Ontario Temporarily Moving to Modified
Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen

Evolving data shows that while the Omicron variant is less severe, its high transmissibility has resulted in a larger number of hospital admissions relative to ICU admissions. Real-world experience and evidence in Ontario reveal that approximately one per cent of Omicron cases require hospital care. The rapid rise of Omicron cases, which may soon number in the hundreds of thousands, could result in the province’s hospital capacity becoming overwhelmed if further action isn’t taken to curb transmission. Ontario is temporarily moving the province into Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen effective January 5, 2022 at 12:01 am for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators. These time-limited measures will help blunt transmission and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed as the province continues to accelerate its booster dose rollout. These measures include:

  • Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
  • Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
  • Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.
  • Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50% capacity.
  • Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50% capacity. For shopping malls physical distancing will be required in line-ups, loitering will not be permitted and food courts will be required to close.
  • Personal care services permitted at 50% capacity and other restrictions. Saunas, steam rooms, and oxygen bars closed.
  • Closing indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
  • Public libraries limited to 50% capacity.
  • Closing indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
  • Restricting the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premise in businesses or settings after 11 p.m. with delivery and takeout, grocery/convenience stores and other liquor stores exempted.
  • Closing indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions.
  • Closing museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, amusement parks and waterparks, tour and guide services and fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy, where applicable, limited to 50% capacity.
  • Closing indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy limited to 50% capacity. Boat tours permitted at 50% capacity.
  • Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50% occupancy and other requirements.
  • All publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations. Free emergency child care planned for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers.
 
Supports for Businesses
In recognition of the impact the Omicron variant and additional public health measures have on small businesses, the government is expanding the new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program.

  • Eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity will receive rebate payments for a portion of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to these measures.
  • Eligible businesses required to reduce capacity to 50 per cent, such as smaller retail stores, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 50 per cent of their costs, while businesses required to close for indoor activities, such as restaurants and gyms, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 100 per cent of their costs.
  • A full list of eligible business types will be made available when applications for the program open later this month.
  • To improve cash flows for Ontario businesses, effective January 1, 2022, the government is also providing up to $7.5 billion for a six-month interest- and penalty-free period for Ontario businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes, supporting businesses now and providing the flexibility they will need for long-term planning.

The government is also exploring options for providing further targeted and necessary supports for businesses and workers impacted by the province’s move into a modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, including grants. The government will also continue to call on the federal government to come to table and help us support Ontario businesses and Ontario workers by allowing eligible businesses to defer HST and to enhance supports available to workers affected by current public health measures. Read the full announcement.

ICYMI: Updated Testing and Isolation Guidelines
 Last week, he province announced it is updating testing and isolation guidelines to protect our most vulnerable and maintain the stability of critical workforces. These updates follow recent changes in other jurisdictions in Canada and the United Kingdom. These changes are now in effect.
 
Update to Testing
Publicly-funded PCR testing will be available only for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic and/or are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Members of the general public with mild symptoms are asked not to seek testing. A full list of eligible individuals can be found here. In addition, most individuals with a positive result from a rapid antigen test will no longer be required or encouraged to get a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.
 
Update to Isolation Guidelines
Ontario is also changing the required isolation period based on growing evidence that generally healthy people with COVID-19 are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop. Read the full announcement.
 
Individuals with COVID-19 who are vaccinated, as well as children under 12, will be required to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms. Their household contacts are also required to isolate with them. These individuals can end isolation after five days if their symptoms are improved for at least 24 hours and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed. Non-household contacts are required to self-monitor for ten days.
 
Individuals who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or immunocompromised will be required to isolate for 10 days. While individuals who work or live in high-risk health care settings are recommended to return to work after 10 days from their last exposure or symptom onset or from their date of diagnosis, to ensure sufficient staffing levels workers will have the opportunity to return to work after isolating for seven days with negative PCR or rapid antigen test results, which will be provided by the province through the health care setting.
ONTARIO CHAMBER RESPONSE & NEXT STEPS
We recognize that public health and a healthy economy are intrinsically linked, however, sweeping new restrictions – impacting employers, workers, and families – unaccompanied by immediate and commensurate supports is unacceptable nearly two years into the pandemic. We need a comprehensive plan that ties restrictions to clear, data-based metrics so that employers, workers, and families can plan ahead.

We are all are doing our part. Now, government needs to do their part. What additional steps does the government plan to take to over the next 21 days and beyond? Newly imposed public health measures intended to control the spread of the Omicron variant should always be met with immediate, commensurate and targeted relief, particularly for small businesses, many of whom cannot afford any further reduction in revenue.
-Rocco Rossi, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce

The Ottawa Board of Trade along with our colleagues in the Chamber network will continue to ensure the concerns of the business community are known to decision makers. We continue advocate for communication and support that is adequate and immediate for businesses making the highest sacrifice for the sake of our public health and safety. Further, we need to further explore more sustainable strategies to address transmission spikes, ones that protect not only our physical but also our economic and mental health.
-Sueling Ching, President & CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade
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Together with key local partners including the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism, 
Invest Ottawa, the Ottawa Coalition of BIAs, and RGA, we encourage everyone to #BuyLocalOttawa. Local businesses drive our local economy, enhance our community culture and shape our future. Now, more than ever, it is important to use the power of our purchasing dollar to support businesses that have faced undue challenges to keep us safe. We need to keep focused on buy local today and moving forward.

Here are some tips on how you can get involved!

  • Buy Local: Put your money where your heart is and #BuyLocalOttawa! Make a decision to buy local as much as possible and encourage others to do the same.


  • Use #BuyLocalOttawa on social media: Share your favourite local businesses ideas on social media and use #BuyLocalOttawa. We'll be re-sharing them all throughout the holiday season!


  • Make the Make the POST Promise: Showcase your business' commitment to consumer and employee safety. As an incentive for businesses to make the promise, we are offering complimentary POST Promise toolkits to the first 1,000 businesses to make the promise
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