Ontario will allow outdoor dining in grey-lockdown zones, modifying COVID-19 restrictions

Ontario will allowoutdoor dining in grey-lockdown zones, modifyingsome of its COVID-19 restrictions.

Restaurants in the red and orange zones of the province's colour-coded guidelineswill have their indoor dining capacity increased to 50 per cent up to a maximum of 50 or 100 people, respectively.

In a news releaseFriday afternoon, the province said the changes would be effective Saturday, March 20, at 12:01 a.m.

Only those from the same household can sit at a table together, indoors or outdoors, with the exception of those who live aloneor caregivers.

People who live alone can sit with one other household, as can those who are acting as caregivers to someone outside their ownhousehold, Ontario's Ministry of Health said.

Toronto and Peel Region both remain in the grey-lockdownzone, the strictest level of the province's colour-coded COVID-19 framework, because of an increase in cases and increasing test-positivity rates in the last week.

Risk reduced outdoors

The risk of infection outdoors is greatly reduced, said Dr.Peter Jniof the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

"Outdoors is so much safer. It's not about risk elimination; it's about risk reduction," Jnitold CBC News.

The president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses criticized the move to limit dining tooutdoor only in grey-lockdown zones.

"Toronto restaurants have been fully closed to indoor dining for 160 straight days (289 since the pandemic started). Their big win is to be allowed to serve a few people outside IN MARCH if they happen to have a pre-approved patio," Dan Kelly wrote on Twitter shortly after the announcement was made.

Modified grey zone instead of red

On Wednesday, Toronto's most senior health official said she would not ask the province tomove the cityto the red zone.

Instead,Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's chief medical officer of health, said shewouldask to slightly modify the provincial grey-lockdown rules to allow for some activities outdoors, such as dining, fitness and hair cutting services.

At the time, de Villasaid there would be a collaborative discussion with the province about potential changes.

City officials confirmed theCafTO program won't be up and running until early May.

The programhelped hundreds of restaurants and bars in the city add patio space or expand existingpatios into curb lanes and along sidewalks to ensure physical distancing and accommodate more patrons.

Restaurants with existing patio space and permits are now set to open sooner.

Toronto has been in a lockdown since Nov. 23, and with the weather getting warmer, onedoctor said easing up on some restrictions would bring relief toresidents in the city.

"With the weather getting better, creating spaces for them to see people, to get personal interaction, to feel like they at least have a little bit of control over the situationand normalcy, is probably appropriate," Dr. Zain Chagla,an infectious disease physician for St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, told CBC News.

8 regions move into new zones Monday

On Monday at 12:01 a.m., eight public health units in Ontario will be moving to new levels of the province's colour-coded COVID-19 framework.

Red-Control

• Brant County Health Unit
• Chatham-Kent Public Health
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

Orange-Restrict

• Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

Yellow-Protect

• Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health
• North Bay Parry Sound District
• Porcupine Health Unit
• Timiskaming Health Unit