COVID-19 Update for June 8, 2020 – 2:30pm
In a highly anticipated announcement, Premier Doug Ford and his provincial ministers unveiled the next stage of Ontario’s COVID-19 re-opening plan, providing a rundown of new set of businesses and workplaces that will be allowed to resume operations based on a cautious and regional approach.
Increasing Limits of Social Gathering
The Premier announced that starting Friday, June 12 at 12:01 a.m. the province will increase the limits of social gathering from five to 10 people. Additionally, all places of worship across Ontario will be allowed to re-open at 30 per cent building capacity. The increased social gathering rules will apply to the entire province, regardless of whether the region is moving to Stage 2, but physical distancing rules will still apply.
Regional Re-Opening
Most Ontario’s public health unit regions will move forward to Stage 2 on Friday, with the exceptions being communities in the Golden Horseshoe (Durham Region, York Region, Peel Region, Toronto, Halton Region, Hamilton and Niagara Region), Haldimand-Norfolk and border communities Windsor-Essex and Lambton. Ford noted that the province will continue to keep a close eye on regions that will not open this Friday, including providing an update on the ongoing assessment of these regions each Monday and whether they have met criteria to move to Stage 2 by the end of the week.
Businesses Allowed to Re-Open
For a complete list of businesses that can reopen, please click here.
The province is also expected to release more details on child care, summer camps, post-secondary education pilots, training centres and public transit soon.
Commercial Evictions Banned
The Premier also announced that he has ordered legislation to ban all commercial evictions for those who qualify for commercial rent relief program. The ban on evictions took effect on June 3rd and will last until August 31st.
You can read the full release here.
Limited Exemptions for Family Re-Unification
In his address to the country this morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government will soon allow limited exemptions to current border restrictions to allow immediate family — such as spouses, children and parents of minor children — of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to re-enter Canada, but he stressed that anybody coming to Canada will be subject to a strict 14-day quarantine.
We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.
To donate, please click on the organization below:
- Toronto – Food Banks Canada
- Thunder Bay – Food Banks North West
- Hamilton/Niagara – Hamilton Food Share
- Alberta – Hope Mission
Many thanks.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
The Enterprise Team