RULES FOR OPERATING YOUR ESTABLISHMENT DURING COVID -19

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As of October 19, 2020: 

The province has announced a modified Stage 2 for Toronto, Peel, York and Ottawa for at least 28 days. Indoor dining in restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and food courts will be prohibited.   

 Measures under a modified Stage 2 include:

• Reducing limits for all social gatherings and organized public events to a maximum of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors where physical distancing can be maintained. The two limits may not be combined for an indoor-outdoor event;
• Prohibiting indoor food and drink service in restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments, including nightclubs and food court areas in malls;

In addition the following have been mandated to close in these regions:

• Indoor gyms and fitness centres (exercise classes and weight and exercise rooms);
• Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
• Indoor cinemas
• Performing arts centres and venues
• Spectator areas in racing venues
• Interactive exhibits or exhibits with high risk of personal contact in museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, etc.
• Prohibiting personal care services where face coverings must be removed for the service (e.g. makeup application, beard trimming)

Reducing the capacity limits for:

• Meeting and event spaces to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors
• Tour and guide services to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors
• Real estate open houses to 10 people indoors, where physical distancing can be maintained.
• In-person teaching and instruction (e.g. cooking class) to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, with exemptions for schools, child care centres, universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, private career colleges, the Ontario Police College, etc.
• Limiting team sports to training sessions (no games or scrimmages).

Wedding Receptions:

• Updated public health measures will apply to wedding receptions, including new gathering limits of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors at event spaces. 

Restaurants, bars, food trucks and other food and drink establishments (e.g., wineries, breweries and distilleries) must adhere to the provincial guidelines unless stricter rules at the municipal level are implemented. Restaurants should check with their local public health units for further local guidelines.  

RECENT AMENDMENTS: 

• Last call for serving alcohol is now at 11:00 P.M 
• Establishments are to close for in-person dining at 12:00 A.M 
• Alcohol consumption is prohibited from 12:00 AM - 9:00 A.M 
• All strip clubs in Ontario will be closed 

Establishments must take appropriate measures to keep patrons and workers safe:

All patrons are required to be seated at all times, in both indoor and outdoor areas, with limited exceptions including: 

• while entering the area and while moving to their table
• while placing or picking up an order
• while paying for an order
• while exiting the area
• while going to or returning from a washroom,
• while lining up to do anything described in the above exceptions
• where necessary for the purposes of health and safety

The outdoor dining area must be configured to ensure physical distancing of at least two metres between patrons from different tables unless separated by plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier. 

Face-coverings are required everywhere in a business. 

No buffet-style service may be provided. 

Access to indoor facilities is limited to patio/outdoor dining area access, food pickup, payment, washrooms or other health and safety purposes.

Liquor sales licensees who wish to temporarily extend the physical size of their existing licensed patio, or temporarily add a new licensed patio within the approved period are authorized to do so, if all the following criteria are met:

•  The physical extension of the premises is adjacent to the premises to which the licence to sell liquor applies. 
• The municipality in which the premises is situated does not object to an extension. 
•  The licensee is able to demonstrate sufficient control over the physical extension of the premises. 
• There is no condition on the liquor sales licence prohibiting a patio.

No person shall dance, sing or perform music at the establishment except: 

• A person or group under contract with the establishment may dance, sing or perform music in compliance with the requirements set out under performing arts regulations.
• Members of the public may sing or perform music at the establishment if: 
• They are separated from every other person, including from other performers, by plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier while singing or while performing on a brass or wind instrument;
•  They maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other person while singing or performing music; and
• Any equipment used by members of the public while singing or performing music is cleaned and disinfected between each use.

Bars and restaurants (and also tour boat operators) in Ontario will be required to keep client logs for a period of 30 days and to disclose the client logs to the medical officer of health or an inspector under the Health Protection and  Promotion Act on request, which will support case and  contact tracing.  

