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Current restrictions will stay for Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

Current restrictions will stay in place for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,

TORONTO—Most regions of Ontario outside of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area will be allowed to see more businesses and activities open on Friday, including restaurant patios, hair salons and swimming pools.

The province is taking a regional approach to the second stage of its economic reopening, leaving current restrictions in place for places such as the Toronto area, which has a high concentration of the province’s

COVID-19 cases.

But provincewide on Friday — including the GTHA — the maximum size of social gatherings will be increased from five to 10, though the government says people must still stay two metres away from anyone outside their own household.

As well, across Ontario on Friday, all places of worship can reopen as long as attendance is limited to 30 per cent of the building’s capacity and physical distancing measures are in place.

For most areas not in the GTHA and not experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks among migrant workers, Friday will see tattoo parlours, barber shops, hair salons and beauty salons allowed to reopen with health and safety measures in place.

Restaurants and bars in the regions able to move to stage two will be allowed to open patios and other outdoor dining.

The province also announced it will let licensed establishments set up a new patio or expand an existing one without requiring an application or fee.

Tours will be allowed to resume, such as biking, walking, bus and boat tours, along with tastings and tours at wineries, breweries and distilleries.

Some outdoor activities can reopen, such as recreational facilities and training for outdoor team sports, camping at private campgrounds, beach access and additional camping at Ontario Parks, splash pads and wading pools, and all swimming pools.

Regions not yet able to enter stage two include those in and around Toronto, where twothirds of the province’s COVID-19 cases are concentrated, including Peel, Durham, Halton and York regions, as well as Hamilton.

Elsewhere, regions with outbreaks of COVID-19 among migrant workers won’t yet enter stage two, including Haldimand-Norfolk, Niagara and Windsor-Essex. Lambton, which borders areas of the United States with high amounts of COVID-19 cases, will also not yet be allowed to move to stage two.