apartment and Condominium buildings. Is it Law in hallways, elevators, stairwells etc
It is obvious that , in southern Ontario, people from red zones will go to a different colour zone in order to go and eat out. If you think they won’t you are going to be disappointed. They will be the same ones that could not obey the rules before.
Stop people from red zones from coming to other zones. They don’t seem to get it.
Please keep people from red zone from entering yellow zone. They are spreadin the virus.
Please lockdown this province for 3 weeks. It works. Try it please!!!! This is pathetic!!!! The numbers