As Toronto enters the second week of Stage 3 reopening and summer continues with a generally pleasant weekend weather forecast, COVID-19 continues to circulate in Toronto. It is still vitally important that residents continue to follow Toronto Public Health advice to wash hands often, practise physical distancing, wear a face covering or mask in all indoor public spaces and stay home when ill.
There is no summer vacation from COVID-19 and we need all residents to keep following public health advice to keep our city staff – our successful restart and recovery depends on it.
Restaurants and bars
In food and drink establishments, additional requirements to protect the health and safety of customers are now in effect. These include ensuring that all customers remain seated except when entering/ exiting, using the washroom or paying the bill. Customers can expect to be asked for basic personal information as management of food and drink establishments must now keep customer logs that include names and contact information for each party.
Apartments and condominiums
This weekend will also be the first one with new rules that require masks or face coverings to be worn in common areas in apartments and condominiums to help prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Under the new bylaw for apartments and condos, building owners or operators must have a policy to ensure masks or face coverings are worn in enclosed common spaces such as lobbies, elevators and laundry rooms, and must display corresponding signs. Like the City’s mask or face covering bylaw for indoor public spaces in general, this bylaw includes exemptions for people who are unable to wear a mask or face covering for medical reasons, for children under two years old, and for other reasonable accommodations.
Restricted evening parking at beaches
The City has seen a significant increase in the number of people at Toronto beaches late into the evening who are not practising physical distancing, or who are setting up DJ equipment, lighting bonfires, setting off fireworks, drinking excessively and leaving large amounts of litter behind. As COVID-19 continues to circulate in the community, residents visiting a beach or park must practise physical distancing and avoid crowding.
Parking restrictions are in place at Toronto beaches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Parking restrictions will be in place at the following beaches starting at 7 p.m. on Friday: Marie Curtis Park, Humber Bay West Park, Humber Bay East Park, Cherry Beach and Bluffer’s Park. Toronto Police will be present at all parking lot entrances. Vehicles leaving beach parking lots after 7 p.m. will be able to do so freely.
Bylaw officers, Toronto Police and Toronto Fire will have a highly visible presence at beaches and parking lots to ensure that crowds, bonfires and other prohibited activities do not occur or are dealt with quickly should they occur. Parking enforcement will also have a significant presence this weekend, with tagging and towing of illegally parked vehicles in the vicinity of beaches where parking is restricted.
Bonfires are not permitted on beaches. Likewise, organized parties, with excessive drinking and DJs with amplification of sound, are also prohibited. Bylaw enforcement officers and Toronto Police will issue tickets related to bylaw infractions, including littering, and people are asked to take their garbage with them so it can be disposed of properly. Any overflowing bins or litter hot spots should be reported to 311.
ActiveTO road closures, cycling network, Quiet Streets
The following ActiveTO major road closure will be in place this weekend, from Saturday, August 8 at 6 a.m. to Sunday, August 9 at 11 p.m.:
Residents planning to use those roads should access them by bike or as a pedestrian because nearby parking is limited and there is no onsite parking available. Parking lots at Sunnyside Park, Budapest Park and Sir Casimir Gzowski Park will be closed all weekend during ActiveTO closures. Overnight parking is not permitted in these lots and any vehicles should be moved before midnight on Friday.
More than 60 kilometres of Quiet Streets are available to neighbourhood residents throughout the city this weekend. More information, including an online map of all locations, can be found on the ActiveTO webpage at toronto.ca/activeTO.
Toronto’s cycling network is rapidly expanding. New temporary bike lanes are now installed along Bayview Avenue and River Street, Brimley Road, Bloor Street (Sherbourne Street to Avenue Road), Dundas Street East, Wilmington Avenue/Faywood Boulevard, and University Avenue. New temporary routes are also actively being installed along Danforth Avenue and Huntingwood Avenue, and a permanent bikeway is being installed along Bloor Street West (Shaw Street to Runnymede Road).
CaféTO update
Curb-lane closures continue to be in place this weekend to accommodate cafés/patios for CaféTO locations throughout the city. The CaféTO program currently supports more than 600 restaurants with expanded dining space to allow for physical distancing.
