Here’s what’s reopening when Ontario eases COVID-19 restrictions starting Jan. 31

Ontario has announced the lifting of public health restrictions in three-week stages, starting Jan. 31.

These changes follow signs that the highly-contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 may be peaking in Ontario after its emergence at the end of November.

In an effort to aid hospitals from becoming overwhelmed the Ontario government temporarily moved back to a modified step two of reopening on Jan. 5, but these measures will be coming to an end, in stages.

Here is a list of what's changing in COVID-19 restrictions over the coming months:

Changes to restrictions effective Jan. 31:

• Increased social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors

• Increased capacity at organized public events to 25 people indoors

• Increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50 per cent in most indoor public settings, including but not limited to:

-Restaurants, bars, other food or drink establishments without dance facilities and strip clubs

-Non-spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as gyms and businesses offering personal fitness training)

-Cinemas

-Meeting and event spaces

-Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions

-Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments.

• Allowing indoor spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as sporting events), concert venues, and theatres to operate at 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 500 people, whichever is less

• Requiring proof-of-vaccination continues to apply in certain settings

• Singing and dancing in restaurants and bars and other select settings will not be allowed except by performers or workers

• Requiring the number of patrons permitted to sit at a table in bars, restaurants, meeting, event spaces and other venues at which food or drink is sold or served, including nightclubs, restaurants/bars and strip clubs that serve food and drink to be limited to 10 people and patrons must remain seated

• Prohibition of food or drink services at indoor sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, bingo halls and other gaming establishments, and horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues

• Patrons must remain seated at concert venues, theatres and cinemas.

Changes to restrictions effective Feb. 21, 2022:

• Increase of social gathering limits to 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors

• Increase of capacity at organized public events to 50 people indoors

• Lifting the 500-person limit on indoor spectator events, in spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as sporting events), concert venues, and theatres where proof of vaccination is required, while requiring a capacity limit of 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity

• Increasing capacity limits to 100 per cent in the following indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including:

-Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments and strip clubs

-Non-spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (such as gyms and businesses offering personal fitness training)

-Cinemas

-Racing venues

-Meeting and event spaces

-Studio audiences in commercial film and television production

-Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments

-Businesses or facilities that are permitted to opt-in" to proof-of-vaccination requirements, during the time when these requirements are in effect.

• Limiting indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies to the number that can maintain two metres distance. There is no limit if proof-of-vaccination is required.

• Increasing capacity limits to 25 per cent in the indoor areas of the following settings where proof of vaccination requirements are in effect:

-Food or drink establishments with dance facilities (such as nightclubs, wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there is dancing)

-Bathhouses and sex clubs.

• Capacity limited to permit physical distancing in all other indoor public settings, including but not limited to:

-Personal care services

-Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies)

-Shopping malls.

• Patrons are required to remain seated while eating or drinking at indoor restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments, sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments, and horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues.

Changes effective March 14, 2022:

• Capacity limits in all public settings are lifted

• Increased social gathering limits to 50 people indoors with no limits outdoors

• Lifting remaining capacity limits on religious services, rites or ceremonies

• Maintaining proof-of-vaccination in settings were they apply, in addition to other regular measures.

Demar Grant is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach Demar via email: dgrant@torstar.ca