WHAT’S CHANGING IN TORONTO AND PEEL
Measures lasting 28 days will come into effect at 12:01 a.m., Monday
Private gatherings: Indoor gatherings are limited to people from the same household, but people who live alone can have exclusive contact with one other person. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Weddings, funerals and religious services are allowed for up to 10 people if physical distancing can be maintained. Restaurants/retail: All indoor and outdoor dining is prohibited; restaurants can offer takeout and delivery, including alcohol. Nonessential retail stores can offer curbside pickup or delivery only. Grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential businesses (including those in malls) can open for in-person shopping at 50 per cent capacity.
Personal care: Services including hair and nail salons are closed for all treatments. Household services, including nannies, cleaning and maintenance, are allowed.
Leisure, culture, sports:
Cinemas, performing arts venues, museums, zoos, amusement parks, casinos and other gaming establishments are closed to the public. Drive-in and virtual performances are permitted. Libraries can offer curbside pickup and limited services. Gyms, pools and indoor recreation facilities are closed with limited exceptions; outdoor classes are limited to 10 people with distancing. Team sports are not permitted. Community centres can open for services like child care.
With the risk of overwhelming hospitals in red zones with COVID-19 patients now imminent, Premier Doug Ford is moving Toronto into a 28-day lockdown along with Peel Region.
The new measures will return the city to an experience similar to the earlier days of the pandemic with widespread closures.
In Toronto, here is what that means as far as closures and new limitations as of 12:01 a.m. on Monday:
Animal care: Owners will be permitted to visit boarded animals to assist with care, including stables, and veterinary clinics will be open for urgent care only.
Driving instruction: No in-car instruction will be allowed.
Film & television: Can continue production under red (“control”) category rules.
Gaming establishments, cinemas and performing arts centres: Casinos, bingo halls and all other gaming establishments, as well as cinemas and performing arts centres must close for spectators. Rehearsals or performing a broadcast event will be permitted. Museums must close. Zoos will be closed to the public. Bathhouses and sex clubs are closed, as are strip clubs (apart from takeout food and alcohol service). Horse races will not be allowed.
Gatherings: No private gatherings indoors with people outside of a household will be allowed. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people. Weddings, funerals and religious services can continue in person if physical distancing can be maintained with up to10 people indoors or outdoors.
Gyms: All gyms must close.
Hotels and motels: Can continue to operate with facilities like pools remaining closed.
Libraries: Branches can remain open for pickup and dropoff of materials, as well as use of computers, copying machines and similar services. Curbside pickup and delivery permitted.
Personal services: All services like nail and hair salons will be closed for all treatments. Household services, including cleaning, nannies and others, will be allowed.
Restaurants and bars: All indoor and outdoor dining and drinking, including patios, is prohibited. Restaurants and bars can provide takeout, drivethru and delivery, including alcohol.
Retail stores: Non-essential businesses can provide curbside pickup or delivery only. Stores within malls can provide curbside pickup at a designated location outside of the mall interior.
There will be exceptions for grocery stores, liquor stores, convenience stores, hardware stores, pharmacies and other essential businesses (including those in malls), which will remain open for in-person shopping, but must maintain 50 per cent capacity. Cannabis stores can continue operating with curbside pickup. A two-metre distance must be maintained for lines.
Short-term rentals (Airbnb): All booking made before Nov. 22 will be honoured but no new bookings will be permitted except for those in need of housing.
Sports and recreation: Indoor sports and recreation facilities must close. Outdoor sports, classes and use of amenities can continue with a limit of 10 people and spacing of three metres should be maintained.
Masks should be worn when not exercising. Team sports are prohibited except for training. Community centres can remain open for activities like child care.
Transit: Despite public concerns about crowding on city buses, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the new lockdown won’t have any effect on transit service. “Nothing changes,” he said. Green said the TTC will continue to aim to have no more than 15 passengers on each bus, a target the agency is meeting on 93 per cent of trips.
Anne Marie Aikins, a spokesperson for Metrolinx, said the provincial agency doesn’t believe GO Transit service will change next week, but it is still reviewing the new restrictions.