Ontario will start gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions at the end of the month.
Saying "We can be confident that the worst is behind us as we look to cautiously ease public health measures," Premier Doug Ford announced "we are now in a position to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures", unveiling a three-step plan to do so.
Starting January 31st - four days later than originally expected - social gathering limits will rise to ten people indoors or 25 outdoors, while indoor capacity limits will be maintained at or increased to 50% for: indoor dining, gyms and other non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, retailers, shopping malls, cinemas, meeting and event spaces, recreational amenities, and religious services, though enhanced proof of vaccination and other requirements will still apply in existing settings.
The next step's set to start February 21st, increasing social gathering limits to 25 people indoors and 100 outdoors, removing capacity limits for indoor public settings where proof of vaccination's required - including restaurants and indoor sports and recreational facilities - permitting 50% spectator capacity at sporting events, concert venues, and theatres, limiting capacity in most indoor settings that do not require proof of vaccination to the number that can be maintained with two metres physical distancing, and allowing 25% capacity for remaining "higher-risk" indoor settings where proof of vaccination's required, like nightclubs and wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there's dancing.
Most remaining measures will lift March 14th, ending capacity limits in all indoor public settings and for religious services, while increasing social gathering limits to 50 people indoors or no limit outdoors.
This comes as Ford's deputy premier and Health Minister, Christine Elliott, forecast a peak in the Omicron-driven wave of COVID-19 cases later this month, with the pace of cases being admitted to hospital slowing and the average length of stay in hospitals and I-C-Us for COVID-19 patients stabilizing.