Ontario cuts indoor gathering limits, restaurant hours as Omicron drives new COVID-19 infections
It's going to be a smaller, quieter Christmas season thanks to a Grinch named Omicron.
Starting Sunday, Ontario's indoor social gathering limit will be cut from 25 people to 10 - and outdoors from 100 to 25 - with 50 per cent indoor capacity limits for retailers plus all restaurants and bars, which will have to close at 11 p.m.
All food and drink service at sports events, concerts, plays and cinemas will be prohibited due to the spread of the latest COVID-19 variant.
Premier Doug Ford made the grim yuletide announcement Friday afternoon at Queen's Park, with no end date for the measures. He left open the possibility they could require strengthening as case counts continue rising.
It could change as we see these numbers accelerate, and I'm being upfront with people -these numbers will accelerate," he warned.
We've never faced an enemy like Omicron, given how quickly it spreads," said Ford, stressing it is too soon to say if schools will reopen on schedule in January.
We need to do everything we can to slow its spread as we continue to dramatically ramp up capacity to get as many booster shots into arms as possible. Doing so is the best way to safeguard our hospital and intensive care units."
To that end, the 50 per cent customer limit in all retail outlets includes grocery stores and pharmacies, as well as shopping malls, and personal care services such as barbershops, hairdressers and nail salons.
Restaurants and bars will not be able to sell alcohol after 10 p.m. Patrons will have to remain seated and dancing will not be allowed.
This is not the situation any of us wanted to be in, especially during the holiday season," said chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore, urging everyone eligible to be vaccinated or boosted to get a shot as soon as they can. But it's clear Omicron will not take a holiday."
Moore offered poignant advice for anyone who has not yet received a booster shot and is planning an indoor visit with older parents or grandparents, even if they are boosted themselves.
I personally would advise you to avoid social contact with anyone older, even with two doses," he told reporters, adding that such visits are best conducted outdoors with masking and distancing in place."
The new measures are in addition to 50 per cent capacity limits for arenas, stadiums, concert halls and other venues that hold more than 1,000 people and a ramped-up booster shot campaign announced Wednesday. It clears those 18 and older to get third shots starting Monday, providing they are at least 84 days past their second dose.
On Thursday, more than 156,000 vaccine doses were administered, with capacity increased to between 200,000 and 300,000 in the days ahead.
Ford's additional restrictions follow a Thursday plea from his science table of experts for circuit-breaker" restrictions to blunt the surge of Omicron by limiting person-to-person contact. The strain spreads airborne more easily than previous variants, making it the most contagious variant yet.
Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of the science table, said Friday he was so relieved" by the new measures.
This is now absolutely going in the right direction. It's being taken seriously," said Juni, predicting it would only be for a few weeks" until everyone gets their boosters or builds up an immunity to Omicron having had it.
It depends how quickly we vaccinated," he told the CBC.
New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath questioned why Ford didn't announce the new measures days ago," given the obvious trajectory of Omicron.
Ontario reported 3,124 new COVID-19 cases Friday. That's the highest since early May, double the level of a week ago and almost triple the 1,053 recorded two weeks ago.
At this rate, the province's single-day record of 4,812 new infections set April 16 will be topped within days amid concerns that increasingly high levels of infection could swamp hospital intensive care units in January.
However, hospital admissions for COVID-19 patients and intensive care unit occupancy remain well within capacity for now, although hospitalizations have increased to 358 patients as of Friday from 309 on the same day last week. Moore said two patients with Omicron have been hospitalized but did not provide details.
There were 157 patients with COVID-19 in intensive care on Friday.
The science table had forecast that new cases could hit 10,000 daily before the end of the month if additional measures were not imposed, and warned action needed to be taken quickly because Omicron is doubling every two days.
In the meantime, health experts have called on Ontarians to step up their masking habits by wearing snug-fitting masks with at least two layers that eliminate gaps. Simple, single-layer cloth masks are not recommended.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1
Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie