Based on the province-wide vaccination rate and continuing improvements in critical public health and health system indicators, Ontario moves into "Step One" of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021 - three days earlier than was originally planned.
To move into step one, Ontario needed to vaccinate 60 percent of adults with at least one dose for two weeks or longer, ensuring the first dose offers strong protection against contracting COVID-19.
As of June 6, 2021 at 8:00 p.m., 72% of adults in Ontario had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with over 10 million doses administered. In addition, one million have a fully inoculated, or 8.4% of those eligible.
Improvement in key public health and health system indicators were also critical. On June 6, new cases per week per 100,000 decreased to 40.4, a drop of 27% over the past two weeks.
There were 497 patients in ICUs, including 31 patients from Manitoba, as compared to 687 two weeks ago, and hospitalizations dropped to 547. The effective reproduction number sits at 0.74. The testing positivity rate is 3.6%.
Currently, the province exceeds the best-case scenario as outlined in recent modelling, which indicated the province would reach below 1,000 new daily infections by June 30, 2021. There were 525 new cases reported on June 6. The province expects these trends to continue over the coming days before entering step one on Friday.
Government of Ontario
What you can do in Step One
- Up to 10 people may attend outdoor social gatherings and organized public events;
- Outdoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
- Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 15% capacity of the particular room;
- Non-essential retail is permitted at 15% capacity, and retailers can sell all goods.
- Essential and other select retail permitted at 25% capacity, and retailers can sell all goods.
- Outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households;
- Outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sports training to be permitted with up to 10 people, among other restrictions;
- Day camps for children permitted to operate in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines for COVID-19 produced
- Overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals;
- Concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors to rehearse or perform a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than ten performers, among other restrictions;
- Outdoor horse racing tracks and motor speedways permitted to operate without spectators
- Outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions.
- Elementary and high schools will be permitted to have a brief end-of-year celebration, which must meet specific requirements.
You will still be required to wear a mask indoors, maintain a two-meter distance from other people outside your bubble, and continue to wash your hands.
The province will remain in step one for at least 21 days. The province will monitor critical public health and health system indicators. After 21 days, if the province has vaccinated 70% of adults with one dose and 20% of adults with two doses (currently at 8.4%) and there are continued improvements in other key public health and health system indicators, the province will move to step two of the roadmap.
All public health and workplace safety measures currently in place will remain in effect until the province moves to step one on June 11, 2021 at 12:01 a.m.
During this time, the government will continue to work with stakeholders on their reopening plans, including targeted measures for specific sectors, institutions and other settings to ensure that they have full awareness of when they can begin to safely reopen and how.
“We must all remain vigilant, as the fight against COVID-19 is not over. By continuing to follow public health advice and measures we can continue to reduce transmission, safeguard health system capacity and save lives,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health.
