Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Province of Ontario moves to Step Three of reopening plan on July 16

MARKHAM, ON – July 13, 2021 – As of Friday, July 16 at 12:01 AM, the Province of Ontario will enter Step Three of its Roadmap to Reopen. The decision to move to Step Three of the reopening plan is based on the continual improvement to public health and health care indicators, provincewide vaccination rates and consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen focuses on the resumption of additional indoor services with larger numbers of people and restrictions in place.

This includes, but is not limited to:

Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 100 people with limited exceptions
Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people
Indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted with physical distancing
Indoor dining permitted with no limits on the number of patrons per table with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect
Indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities can open and are subject to a maximum 50 per cent capacity of the indoor space
- Capacity for indoor spectators is 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 1,000 people (whichever is less)
- Capacity for outdoor spectators is 75 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 15,000 people (whichever is less)
Indoor meeting and event spaces permitted to operate with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect and capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity or 1,000 people (whichever is less)
Essential and non-essential retail with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a safe distance of 2 metres or 6 feet
Personal care services, including services requiring the removal of a face covering, with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a safe distance of 2 metres or 6 feet
Museums, galleries, historic sites, aquariums, zoos, landmarks, botanical gardens, science centres, casinos, bingo halls, amusement parks, fairs and rural exhibitions and festivals can open with capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity indoors and 75 per cent capacity outdoors
Concert venues, cinemas and theatres can open and are permitted to operate at:
- Up to 50 per cent capacity indoors or a maximum limit of 1,000 people for seated events (whichever is less)
- Up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum limit of 5,000 people for unseated events (whichever is less)
- Up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum of 15,000 people for events with fixed seating (whichever is less)
Real estate open houses with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a safe distance of 2 metres or 6 feet
Indoor food or drink establishments where dance facilities are provided, including nightclubs and restobars, permitted up to 25 per cent capacity or up to a maximum limit of 250 people (whichever is less)

The City of Markham’s COVID-19 affected services will be as follows when the Province enters Step Three on July 16:

Select outdoor recreational amenities are open, including tennis courts, pickleball courts, sports fields, skate parks and basketball courts
Milne Dam Conservation Park is open
- 300 cars maximum
- Admission fees (holidays and weekends)
- Picnics (subject to gathering limits)
- Use of barbeques allowed
Morgan Outdoor Pool is open for public swimming, rentals, lessons and Aquafit (pre-booking required)
Rouge River Outdoor Pool is opening soon for recreational swimming and Aquafit only (pre-booking required)
Parks, splash pads and playgrounds are open
All park-facility washrooms are open
Outdoor, in-person and registered recreation and fitness programs will continue
Library, recreation and fitness programs continue to be offered virtually
City-owned community centres, indoor tennis facility, indoor soccer domes, indoor arenas, indoor pools, fitness centres, the Markham Museum, the Flato Markham Theatre and the Varley Art Gallery will remain closed
Flato Markham Theatre continues to stream virtual performances
Varley Art Gallery continues to offer:
- Virtual school programs
- Virtual ART to Go summer camps (July and August)
- Online exhibitions (from mid-July)
- Double Gazebo (Markham) – a temporary public art installation on view until November 28 at the Varley Art Gallery courtyard (created by artist collective Native Art Department International (NADI), commissioned by the City of Markham’s Public Art Program and presented in partnership with the Varley Art Gallery of Markham)
Markham Museum continues to offer online exhibitions and activities
Markham Public Library continues to offer select online services
Markham Public Library curbside pick-up of holds and returns will be available at Markham Village, Thornhill Village and Unionville locations
Markham Recycling Depots are open
City services continue to be offered to residents and businesses virtually and in-person (services requiring in-person assistance require an appointment)

All public health and workplace safety measures currently in place will remain in effect until the Province of Ontario moves to Step Three on July 16 at 12:01 AM.

Face coverings in indoor public settings and physical distancing requirements remain in place throughout Step Three. This is in alignment with the advice on personal public health measures recently issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada, while also accounting for Ontario specific information and requirements. Face coverings will also be required in some outdoor public settings as well.

The Province of Ontario will remain in Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen for at least 21 days and until 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and over has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75 per cent have received their second, with no public health unit having less than 70 per cent of their population fully vaccinated. Other key public health and health care indicators must also continue to remain stable.

Upon meeting these thresholds, the majority of public health and workplace safety measures, including capacity limits for indoor and outdoor settings and limits for social gatherings, will be lifted. Only a small number of measures will remain in place, including the requirement for passive screening, such as posting a sign, and businesses requiring a safety plan.

Ontario’s epidemiological situation is distinct from other jurisdictions and the Delta variant is the dominant strain in Ontario, which is not the case with some other provinces. As a result, on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, face coverings will also continue to be required for indoor public settings. The Chief Medical Officer of Health will continue to evaluate this need on an ongoing basis.

As we navigate the pandemic together, the City of Markham continues to monitor and follow advice from public health officials at the federal, provincial and regional levels.

It is critically important that we each continue to do our part to keep one another safe. It is not the time to let your guard down. Every action counts.

Visit markham.ca/covid19 for more information.

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