Ontario to lift vaccine passports in March, accelerates reopening timeline

By CityNews Staff

Ontario has announced a plan to accelerate the lifting of most public health measures and do away with proof of vaccination, following the lead of some other Canadian provinces.

The Ford government has announced that the province’s vaccine passport system will come to an end on March 1.

On Feb. 17, capacity limits at indoor settings where proof of vaccination is required will be lifted, and large spectator venues can return to 50 per cent capacity (see full list below). The remaining capacity limits are set to be eased on March 1 and will coincide with end of proof of vaccination requirements.

“Given how well Ontario has done in the Omicron wave we are able to fast track our reopening plan,” said Premier Doug Ford in a statement.

“This is great news and a sign of just how far we’ve come together in our fight against the virus. While we aren’t out of the woods just yet we are moving in the right direction.”

Ford made the announcement in a news conference on Monday morning, alongside Health Minister Christine Elliott and chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore.

The province has yet to provide any timeline for ending masking requirements.


Measures being lifted on Feb. 17:

  • Increasing social gathering limits to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors
  • Increasing organized public event limits to 50 people indoors, with no limit outdoors
  • Removing capacity limits in the following indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including but not limited to: Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities; Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms; Cinemas; Meeting and event spaces, including conference centres or convention centres; Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments; Indoor areas of settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements
  • Allowing 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity at sports arenas
  • Allowing 50 percent of the usual seating capacity for concert venues and theatres
  • Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent in the remaining higher-risk settings where
    proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, restaurants where there is dancing, as
    well as bathhouses and sex clubs
  • Increasing capacity limits for indoor weddings, funerals or religious services, rites, or
    ceremonies to the number of people who can maintain two metres physical distance.
    Capacity limits are removed if the location opts-in to use proof of vaccination or if the
    service, rite, or ceremony is occurring outdoors

 

Measures lifting on March 1

  • Lifting capacity limits in all remaining indoor
    public settings
  • Lifting proof of vaccination requirements for all settings at this time. Businesses and other settings may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination

Under the previous guidelines, further public health measures were to be lifted on Feb. 21 with remaining capacity limits set to be eased on Mar. 14.

“We have to decide as a society how many public health measures we want just to recommend and maintain in a legal fashion to limit the spread of the viruses,” said Moore two weeks ago. “I think that discussion should happen soon.”

Moore confirmed last week during his weekly COVID-19 briefing that dates for further lifting restrictions on businesses and social gatherings could be reviewed this week. He acknowledged that the timeline could be moved up, saying “our situation has improved,” adding that the government is committed to properly notifying businesses ahead of time if such a decision is made.

Along with Ford, Moore has shifted his pandemic messaging in recent weeks, suggesting it’s time for Ontarians to “learn to live” with the virus. Moore has said masking will likely be the final measure to go and said the province would need to reassess the vaccine passport system moving forward.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said last Wednesday that Ontario would not be following the lead of other jurisdictions that have already begun lifting proof-of-vaccination rules and intend to end masking rules soon.

“We believe that masking is going to be important for some time to come,” Elliott said at a news conference in Kitchener. “We always said that we were going to take a very cautious, phased, prudent approach to open up, and that’s the path that we’re going to follow.”

Alberta removed vaccine passports to access non-essential businesses last week, and will end a mask requirement for children under 12 this week.

Saskatchewan became the first province in Canada to announce it was removing all COVID-19 measures and will no longer require that people provide vaccine passports this week. It is also ending its indoor mask mandate at the end of February.

Québec will loosen specific public health measures across the province by Mar. 14, except for mask mandates and the vaccine passport system.

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