As we approach the end of the 28-day modified Stage 2, the Ontario government has announced a new plan for reopening in Toronto and the GTA.
Restaurants and bars in Peel, Ottawa and York region will be allowed to resume indoor dining on Saturday November 7 at 12:01 a.m.. Toronto will remain in the modified Stage 2 until November 14 after Mayor John Tory asked the premier "for a little more time".
However, the reopening of dine-in service will come with new restrictions. Bars and restaurants will be permitted to limit indoor capacity to 50 people at a time, with a maximum of four people seated together at one table. Screening of all patrons will be mandatory.
Last call for alcohol will be reduced to 9 p.m. and establishments will be required to close their doors by 10 p.m.
The new regulations are part of a colour-coded tiered system issued by the Ford government that categorizes regions based on the level of virus spread within public health units and the capacity of their hospitals.
This new system "provides a path forward that will help us get to a situation where establishments can open their doors safely," says Mayor John Tory in a release following the press conference.