The person responsible for the establishment must:   

• record the name and contact information of every patron who enters an indoor or outdoor dining area in the establishment, other than patrons who temporarily enter the area to place, pick up or pay for a takeout order  

The establishment must be closed to the public between the hours of 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. except as may be necessary to: 

•  allow patrons to temporarily enter the establishment to place, pick up or pay for a takeout order,
•  provide delivery service
•  provide dine-in service only for persons who are performing work for the business or place in which the establishment is located 
• provide access to washroom 

 Peel, Ottawa & Toronto:    

• PEEL & OTTAWA:  Restrict occupancy at restaurants, bars & other food and drink establishments (including nightclubs) to the number of patrons who can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other patron, to a maximum of 100 patrons (Peel, Ottawa) 
• TORONTO:  Restrict occupancy at restaurants, bars & other food and drink establishments (including nightclubs) to the number of patrons who can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other patron, to a maximum of 75 patrons unless prior approval for 30% capacity but under 200 patrons was received through an application process with the City of Toronto. 
• No more than six patrons per table 
• Requiring operators to ensure patrons lining up or congregating outside of their establishment maintain physical distancing
• Mandating that the name and contact information for each patron be collected 

 A food court or other dining area may open if it is configured so that patrons seated at different tables are separated by:

• a distance of at least two metres; or
• plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier
  
   

Casinos and other gaming establishments may open if they comply with the following conditions:

• The total number of members of the public permitted to be in the establishment at any one time must be limited to the number that can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other person in the establishment, and in any event cannot exceed 50 persons.
• Table games are prohibited. 

Nightclubs are closed, except for the purpose of serving food or beverages to patrons in accordance with the restaurant rules.  

All Stripclubs in Ontario are CLOSED. 

 The person responsible for a business or place that is open may only rent out meeting or event space if the total number of members of the public permitted to be in the business or place in its rentable meeting or event space at any one time is limited to the number that can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other person in the business or place, and in any event is not permitted to exceed:

• 50 persons, if the meeting or event is indoors; or
• 100 persons, if the meeting or event is outdoors
• Peel, Ottawa & Toronto:  Setting a limit on the number of people allowed at meeting and event facilities, including banquet halls, to six people per table and 50 people per facility. 

This does not apply to the rental of meeting or event space for a wedding, funeral, service, rite or ceremony.

 This section applies with respect to gatherings for the purposes of a wedding, a funeral or a religious service, rite or ceremony, if the gathering is held in a building.

No person shall attend a gathering to which this section applies unless the following conditions are met:

• The number of persons occupying any room in the building while attending the gathering must not exceed 30 per cent of the capacity of the particular room.
• All persons attending the gathering must comply with public health guidance on physical distancing.

This section applies with respect to outdoor gatherings for the purposes of a wedding, a funeral or a religious service, rite or ceremony.

No person shall attend a gathering to which this section applies unless the following conditions are met:

• No more than 100 people may be in attendance.
• All persons attending the gathering must comply with public health guidance on physical distancing. 

 No person shall attend:

An organized public event or social gathering of more than:

• 50 people if the event is held indoors, or
• 100 people if the event is held outdoors;

A person attending an organized public event or social gathering shall comply with public health guidance on physical distancing. 

No person shall attend a social gathering associated with a wedding, a funeral or a religious service, rite or ceremony held at the place of more than,

• 10 people if the gathering is held indoors, or
• 25 people if the gathering is held outdoors. 

• An indoor event or gathering cannot be combined with an outdoor event or gathering so as to increase the applicable limit on the number of people at the event or gathering.
• Persons who are in compliance with public health guidance on households and social circles do not need to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from each other while in a place of business or facility.
• Government’s indication of a religious ceremony point to be more of a gathering for the service than the service of food.

This is ORHMA’s guidance of instructions to support the reopening indoor restaurants and meeting rooms and should be reviewed and implemented along with the RULES FOR AREAS IN STAGE 3 Regulations available at  O. Reg. 364/20: RULES FOR AREAS IN STAGE 3