The stay-at-home order is over - now what?

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Wednesday, June 2, 2021 has come and gone, meaning Ontario's third province-wide stay-at-home order has ended. But what exactly happens now? What rules are still in place, and how will this affect our daily lives in Oakville?

Officials from the Ontario government announced a three phase reopening plan that will gradually roll out over the next two or three months. Phase One of that plan, when the first substantial reopenings will start, won't come into effect until Monday, June 14, though that date can be adjusted to earlier or later by Premier Doug Ford.

A statement from the province says, "The stay-at-home order required Ontarians to remain at home except for the purposes set out in the order, such as exercise, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, or accessing health care services." All of those restrictions are no longer in effect.

"However," the statement continues, "all other existing measures will remain in place province-wide, including restrictions on gatherings, businesses, services and activities."

What does that practically mean? What happens for the next two weeks? The truth is, not much is going to change in Oakville's day-to-day life until Phase One starts.

Here is a list of basic unchanged rules for both Oakville and the whole province in the meantime:

  1. Indoor gatherings are still limited to household members
  2. Outdoor gatherings are still limited to five people
  3. There is a 25% capacity limit for essential retail where only certain goods are permitted to be sold
  4. Non-essential retail can still do only curbside pickup and delivery
  5. State of emergency orders will remain in effect until expiration on Wednesday, June 16, 2021

But there are a few notable changes in the rules now that stay-at-home is over. Here's what's different:

  1. It is no longer illegal to leave your home for non-essential reasons
  2. You can now leave home to travel within the province to a secondary residence for any reason
  3. Gatherings larger than five people are allowed if all members are from the same household
  4. More outdoor recreation is open and hours can be extended
  5. The pause on evictions has been lifted

A full list of changes, including what will open (and when) during the three-phase reopening plan is available on Ontario's roadmap webpage here.

"We’ve seen great progress in our fight against COVID-19 in recent weeks, but now is not the time to let our guard down," said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. "We need to provide people with certainty so that they can continue to follow public health guidance. Doing so will help us to meet our goal of starting to gradually lift some restrictions."

Read more about Ontario's COVID-19 restrictions still in place until Phase One of the provincial reopening begins directly from the province's website.