Mississauga not permitted to enter stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan just yet
Published June 15, 2020 at 5:28 pm
Although there has been some speculation that Mississauga would be able to enter stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan on Friday, June 19, it looks like the city will have to wait a little bit longer.
At a June 15 press conference, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex will not yet be permitted to enter stage 2 due to higher-than-ideal cases of COVID-19.
The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and local medical officers of health, is enabling other regions to enter Stage 2 on Friday. The latest public health unit regions allowed to move into Stage 2 on June 19, at 12:01 a.m. are:
- Durham Region Health Department
- Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
- Halton Region Health Department
- Hamilton Public Health Services
- Lambton Health Unit
- Niagara Region Public Health Department
- York Region Public Health Services
These regions are in addition to the 24 public health regions that entered Stage 2 on June 12.
There are no travel bans restricting Toronto, Peel and Windsor residents from travelling to cities and towns that have entered stage 2.
Before opening, business owners need to review workplace safety guidelines and public health advice.
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“Thanks to the collective efforts of our frontline health care workers and the people in these regions to stop the spread of COVID-19, more businesses will be able to open their doors and thousands of people will be able to go back to work and put food on the table,” said Premier Ford in a statement.
“With the public health trends improving day by day across the province, I am hopeful all regions of Ontario will enter Stage 2 very soon. But we must remain on our guard to prevent any potential surge or secondary wave by continuing to follow the sound advice of our public health officials.”
The announcement means that Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, and Windsor will not yet be permitted to allow restaurants to open patios for outdoor dining or permit any salons to begin seeing customers.
Businesses and services permitted to reopen in regions entering Stage 2 include:
- Outdoor dine-in services at restaurants, bars and other establishments, including patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent properties;
- Select personal and personal care services with the proper health and safety measures in place, including tattoo parlours, barbershops, hair salons and beauty salons;
- Shopping malls under existing restrictions, including food services reopening for take-out and outdoor dining only;
- Tour and guide services, such as bike and walking, bus and boat tours, as well as tasting and tours for wineries, breweries and distilleries;
- Water recreational facilities such as outdoor splash pads and wading pools, and all swimming pools;
- Beach access and additional camping at Ontario Parks;
- Camping at private campgrounds;
- Outdoor-only recreational facilities and training for outdoor team sports, with limits to enable physical distancing;
- Drive-in and drive-through venues for theatres, concerts, animal attractions and cultural appreciation, such as art installations;
- Film and television production activities, with limits to enable physical distancing; and
- Weddings and funerals, with limits on social gatherings to 10 people.
Residents are advised to continue following public health advice, including practising physical distancing, wearing a face-covering if physical distancing is a challenge, washing hands frequently and thoroughly, and avoiding touching their eyes, nose and mouth.
Anyone who thinks they have COVID-19 or has been in contact with someone who has COVID‑19 is advised to get tested.
At the beginning of each week, the government will provide an update on the ongoing assessment of Ontario’s regions, and whether they are ready to move into Stage 2 at the end of the week.
The earliest Mississauga can enter stage 2 is June 26.
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