Monthly Archives: January 2022

Ontario easing some COVID restrictions beginning January 31.

January 20, 2021

The government of Ontario has announced that it will ease some COVID-19 related capacity and other restrictions beginning January 31 with plans for future stages of reopening, subject to trends in public health and health care.

I have provided top line information about the changes taking place January 31. The full text of the announcement, detailing future easings tentatively scheduled for February 21 and March 14, 2022, can be found at »» this link on the Ontario government website.


January 31, 2022
Effective January 31, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario will begin the process of gradually easing restrictions, while maintaining protective measures, including but not limited to:

  • Increasing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
  • Increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50 per cent in indoor public settings, including but not limited to:
    • Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities;
    • Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies)
    • Shopping malls;
    • Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms;
    • Cinemas;
    • Meeting and event spaces;
    • Recreational amenities and amusement parks, including water parks;
    • Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions; and
    • Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
    • Religious services, rites, or ceremonies.
    • Allowing spectator areas of facilities such as sporting events, concert venues and theatres to operate at 50 per cent seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
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  • Enhanced proof of vaccination, and other requirements would continue to apply in existing settings.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Please contact me for assistance working through your staffing matters.

Ontario employer requirement to post public screening signs

January 19, 2021

Subsection 2(3), Schedule 1 of O. Reg. 263/20: Rules for Areas in Step 2 made under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) states that:

the person responsible for a business or organization that is open must operate that business or organization in compliance with the advice, recommendations and instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health or another public health official on screening individuals. This applies whether or not the individuals are fully vaccinated”.

This requirement includes posting signs at all entrances to the premises of the business or organization, in a conspicuous location visible to the public, that inform individuals on how to screen themselves for COVID-19 prior to entering the premises.

The Office of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has issued a document with questions and instructions that should be used by businesses and organizations to develop signs to meet the requirement. 

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The document, dated January 18, 2022, can be accessed at this web address:

https://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/publichealth/coronavirus/docs/COVID_19_bus_orgs_question_signage.pdf

In reading it, there may be some confusion, as it makes reference to a different government web page which in turn links to a screening guidance document from October 25, 2021.

My suggestion is that you follow the guidance and screening questions in the most recent update, that of January 18, 2022, as linked above.

Latest guidance for COVID-19 isolation, reporting and contact tracing

January 10, 2021

I have received a number of calls from clients regarding how to deal with employees who are concerned about having COVID and what employees should do in situations when they are concerned about having been exposed to COVID-19. 

I have compiled a document I hope you will find helpful that provides Case and Contact Management and PCR Testing Guidance from Ontario public health authorities. 

It can be downloaded and printed »» through this link for your own use or distribution to employees .

The document includes in-depth answers to the following questions:

  • Should employers who have cohort schedules for employees move back to online only? Do they have to?
  • What should you do if you have symptoms of COVID-19? 
  • What should you do if you’ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
  • If you test positive, what should you do? 
  • Who is considered a close contact?
  • What does self-isolating entail? 
  • What happens if after the five days since symptoms started, the individual still tests positive on day six of symptoms but is feeling better? Do they need to self- isolate?
  • Who is considered to be fully vaccinated? Given the high transmissibility of Omicron, does this mean people need to get their booster dose to be considered fully vaccinated?
  • Are there exemptions to the 5 days of self-isolation for people who are exposed to a case? 
  • How are individuals who are self-isolating supposed to take care of themselves (e.g., get groceries, mental health supports, etc.)? 
  • Is it safe for individuals after their five-day isolation period (day 6-10) to visit their grandparents or other immunocompromised individuals, or go to gyms/restaurants? 
  • Why aren’t individuals required to report a positive rapid antigen test result to their public health unit? 
  • What are the “Virtual Assistant” tool and COVID Alert App and what do they do?
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Ontario reinstating Step Two measures with some modifications

January 3, 2021

The government of Ontario has announced that it is reinstating the restrictions of Step Two, with some modifications. For reference, Step Two was the period between June 30 and July 16 of last year. 

The new measures come into effect  Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.

The measures include social gathering limits for both private and public events, closing indoor dining at restaurants and bars, limiting capacity at retail outlets and closing entertainment and sport venues.

Businesses and organizations are required to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.

Publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17.

Hospitals are being instructed to pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures.

In terms of relief for effected businesses, the government is expanding the new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program. As previously advised, the government is providing for a six-month interest- and penalty-free period for Ontario businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes. 

It 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.“

I am providing a summary of key points with a link to the full government announcement.

Closures and capacity restrictions
Effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.
These measures include:

  • Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site. 
  • Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
  • Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
  • Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services are limited to the number of people that can maintain 2 metres of physical distance. Social gatherings associated with these services must adhere to the social gathering limits.
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Retail and Dining

  • Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50 per cent 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 per cent capacity and other restrictions. Saunas, steam rooms, and oxygen bars closed.
  • 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 meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.

Entertainment, Sports, Culture

  • 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 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
  • 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 per cent capacity.
  • Public libraries limited to 50 per cent 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 per cent capacity. Boat tours permitted at 50 per cent capacity.

Schools

  • 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.
  • School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations, including emergency child care, to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely and for staff who are unable to deliver quality instruction from home.
  • During this period of remote learning, free emergency child care will be provided for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers.

Hospitals

  • Effective January 5, 2022 the Chief Medical Officer of Health will reinstate Directive 2 for hospitals and regulated health professionals, instructing hospitals to pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures in order to preserve critical care and human resource capacity.

Business relief
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.

Effective January 1, 2022, the government is 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.

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.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Please contact me for assistance working through your staffing matters.