Ottawa moves into Step 2 of Ontario's reopening plan
Ottawa is now in Step 2 of Ontario's "Roadmap to Reopen" plan.
Step 2 began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule. It loosens several COVID-19 restrictions across Ontario, including allowing for the reopening of salons and other personal care services.
The province moved to Step 2 ahead of time as vaccination targets were met and exceeded. Step 2 required that 70 per cent of adults in Ontario have one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 20 per cent have two. As of Tuesday, those figures across Ontario were 77.53 per cent and 37.32 per cent, respectively, which meet or exceed the threshold for Step 3.
Step 2 is still scheduled to last 21 days, to give health officials time to monitor case trends.
In Ottawa, trends have been on the decline, with the seven-day average of new cases below 10, the weekly testing positivity rate below 1 per cent, and active cases under 100 for the first time since July 2020.
At Synergy Spa and Blades Hair Salon, staff say they're ready to reopen.
"We're so very excited, we've been open only five weeks this year," said owner Kim Lambert.
The space underwent renovations during the shutdown. Lambert says she's thrilled to be welcoming clients back.
"Our phones ring non-stop. We have girls in answering the phones, returning calls, returning emails, so we are booked. We do have room for clients and we're welcoming new clients," she said, while also asking guests to be patient.
"We are under restrictions in regards to maximum people and exposure per day, so just be patient with your salon and understand that they're doing their best to get everyone in for that first spot and that they will get to you."
Outdoor fitness classes are expanding as well.
OC Fit in Orléans has a waiting list for classes, but expanding into the parking lot will help now that classes are no longer capped at 10 people. The only restriction is maintaining three metres of distance between people.
"Now increasing that is just amazing. We can't be indoors yet but it's progress," said owner Phil Fortin.
Calypso Water Park in Limoges is also making a return this week after being closed since 2019.
"The main thing we have to remind people of this year is to buy tickets online for a specific date because one of the major things is limiting people on site," said marketing director Sandra Nadeau.
Calypso reopens Thursday, July 1.
Here is a full list of what is now allowed in Step 2:
- Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people
- Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to five people
- Essential and other select retail permitted at 50 per cent capacity
- Non-essential retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity
- Businesses in malls without street-level entrances can reopen
- Personal care services where face coverings can be worn at all times can resume at 25 per cent capacity
- Outdoor dining with up to six people per table, with exceptions for larger households
- Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding and funerals, permitted at up to 25 per cent capacity per room
- Outdoor fitness classes limited to the number of people who can maintain three metres of physical distance
- Outdoor sports without contact or modified to avoid contact, with no specified limit on number of people or teams participating, with restrictions
- Overnight camps for children operating in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
- Outdoor sport facilities with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity
- Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity
- Outdoor horseracing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity
- Outdoor fairs, rural exhibitions, festivals, permitted at 25 per cent capacity and with other restrictions
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.