It looks like Ontario may be headed into the first stage of its reopening plan as early as this weekend.
A release from the Premier’s office says the province will “begin to safely and cautiously lift restrictions” as of Friday, June 11, at 12:01 a.m.
Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith says Ontario has reached 70% of residents with a first shot, leading to the early reopening, which is great news for Quinte Region residents and businesses.
“We’ll be able to gather outside in groups of 10 people, or go to our local businesses for a drink on the patio, or meal on the patio and also start camping at our provincial parks and other private camp grounds as well. Non-essential businesses that have been closed for a while, while be able to open up at 15% capacity too, so it’s good for our local business community.”
An earlier move to stage one also means that if the case numbers continue to trend downwards and vaccination rates continue to rise, we could get into stage two of the reopening plan sooner than expected as well.
But Smith says, that will still depend on the continued success of the vaccination rollout and decline in COVID-19 cases across the province.
“The good news that is we’ve been able to get a lot more vaccine, millions more, into the country and into the province, and into the local region. We should be able to hit that second dose target, which is 20%, in time for hopefully a slight reopening early than scheduled. We’re keeping an eye on all of those other health indicators.”
Step two includes the reopening of things like personal care services, outdoor sports, and expanded capacity limits for restaurants and retail.
You can click here to read the full release from the province, which outlines exactly what is/isn’t allowed under stage one.
