The Ontario government is letting businesses resume services in the Toronto and Peel regions starting this Wednesday as they enter the second stage of reopening, according to an announcement from Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford this afternoon.
The second stage includes allowing restaurants, bars, malls, and personal services such as hair and beauty salons to reopen.
“Today’s announcement is another sign that we continue to make steady progress,” Ford said in a press release. “We have been working hand-in-hand with our municipal partners and local public health units to safely and gradually reopen the province.
According to the press release, the decision was made to have Toronto and Peel regions enter the second stage based on a lower transmission of COVID-19, an increase in testing, and public health’s capacity to quickly test, trace and isolate cases.
Toronto and Peel join 31 other public health regions in Ontario that have already entered the second stage of reopening throughout the last couple of weeks.
“Because of our collective efforts, we continue to make real and significant progress in stopping the spread of COVID-19,” Christine Elliott, the deputy premier and minister of health said. “As a result, more regions have met the public health criteria to move into Stage 2 and reopen more services for the communities to enjoy.”
Despite moving into the second stage of reopening, the Ontario provincial government is still stressing the importance of following physical distancing guidelines, washing hands frequently, and wearing masks.
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