Today, the City of Toronto enters Stage 2 of reopening, following Monday’s announcement by the Province of Ontario. This means the safe restart of some services and businesses including restaurants and bars with patios, personal care services, shopping malls and select recreational spaces such as splash pads and pools.
Businesses that can reopen today for modified services with appropriate public health measures in place and subject to conditions include:
Many recreational and cultural spaces can also reopen, subject to conditions:
Examples of activities that can resume, subject to conditions:
As part of the SwimTO plan, lifeguards are now on duty at six of Toronto’s swimming beaches. Toronto beaches have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Beaches were not closed under Province of Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. More information on Toronto beaches is available at toronto.ca/beaches or by calling 311. More information about swimming in the city is available at toronto.ca/swim.
If City Council approves the proposed CaféTO program at its meeting on June 30, more outdoor dining areas can be added to help some restaurants and bars create physical distancing for patrons on patios during the summer months. To date, the City has received more than 250 completed applications for the program. Businesses can email cafeTO@toronto.ca with questions about the program.
Under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, businesses and facilities that reopen to the public must ensure to the fullest extent possible that customers and members of the public are able to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from others.
To reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to staff and clients, businesses must follow physical distancing measures, enhanced cleaning and disinfection, and other public health requirements. To assist business owners, the City has created a searchable and sortable table containing public heath guidelines that can be found at toronto.ca/reopening. The City will add guidelines and resources to this table as they become available.
Toronto Public Health has prepared guidance documents for local businesses and settings including food premises, personal service settings such as hair and nail salons, places of worship and a number of other community settings for reopening including farmers’ markets. There are many other guidance documents available online for business owners, operators and the public to view.
COVID-19 remains a risk in the city and no service can resume or space reopen without the proper public health measures in place.
The Province of Ontario’s reopening framework is available online: ontario.ca/page/reopening-ontario.
As Toronto moves into Stage 2 reopening today, residents are reminded that provincial orders restricting gatherings of more than 10 people who are not members of the same household remain in effect. It’s important for people to continue adhering to Toronto Public Health’s advice to wash their hands often, stay within their social circle of no more than 10 people, practise physical distancing, or wear a face covering or non-medical mask to protect others when in settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
There are 14,029 cases of COVID-19 in the city, an increase of 73 cases since yesterday. There are 253 people hospitalized, with 63 in ICU. In total 12,061 people have recovered from COVID-19, an increase of 101 cases since yesterday. To date, there have been 1,061 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform.
Provincial Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act orders and the City bylaw on physical distancing remain in effect. The City’s COVID-19 enforcement team remains focused on providing education. Yesterday, the City received 80 complaints related to parks use and physical distancing. Officers have spoken to or cautioned more than 6,300 people this month. Bylaw officers issued eleven tickets yesterday in City parks or squares.
The City’s website is updated daily with the latest health advice and information about City services, social supports and economic recovery measures. Check toronto.ca/covid-19/ for answers to common questions before contacting the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Hotline or 311.
Quotes:
“Today is an exciting day for Toronto as many businesses around the city can safely reopen their doors to the public after patiently waiting for months to do so. I would like to reiterate my thanks to all Toronto residents and business owners who followed public health advice, helped us achieve progress in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in our community and made it possible for us to arrive to this day. We are reopening because the vast majority of Toronto residents and businesses did the right thing. Now it is so important that we keep doing the right thing and following public health advice so that we continue to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Today is a significant day for us as we join many communities around the province in Stage 2 of reopening. We are making good progress in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our city. This is the result of your continued hard work and commitment to our public health measures. Together we are protecting our friends, our families and our loved ones and making sure our healthcare system is available for those who may need it.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit toronto.ca or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CityofToronto, on Instagram at instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at facebook.com/cityofto.