TORONTO —Toronto will move into Stage Three of re-opening on Friday, after the city reported only one new COVID-19 case yesterday. Peel Region will also move ahead to Stage Three this week while the Windsor-Essex region will remain in Stage Two.
“While more restaurants, theatres and businesses can hang up their Open-for-Business sign, we’re asking everyone to follow public-health advice and act responsibly,” Premier Doug Ford said in a news release.
Toronto Mayor John Tory has asked Ford to make masks mandatory in restaurants and bars for Stage Three re-opening and today’s news release said the province is “supportive” of the proposals made by Toronto Public Health relating to restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments.
In Stage Three, gathering limits can increase to a maximum of 50 people indoors and a maximum of 100 people outdoors, with physical distancing in place, according to the province.
Gathering limits apply to all social gatherings and events, as well as some higher-risk activities and venues. Gathering limits do not apply to settings such as restaurants and bars, however these settings must be configured so that patrons seated at different tables are separated by a distance of at least two metres, plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier.