Construction affecting downtown intersection
There will be a partial intersection closure at Lake Shore Boulevard and Parliament Street this weekend so crews can safely remove and replace sections of the Gardiner Expressway above that intersection as part of work to renew the expressway between Jarvis and Cherry Streets. From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 8 to 5 a.m., Monday, August 10, there will be no right or left turns onto Parliament Street from eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard and no left turns onto Parliament Street from westbound Lake Shore Boulevard. Parliament Street will be fully closed between Lake Shore Boulevard and Small Street, except for local access for area residents.
City pools and splash pads
Torontonians can cool off at more than 300 aquatic amenities this summer as the City’s 140 splash pads, 100 wading pools, 56 outdoor swimming pools and 29 indoor pools are now open. Some pools are closed for repair. Pool status is available online. In order to allow for physical distancing, the capacity at outdoor and indoor pools is significantly reduced to 25 per cent. Swimmers are limited to 45-minute sessions to allow for cleaning. Full details are available at toronto.ca/swim.
Beaches
Toronto beaches are open, including the four Toronto Island Park beaches. Lifeguards supervise swim areas from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. People should only swim in the swim zones marked by yellow and red flags as these areas are lifeguard supervised. Rouge Valley Beach remains closed. For more information on the City’s beaches visit toronto.ca/beaches.
It can be unsafe to swim, even at designated swimming beaches, for 48 hours after a rainfall (as occurred earlier this week) due to the possible presence of high levels of bacteria that could pose a risk to human health. Toronto Public Health posts water quality reports for local beaches online.
Parks
Most amenities in City parks are now open. Playgrounds and outdoor exercise equipment are open. Consistent with guidance from Toronto Public Health, outdoor playground equipment will not be sanitized. Updated signage with public health guidance will be posted. As COVID-19 continues to circulate in the community, residents visiting a park or beach must practise physical distancing and avoid crowding.
Toronto Island Park’s public ferry and beaches
The public ferry service recently resumed operations at 50 per cent capacity with COVID-19 guidelines and procedures in place to protect passengers and staff. Tickets are limited to 5,000 per day. Visitors must purchase tickets online in advance. Passengers are required to wear masks or face coverings. To reduce crowding, visitors are encouraged to travel outside of peak times of 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from the ferry terminal to the island, and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. for the return trip.
Lifeguards supervise the four Toronto Island Park swimming beaches. There is plenty of room on the Island beaches. If one beach is crowded, visitors are encouraged to go to a different area. Services and amenities that are open at Toronto Island Park include washrooms, a splash pad, a first aid station, William Meany Maze, some food and beverage outlets and disc golf. Other Toronto Island Park public and commercial amenities, including Centreville and boat rentals, remain closed under the current Province of Ontario emergency orders. Water taxi service to Toronto Island Park has resumed.
Public washrooms
Park washrooms are open to the public. In addition, the City has opened a number of facilities with showers, washrooms and drinking water for all individuals in need of these services. More details including health guidelines for washrooms are available on the City Services webpage. Residents using public washrooms should maintain a distance of two metres or six feet from others at all times while waiting in line and wash hands or use hand sanitizer.
St. Lawrence Market
The St. Lawrence Market continues to operate with enhanced precautions under the advisement of Toronto Public Health. The South Market is open Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. The indoor and outdoor areas of the Saturday Farmers’ Market will be open weekly from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. as usual. The Sunday antique market remains closed until further notice.
A limited amount of indoor seating has been set up inside the South Market. Seating is on the lower level and has been set up to ensure that customers can remain physically distant while eating inside. Customers are reminded that eating indoors is only permitted when seated. Customers should only dine with others in their own social bubble. Additional outdoor seating is available on the St. Lawrence Market South Market patio. Paddington’s Pump restaurant is now open for dine-in service with physical distancing.
The use of a face mask or face covering is required at the St. Lawrence Market Complex. Entrance screenings are conducted for customers and all market personnel. Customers should bring a face covering with them to wear at the market. Even when wearing a mask or face covering, keeping physical distance from others and washing your hands often are the best ways to help stop the spread of COVID-19. More information is available at stlawrencemarket.com.
COVID-19 updates
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.
For more information about requirements during Stage 3, visit toronto.ca/ReopenTO.
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