Premier Ford has outlined the details behind Stage 2 of the province's reopening.
As of Friday, June 12 at 12:01 am, parts of Ontario will be able to transition into stage 2 of the province's COVID-19 re-opening plan. However, Toronto is one of the areas not approved to reopen yet.
The province said it's also increasing the limit on social gatherings from five to 10 people across the province, regardless of whether a region has moved to Stage 2.
In regions approved to move into Stage 2, patios, hair salons, pools, camping facilities at provincial parks will be permitted to open, but physical distancing limits still apply.
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Public health unit regions allowed to move into Stage 2 on Friday, June 12 at 12:01 am include:
"We are able to make this announcement today because of the extraordinary effort of our frontline workers and every other person in the province who helped to stop the spread of this deadly virus," said Premier Ford during his announcement.
"Entering Stage 2 means parts of the province will see more people back on the job and an opportunity to get back together with friends and family. Although this is extremely encouraging, I urge everyone to exercise caution and continue to follow public health advice as we are not out of the woods yet."
Businesses and services permitted to reopen with proper health and safety measures in place in regions entering Stage 2 include:
Additionally, all places of worship in Ontario will be permitted to open with physical distancing in place and attendance limited to no more than 30% of the building capacity to ensure the safety of worshippers.
At the beginning of each week, the government will provide an update on the ongoing assessment of these regions, and whether they are ready to move into Stage 2 at the end of the week.
Everyone, regardless of where they live in the province, must continue to follow public health advice, including to practise physical distancing, wear a face covering if physical distancing is a challenge, wash hands frequently and thoroughly, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. The Chief Medical Officer of Health and health experts will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation to advise when public health restrictions can be gradually loosened or if they need to be tightened.
"As a result of efforts of all Ontarians to stop the spread of COVID-19, many regions have met the criteria to move into the next stage of our reopening plan, including a decrease in new daily cases and sufficient hospital capacity in the event of any spikes in cases or outbreaks," said Minister Christine Elliott.
"Our regional approach recognizes that different regions in the province are experiencing COVID-19 differently and can safely and gradually ease restrictions and reopen local businesses. We will continue to monitor any shifts in the spread and take decisive action to contain any outbreaks."
During Monday's announcement, Premier Ford said the province will also soon release more details on reopening child care, summer camps, post-secondary education pilots to help people graduate, training centres, and public transit.
The framework for the province's reopening, which was announced in mid-April, is continually being overseen by public health officials who are carefully monitoring each stage for two to four weeks, as they assess the evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak to determine if it is necessary to change course to maintain public health before moving to the next one.
Today's announcement comes as Ontario reported 30,860 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 24,492 recovered and 2,450 deaths.
