Ontario's provincial government and Premier Doug Ford publicly released a reopening plan today, May 20, 2021, for what the Premier, his cabinet and every person in Ontario hopes will be the province's permanent reopening.
The two key takeaways from today's announcement were dates for when things can reopen:
- After weeks of pressure, most outdoor recreation will be allowed to reopen this Saturday May 22
- Like last summer, Ontario will use a three-phase, gradual reopening plan through summer 2021
Ontario's phased reopening means that the colour framework system is being phased out as the province is hoping the reopening this summer will phase out COVID-19 restrictions for good. Under the new plan, restrictions will ease gradually though June, July and August 2021.
Ford says that phases will be started once key health indicators are met in the province, but most notable of the restrictions will be how many people are either fully vaccinated or have received at least their first dose.
Health Minister and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott, who led the plan's design, said that this year's Phase One wouldn't begin "until the week of June 14th" at the earliest, and sometime in that week is their goal to begin. (Of nots: Ontario has vaccinated 58.7% of adults so far, and the minimum of 60% to begin phase one should be met by the end of this week.)
The chart below outlines the vaccination thresholds needed to begin each phase and some of the businesses allowed to reopen in each:
Ford didn't say how this would impact possible school reopening in the month of June before the 2020-2021 school year ends, but he did say a decision has not yet been made.
Before that program starts, some outdoor recreation activities can reopen if they follow select safety criteria beginning this Saturday May 22, 2021. These include:
- Parks and recreational areas
- Baseball diamonds
- Batting cages
- Soccer, football and sports fields
- Tennis courts
- Basketball courts
- BMX parks
- Skate parks
- Golf courses
- Frisbee golf
- Cycling tracks and bike trails
- Horse riding facilities
- Shooting ranges
- Ice rinks
- Playgrounds
- Boat and watercraft launches
- Archery ranges
The current stay-at-home order will remain in place until Wednesday, June 2, 2021 with the exception of these newly-announced changes to some outdoor activities.
"As a result of the strict public health measures we introduced to stop the spread of COVID-19 variants," said Premier Doug Ford, "we are seeing a steady improvement in our situation as ICU and hospital numbers begin to stabilize."
"While we must remain conscious of the continued threat the virus poses, we can now begin the process of a slow and cautious re-opening of the province with millions of Ontarians having received at least their first dose of vaccine."
A full video of this afternoon's press conference is available here. More information is also available in the announcement directly from the province of Ontario.