According to a recent news release from the Ontario provincial government, the region is currently pausing its move to lift capacity limits in venues and settings that require proof of vaccination to be given admittance because of the still-rising numbers of persons infected with COVID-19.
While it was announced last month that all capacity restrictions will already be lifted by spring 2022, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is putting the same on hold because of the surge of test-positive cases documented in the past few days.
According to the Ontario provincial government’s news release, there will be continued monitoring of data in the next 28 days “to determine when it is safe to lift capacity limits in these settings.” Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott said that Ontario has “taken a cautious approach to reopening, ensuring our hospital capacity remains stable, and the province continues to report one of the lowest rates of active cases in the country.”
“To protect our hard-fought progress and ensure we can continue to manage COVID-19 for the long-term, more time is needed before we can take the next step forward in our reopening plan,” she added.
Moreover, the head of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, Dr. Peter Juni, recently proposed in a radio interview that some restrictions be put back in place to prevent the upward trend from worsening. “What we’re seeing now is a result of lifting capacity limits and the temperature drop,” he pointed out.
