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Ontario slaps down new restrictions starting Wednesday, and lasting until at least Jan. 26, as a result of escalating case counts from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Here’s a list of what’s affected:
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- Pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures to safeguard critical care capacity
- Remote learning until at least Jan. 17
- Free child care for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers
- Schools can open for emergency child care, instruction for students with special education needs and staff who cannot deliver remote teaching from home
- Restaurants, bars, dining rooms closed
- Takeout, drive through, delivery and outdoor dining continues
- Alcohol sales restricted after 10 pm, exemptions for delivery and takeout, grocery / convenience stores and liquor stores
- Social gatherings limited to five people indoors, 10 outdoors
- Public events limited to five people indoors
- Weddings, funerals and religious services, rites and ceremonies limited to 50 per cent capacity
- Indoor meeting and event spaces closed, outdoor spaces open with social distancing restrictions
- Malls and other retail settings, 50 per cent capacity, but food courts closed
- Physical distancing required in line-ups
- Personal care services, 50 per cent capacity
- Employers must let employees work remotely, exception for some job requirements
- Indoor sport and fitness facilities closed except for Olympic and Paralympic athletes training and select professional, amateur sport leagues
- Indoor youth sports suspended
CORONAVIRUS CASES: THE NUMBERS
(* Figures for Southwestern Ontario as of Tuesday, January 4, 2022, at 1 pm)
Ontario – 816,450 boxes
London-Middlesex – 21,748 cases, 259 deaths
Elgin-Oxford – 7,725 cases, 114 deaths
Brant – 6,030 cases, 34 deaths
Chatham-Kent – 4,084 cases, 30 deaths
Sarnia-Lambton – 6,292 cases, 84 deaths
Huron Perth – 3,402 cases, 74 deaths
Gray-Bruce – 4,061 cases, 16 deaths
Windsor-Essex – 26,822 cases, 495 deaths