It has been reported that next week the Ontario government will announce its plans for exiting Step 3 of its “Roadmap to Reopen”, Ontario’s framework for reopening the economy and easing public health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic (for an overview of the Roadmap to Reopen, please read our blog).
At this time, the government has not yet released an official statement regarding the exit plans that will be announced next week. That said, Ontario previously filed a regulation on July 30, 2021 (the “Regulation”) setting out the rules that will apply during the “Exit Step” after Step 3 (please read our blog for details), but it is presently unclear whether the government will implement any changes to these rules based on how circumstances have changed since late July.
The announcement next week will reportedly include details about the timeline for lifting physical distancing and capacity limits in certain settings where proof of vaccination requirements currently apply. Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health also confirmed in a recent press conference that the province will take a slow and steady approach to the removal of any COVID-19 public health measures over time, in accordance with current data.
According to the Province’s current “Moving Beyond the Roadmap” plan and the Regulation, the majority of public health measures currently in effect under Step 3 of the Roadmap to Reopen, including requirements related to active screening of patrons and workers, capacity limits, and limits on organized gatherings, will be lifted once the province moves into the Exit Step. However, as noted above, it remains to be seen as to whether the Ontario government will announce any changes to the current exit plan.
We will continue monitoring for updates regarding the exit of Step 3 of the Roadmap to Reopen, and will provide further details on this Resource Centre once they are available.
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This information is not intended as legal advice.