The provincial government has announced the first stages of reopening Ontario.
Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Premier Doug Ford says as of 12:01am on Saturday, private parks, camp grounds, marinas, boat clubs, golf courses and business that board animals will be allowed to open.
He says we will officially enter stage one on May 19 which means other places will be allowed to open including retail stores with street entrance that are not located in shopping mall.
"Today's news is good news, our efforts are paying off," says Ford.
Also as part of stage one, outdoor sports fields, tennis courts and off-leash dog parks, vets and other pet services such as grooming by appointment only, and animal shelters will also be able to open.
Household services such as cleaning and maintenance will be permitted as well as certain health and medical services such as scheduled surgeries and in-person counselling.
As soon as 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2020:
- Golf courses will be able to open, with clubhouses open only for washrooms and restaurants open only for take-out.
- Marinas, boat clubs and public boat launches may open for recreational use.
- Private parks and campgrounds may open to enable preparation for the season and to allow access for trailers and recreational vehicles whose owners have a full season contract.
- Businesses that board animals, such as stables, may allow boarders to visit, care for or ride their animal.
Ontario's first stage of reopening will begin on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. and will include:
- Retail services that are not in shopping malls and have separate street-front entrances with measures in place that can enable physical distancing, such as limiting the number of customers in the store at any one time and booking appointments beforehand or on the spot.
- Seasonal businesses and recreational activities for individual or single competitors, including training and sport competitions conducted by a recognized national or provincial sport organization. This includes indoor and outdoor non-team sport competitions that can be played while maintaining physical distancing and without spectators, such as tennis, track and field and horse racing.
- Animal services, specifically pet care services, such as grooming and training, and regular veterinary appointments.
- Indoor and outdoor household services that can follow public health guidelines, such as housekeepers, cooks, cleaning and maintenance.
- Lifting essential workplace limits on construction.
- Allowing certain health and medical services to resume, such as in-person counselling and scheduled surgeries based on the ability to meet pre-specified conditions as outlined in A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as resuming professional services such as shifting Children's Treatment Centres from virtual to in-person.