FOG BLOG CANADA NEWS LOG: ONTARIO TO END LENGTHY AFTER HOLIDAY LOCKDOWN AT THE END OF JANUARY!

Ontario to begin lifting COVID-19 restrictions on Jan. 31...The Ontario government is easing COVID-19 restrictions on some businesses — including restaurants and gyms — beginning the end of January.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 31, these settings will have a capacity limit of 50 per cent, some of which were previously closed:

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.
Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments.
Religious services, rites, or ceremonies...In addition, social gathering limits will increase to 10 people indoors, 25 people outdoors.

Events with spectators such as sporting events or concerts or theatres will be capped at either 500 people or 50 per cent seated capacity, whichever is less, officials said........Proof of vaccination and other requirements such as masking will continue to apply, the government said.

The government also recently mandated that Ontarians must use the proof of vaccination certificate that includes a scannable QR code, as the older versions were susceptible to fraud.

When asked by a reporter if the premier would update the vaccine certificate requirement to include three doses, as millions have recently received booster shots, Premier Doug Ford said “not right at this point.”

Earlier this month on Jan. 5, the province implemented additional restrictions on businesses amid a spike in Omicron cases. They included additional capacity limits, a ban on indoor dining and the closure of several types of facilities including gyms, cinemas and museums.

In the recent days, public health officials have noted improving trends amid the Omicron wave.

“The evidence tells us that the measures we put in place to blunt transmission of Omicron are working,” Premier Doug Ford said. “We can be confident that the worst is behind us and that we are now in a position to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures.”