Here's what reopening in Hamilton will look like for the next few weeks

Life in Hamilton will feel a bit more normal over the next few weeks as Ontario loosens some pandemic restrictions.

This comes as the city's medical officer of health said there are indications Hamilton's Omicron wave is plateauing.

Ontario-wide, many indoor settings are allowed to open at 50 per cent capacity on Monday, including:

• Restaurants, bars and other food establishments without dancing.
• Retailers, including shopping malls.
• Gyms and non-spectator areas of sports facilities.
• Movie theatres.
• Meeting and event spaces.
• Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions.
• Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments.
• Religious services, rites and ceremonies.

Enhanced proof of vaccination and masking requirements will remain in place.

Moreover, indoor social gatherings of up to 10 people and outdoors gatherings of up to 25 will be permitted.

The city said in a release that public programming in arenas will start a phased approach on Monday, and they'll also be open to permit holders. There will still be capacity limits and extra public health measures in place.

Hamilton museums, seniors centres, rec centres

Next Tuesday, the Dundurn National Historic Site, the Hamilton Military Museum and the Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology will reopen.

Other museums will stay closed for now, the city said.

Local seniors centres and clubs will open on Feb. 7 and the senior centre-without-walls phone programming will restart too.

Hamilton recreation centres will also reopen for drop-in aquatic and gym programming on Feb. 7.

The city said schedules will be available three days in advance and reservations will be available for 25 hours before the programming for pools and gyms start.

Advanced aquatic leadership programming and certifications for staff and the public will start Feb. 4 and registration opens on Friday.

Water Fit programming restarts on Feb. 21.

Ontario-wide restrictions loosening into mid-March

On Feb. 21, social gathering limits in Ontario will increase to 25 for indoors and 100 people outdoors. Other planned changes include:

• Removing capacity limits on all indoor spaces where proof of vaccination is required.
• Allowing spectator capacity of up to 50 per cent at sports, concert and other similar venues.
• Limiting capacity in most other indoor spaces where proof of vaccination is not required to the number of people who can maintain a physical distance of two metres.
• Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent for remaining "high-risk settings" where proof of vaccination is required, such as nightclubs, wedding receptions in event spaces with dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs.

Finally on March 14, according to the government, all capacity limits on indoor spaces will be lifted. Proof of vaccination and masking requirements will continue to remain in place where they already exist.

All capacity limits will also be lifted for religious services, rites and ceremonies, and social gatherings of up to 50 people indoors will be permitted, with no limit for outdoors.