On January 12, the Government of Ontario declared a second provincial emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA). Read the Ontario government's release here for full details and see the OCC's statement in response.
The Stay-at-Home Order found here came into effect Thursday at 12:01 a.m, whereby everyone must stay home and only go out for essential trips. These emergency orders will last for 28 days unless actively extended.
The measures include:
Enhanced public health and workplace safety measures.
Five-person outdoor gathering limit, reduced from 10.
All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, must open no earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 8 p.m. The restricted hours of operation do not apply to stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants for takeout or delivery.
Non-essential construction is further restricted, including below-grade construction, exempting survey.
Construction projects associated with health care and long-term care remain essential, as do projects related to transit, municipal infrastructure, energy, and mining.
Schools in Windsor-Essex, Peel, Toronto, York, and Hamilton will be closed until at least February 10 for in-person learning.
For further details on the new measures coming into effect, click here (also see the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020).