COVID-19 Updates
Ontario to Move to Step One of Roadmap to Reopen on Friday

The Government of Ontario, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, will move the province into Step One of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021.

Step One of the Roadmap focuses on the resumption of more outdoor activities with smaller crowds where risk of transmission is lower. It will also permit more limited indoor settings to be open, all with restrictions in place.

Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen includes but is not limited to:

  • Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 10 people;
  • Outdoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
  • Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at 15 per cent capacity of the particular room;
  • Non-essential retail permitted at 15 per cent capacity with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
  • Essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
  • Outdoor dining with up to 4 people per table, with exceptions for larger households;
  • Outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sport training to be permitted with up to 10 people, among other restrictions;
  • Day camps for children permitted to operate in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
  • Campsites, campgrounds and short-term rentals;
  • Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with up to 10 people and other restrictions;
  • Outdoor horse racing tracks and motor speedways permitted to operate without spectators; and
  • Outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions.
 
In order to safely enter Step One, Ontario needed to have vaccinated 60% of adults with at least one dose for two weeks or longer, ensuring the first dose offers a strong level of protection against COVID-19, as well as continued improvement in key public health and health system indicators.

  • As of June 6, 72% of Ontario adults aged 18 and over have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • From May 25 to 31, the provincial case rate decreased by 35.1%.
  • As of June 6, the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs is 497, including 31 patients from Manitoba, as compared to 687 two weeks ago.
  • The province’s situation is currently exceeding the best-case scenario presented in recent modelling, which indicated the province would reach below 1,000 new daily infections by June 30, 2021.

The province will remain in Step One for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. If at the end of the 21 days the province has vaccinated 70% of adults with one dose and 20% of adults with two doses and there are continued improvements in other key public health and health system indicators, the province will move to Step Two of the Roadmap.

The news release regarding today's announcement can be found HERE.

Support Local

Looking to support local restaurants and retailers during this period? Access the Chamber's restaurant listing here and the general business directory here. Visit the Algoma Marketplace here

Please note that the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce office is currently CLOSED to the public due to COVID-19, however we are still committed to serving our members and the business community. 

For general inquiries, you may continue to e-mail us at info@ssmcoc.com or message us on facebook @ssmcoc. You may also e-mail individual staff, however please understand that there may be a delay in response to inquiries during this time. If your matter is urgent, you may also reach out to Chamber CEO Rory Ring at rory@ssmcoc.com or 705-255-4361.
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of 700 plus business and agencies in Sault Ste. Marie and has been serving the needs of this community since 1889. The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce will lead the way as the voice of business, advancing economic prosperity for its membership and the business community.