The Ontario government is speeding up its reopening plans, and vaccine passports will no longer be required in any setting starting March 1.
The province is also planning to move into phase two of its reopening plan on Thursday Feb. 12, meaning all capacity limits in bars, restaurants, gyms, and cinemas will be lifted. This is four days earlier than originally planned.
Concert goers will have something to celebrate, as seated venues will be able to open at 50 percent capacity, while higher risk settings like nightclubs will be able to open at 25 percent capacity.
As COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says now is the right time to start lifting restrictions.
“Thanks to the efforts of Ontarians to help blunt the transmission of Omicron, our health care indicators suggest a general improvement in the COVID-19 situation in the province. We are now in a position to lift more public health measures, but it is important to stay vigilant, as we don’t want to cause any further disruption to people’s everyday lives. We must continue to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our communities by following the measures in place and by vaccinating those who have not yet received their doses.”
As well as being the date the vaccine passports die, March 1 will also be the day capacity limits get lifted in all indoor settings. While business owners won’t have to enforce vaccine passports by law, they can still require proof of vaccination to use their facilities if they so please. Mask requirements will stay in place for the time being.
Earlier this month, Saskatchewan and Alberta announced their own plans to scrap their vaccine passport programs.
