The Ontario government has announced that it is allowing all retail stores with a street entrance to provide curbside pickup and delivery, as well as in-store payment and purchases at garden centres, nurseries, hardware stores and safety supply stores.
All businesses should follow the Ministry of Health’s Guidance Document for Essential Workplaces and occupational health and safety requirements.
- Lawn care and landscaping;
- Additional essential construction projects
- Automatic and self-serve car washes
- Auto dealerships, open by appointment only
From Friday, May 8
- Garden centres and nurseries will be able to open for in-store payment and purchases, operating under the same guidelines as grocery stores and pharmacies.
From Saturday, May 9
- Hardware stores and safety supply stores will be permitted to open for in-store payment and purchases.
From Monday, May 11
- All retail stores with a street entrance can begin offering curbside pickup and delivery.
- 500 Ontario Parks and Conservation areas for limited use
In addition to easing restrictions on retail, the government is also expanding essential construction to allow below-grade multi-unit residential construction projects like apartments and condominiums to begin and existing above-grade projects to continue.
Businesses must follow public health measures and should review the workplace safety guidelines, such as promoting physical distancing and frequent handwashing, sanitizing surfaces, installing physical barriers, staggering shifts, and using contactless payment options to stop the spread of COVID-19.
On April 27th, Ontario released the plans of how the province will ease restrictions introduced because of the COVID−19 pandemic. The framework detailed how each of the three stages will last about two to four weeks. The province is not yet at the point of entering the first stage of its reopening framework, which — in addition to allowing workplaces that can modify operations to reopen — would see the opening of parks, allowing for more people at certain events such as funerals, and having hospitals resume some non-urgent surgeries.
— With Files From the Canadian Press