Garage sales allowed to open in Ottawa as COVID restrictions ease
Garage sales have the green light to open in Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ottawa Public Health and Ottawa Bylaw Services confirm garage sales are permitted to operate now that Ottawa is in Step 1 of Ontario’s reopening plan.
Garage sales are not specifically mentioned in the regulations, Bylaw Services director Roger Chapman said.
“Garage sales would be subject to the same restrictions as outdoor gatherings, which limits the number of people on the property to ten, including the host, and requires physical distancing yourself from people who are not part of your household."
Chapman also suggests wearing a mask if distances cannot be maintained.
"We recommend hand sanitizer to be made available prior to people browsing around the garage sale," said Chapman in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
"We also recommend a virtual garage sale, with a contactless, curbside pickup option to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
Ottawa Public Health offers the following tips to keep you and others safe if hosting a garage sale:
- Follow capacity limits for outdoor gatherings by referring to the Reopening Ontario webpage.
- Put up posters outlining health measures (wear masks, maintain physical distancing and encourage hand hygiene).
- Restrict and manage traffic by asking people to wait nearby once the property reaches capacity.
- Set up and manage directional traffic flow, to minimize crowding.
- Set up sanitization stations so people can cleanse their hands before and after handling items.
Non-essential retails are permitted to open during Step 1 of the reopening plan, with capacity limited to 15 per cent of the store.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.