London joins rest of Ontario as Step 1 of reopening plan begins Friday
If you were passing by restaurants and shops Friday in London and you saw something you have not seen in several weeks, customers.
Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopen, set by the province, officially began as of 12:01 a.m.
That means people can sit on patios again, or shop, albeit in limited numbers at non-essential retail stories.
The move to Step 1 was originally set to begin on Monday, but due to Ontario’s current COVID-19 numbers the decision was made to move reopening to ahead of the weekend.
The rules for patios are four people per table with exceptions for larger households.
There is no capacity limitations as long as two metres of space can be enforced between tables.
Retail stores can open at 15 per cent capacity, 25 per cent for stores deemed essential.
Another change will be that all items, deemed essential or not, can be sold. That means no more blocked off aisles at your local Walmart of Dollarama.
Here are some other changes allowed under Step One:
- outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 10 people allowed
- 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 per cent capacity of the particular room
- non-essential retail permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold
- essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold
- 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 sport 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
- overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals
- concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 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
Additional details of what is allowed in Stage 1 can be found here.
The move to Step 2 is not expected to take place until at least another 21 days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.