Province announces return to Step 2 amid surge in cases

ONTARIO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford — citing skyrocketing numbers of new COVID-19 cases — announced on Monday that Ontario will return to a modified Step 2 in the Ontario Plan to Re-open effective Wednesday morning, January 5, at 12:01 am.

With this announcement comes a number of restrictions, including the closing of indoor dining at restaurants, Christmas break at schools being extended, and gathering restrictions for indoor and outdoors.

Schools will remain closed until at least January 17 and the rest of the new restrictions will remain in place for 21 days, which puts January 26 as the target date for lifting of restrictions, provided numbers remain stable.

“We face a tsunami of cases in the days and weeks ahead,” said Ford. “We have to act now to ease pressure on our hospitals.”

Ford said that experts expect thousands of daily new cases of the Omicron variant in the coming weeks, which could mean thousands of hospital admissions for COVID-19.

Although evidence shows that Omicron will be less severe than previous variants, it is highly contagious comparted to previous versions of the virus.

According to Ford, about one per cent of Omicron cases will end up hospitalized, which is generally a small percentage, but with the vast number of cases and the quickly-spreading disease, this will bring hospitalizations up at an alarming rate.

Starting today, social gatherings will be limited to five people indoors and 10 outdoors.

Restaurants and bars will be closed for indoor dining and only allow takeout, delivery and patio dining.

All students in Ontario will transition to online learning until at least January 17.

All theatres, concert venues and indoor sports and fitness facilities will be closed.

Personal care businesses will be allowed to operate under 50 per cent capacity limits.

Indoor weddings, funerals and religious services, rites and ceremonies will be limited to 50 per cent capacity of that particular room.

Visit Ontario.ca for updated and complete restriction details.