CORNWALL, Ontario – On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the province of Ontario released a new colour-coded response plan to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s clear COVID-19 will be with us for a while, which is why we are putting in place a framework that will protect the health and safety of individuals and families, while avoiding broader closures across the province,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “This framework, developed in consultation with our health experts, will serve as an early warning system allowing us to scale up and scale back public health restrictions on a regional or community basis in response to surges and waves of COVID-19. By introducing public health measures sooner, we can keep this deadly virus at bay, bend the curve and reclaim a little more of our normal lives.”
The new plan divides regions based on how badly COVID-19 is spreading within the community.
Regions can be coded from green, to yellow, to orange, to red, to grey.
Green represents a new weekly case rate of less than 10 per 100,00, and a positivity rate of less than 1 per cent. For yellow, those numbers would need to be 10 to 39.9 per 100,000 and a positivity rate of 1-to-2.5 per cent. Orange would mean that a region has a weekly incidence rate of 40 to 99.9 per 100,000 with a positivity rate of 2.5-9.9 per cent. Going to Red would require those numbers to increase further to over 100 new cases per 100,000 and a positivity rate over 10 per cent. Grey would be implemented if trends continue to worsen and would mean the region would be put under widespread restrictions.
“We’re in the yellow zone,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU). The EOHU region was originally placed at the Orange level. “We had a discussion this morning and they are going to re-evaluate our numbers, but I’m confident we will be in the yellow zone.”
The new system will come into effect on Saturday, Nov. 7 and each region’s level will be reviewed every 28 days.
The following are restrictions that various businesses and establishments will face under the new system. the EOHU region is currently in YELLOW, which means it is restricted by measures under level Yellow, as well as the restrictions under level GREEN.
Restaurants:
- 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 (e.g., to be no louder than the volume of a normal conversation)
- Safety plan available upon request
- Require patrons to be seated; 2m 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 group)
- No buffet style service
- Night clubs only permitted to operate as restaurant or bar
- Line-ups/patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue; 2m distance and face covering required
- Face coverings except when eating or drinking only
- Eye protection where patrons without face coverings are within two metres of workers
Gyms and recreational facilities will face the following new restrictions:
- Face coverings required except when exercising
- Increase spacing between patrons to 3m for areas of a sport or recreational facility where there are weights/weight machines and exercise/fitness classes
- Recreational programs limited to 10 people per room indoors and 25 outdoors
- Require contact information for all patrons and attendance for team sports
- Require appointments for entry; one reservation for teams
- Safety plan available upon request
- 50 people indoors (classes)
- 100 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 (Guidance for Facilities for Sport and Recreational Activities)
- 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 (e.g., conversation level)/require use of microphone for instructor where needed to avoid shouting
Event spaces:
- 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 (e.g., to be no louder than the volume of a normal conversation)
- Safety plan available upon request
- 50 people indoors
- 100 people outdoors *exception for court/government services, weddings, funerals
- Booking multiple rooms for the same event not permitted
- As of August 21, 2020, OCMOH plan: 50 persons per room, where physical distancing can be maintained, subject to conditions in the plan
Retail:
- Limit volume of music (e.g., to be no louder than the volume of a normal conversation)
- For malls – safety plan available upon request
- Fitting rooms must be limited to nonadjacent stalls
- Line-ups/patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue; 2m distance and face covering required
Personal Care Services:
- Require contact information from all patrons
- Safety plan available upon request
- Oxygen bars, steam rooms, saunas, and whirlpools closed
Casinos, Bingo Halls and Gaming Establishments:
- 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
- Safety plan available upon request
- Capacity cannot exceed 50 persons.
- Table games are prohibited.
- OR casinos, bingo halls, and gaming establishments operate in accordance with a plan approved by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Cinemas:
- 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
- Safety plan available upon request
- In facility/area: 50 indoors; 100 outdoors
OR - 50 indoor 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
Performing Arts Facilities:
- 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
- Safety plan available upon request
- 50 spectators indoors and 100 spectators outdoors with 2m physical distance maintained
- 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 2m physical distance except for purposes of the performance
- Drive-in performances permitted
