CREDIT: FANSHAWE STUDENT UNION PUBLICATIONS
Ontario is moving into Step One of its reopening plan ahead of schedule.

The Ontario government announced Monday that it would be moving into Step One of its reopening plan ahead of schedule. As of June 11 at 12:01 a.m., a number of outdoor activities will be allowed to resume.

Moving into Step One required at least 60 percent of Ontarians to have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, as of June 6, the province said 72 percent of people 18 and older had received one dose of the shot, with over 10 million doses administered.

“Thanks to the ongoing success of Team Ontario’s vaccine rollout and the ongoing improvements in public health trends, we are able to enter step one of the Roadmap and begin to safely and cautiously lift restrictions,” said Premier Doug Ford in a statement. “The only reason we’re able to do so is because of the enormous sacrifices made by individuals, families and communities across Ontario.”


Here are just some of the changes that will come into effect Friday:

• Outdoor social gatherings and public events with up to 10 people.
• Outdoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres.
• Indoor religious services, including wedding services and funeral services with 15 percent capacity.
• Non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold.
• Essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold.
• Outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households.
• Outdoor fitness classes, and team sports with up to 10 people allowed, among other restrictions;
• Day camps for children
• Overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals.
• Concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 performers, among other restrictions.

Zoos, horse racing tracks, and botanical gardens will also be allowed to open under this framework, with some capacity limits in place.

The province added that they would be allowing school boards for public and private elementary and high schools to invite students back for a brief outdoor end-of-year celebration, though specific requirements will need to be followed.

The province said it will remain in Step One for 21 days, at which time it would reassess the number of vaccinated Ontarians to determine whether or not to move into Step Two.

For more information on the province’s Roadmap to Reopen, click here.