Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced new, stricter measures for Ontarians as the provincewide stay-at-home order will extended by two weeks.
Initially slated at four weeks, the order will be extended until at least May 20, bringing with it new restrictions.
"I've never shied away from tough decisions and today I'm here to do just that," said Ford, speaking at a press conference Friday afternoon. "We're losing the battle between the variants and vaccines. The pace of our vaccine supply has not kept up with the spread of the COVID variants."
The Ontario government intends to implement the following public health and workplace safety measures effective Saturday, April 17 at 12:01 a.m.:
- Prohibit all outdoor social gatherings and organized public events, except for with members of the same household or one other person from outside that household who lives alone or a caregiver for any member of the household;
- Close all non-essential workplaces in the construction sector;
- Reduce capacity limits to 25 per cent in all retail settings where in-store shopping is permitted. This includes supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers' markets, other stores that primarily sell food and pharmacies; and,
- Close all outdoor recreational amenities, such as golf courses, basketball courts, soccer fields, and playgrounds with limited exceptions.
In addition, effective Monday, April 19 at 12:01 a.m., the government is limiting the capacity of weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites or ceremonies to 10 people indoors or outdoors.
Social gatherings associated with these services such as receptions are prohibited, except for with members of the same household or one other person from outside that household who lives alone. Drive-in services will be permitted.
Big box retailers will be able to remain open, but at only 25 per cent capacity.
In order to limit the transmission of the variants of concern, the government is also restricting travel into Ontario from the provinces of Manitoba and Quebec with the exception of purposes such as work, health care services, transportation and delivery of goods and services or exercising Aboriginal or treaty rights.
Ford also called on the federal government to step up their efforts on limiting air travel in and out of the country, pointing to the more than 36,000 people who pass through Toronto's Pearson International Airport on a weekly basis.
"We're currently facing the devastating consequences of COVID variants that entered Canada through our borders at the start of this year," said Ford. "We need to do more to stop other even deadlier variants from getting into Canada and causing more havoc."
The premier indicated that police and bylaw officers will be given more authority to enforce public health rules and that restrictions will be strongly enforced.
Effective Saturday, April 17 at 12:01 a.m., police officers and other provincial offences officers will have the authority to require any individual to provide their home address and purpose for not being at their residence.
In addition, police officers, special constables and First Nation Constables will have the authority to stop vehicles to inquire about an individual's reasons for leaving their home.
This additional enforcement tool will only be in effect during the Stay-at-Home order and exclusively to enforce the Stay-at-Home order.
Solicitor General Sylvia Jones spoke about the additional authority.
"If you are not willing to comply then you are breaking the law and there is an option for the police officer to issue a ticket," said Jones. "Currently if you break an order under the EMCPA (Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act) then it is $750."
To further support "hot spot" communities where COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted certain neighbourhoods, as part of Phase Two of the government's COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, the government is committed to dedicating 25 per cent of future vaccine allocations to the 13 public health regions with historic and ongoing high rates of death, hospitalization and COVID-19 transmission.
The province will be increasing its number of hospital beds by anywhere between 700 to 1,000 new beds.
"We don't want to have to use them, but it's there if we need it," said Ford.