Province Wide Shutdown

Taken from the Thunder Bay District Health Unit

As of 12:01 AM on Saturday, December 26th, 2020, the government of Ontario has issued a province-wide shutdown. The COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework (colour-coded system) has been suspended for 14 days in Northern Ontario and 28 days in Southern Ontario. When the province-wide Shutdown has ended, the COVID-19 Response Framework will be re-enacted.

It is strongly recommended that you:

• stay home
• limit trips outside the home to essential reasons (work, grocery/pharmacy shopping, medical appointments)
• work from home if possible
• mark special occasions by meeting online, especially over the holiday season

Follow all public health measures:

• Physically distancing from those outside your household.
• Not travelling unless you have to (e.g. medical appointment)
• Washing hands frequently or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Wearing a mask or face covering that is tightly fitted to cover the nose, mouth, and chin. Face shields are not a substitute for face masks. Scarves and bandanas are insufficient.
• Staying home if you are unwell.

The goal of the province-wide shutdown is to limit the movement of people to slow down the spread of COVID-19 and allow the Ontario health care and public health systems time to recover from the spike of COVID-19 that could happen during this holiday season.

This list below is an overview of the measures:

Indoor Gatherings

• Only gather with the people you live with.
• Those who live alone and single parents may consider close contact with only one other household.

Outdoor Gatherings

• Limited to 10 people;
• Must keep 2 metres (6 feet) physical distance from all others.

Travel

• Do not travel outside of the Thunder Bay region if it is not essential.
• Individuals and families arriving or returning to Ontario during the shutdown period should self-isolate for 14 days.

Religious services, weddings, funerals

• Maximum 10 people indoors and 10 people outdoors, as long as individuals can stay 2 metres apart.

Schools

• Elementary and secondary schools will learn from home from January 4 – January 8, 2021.
• Northern Ontario schools can open to students on January 11.

Child Care

All types of child care stay open.

• From January 4 – January 8, 2021, licensed child care centres and authorized recreation and skill-building providers cannot provide services to school-aged children. Before- and after-school programs must be closed during that time period.
• Eligible parents will be supported by a targeted emergency child care program for school-aged children at no cost. See Appendix B (slides 27-28) of the full PDF for a list of eligible workers.

Restaurants and bars

• Take-out, drive-through, and delivery only

Retailers

• Stores that sell food will be open; limited to 50% of the total number of people allowed in the store.
• Big-box retailers and discount stores will also be open; limited to 25% of the total number of people allowed in the store.
• Pharmacies will be open; limited to 50% of the total number of people allowed in the store, and physical distancing.
• Other retailers are closed for in-person shopping, but can operate curbside pick-up or delivery.
• For a full list of requirements for all retailers, visit Information for Specific Sectors.

Shopping malls (see pg. 13)Closed -- curb side pick up only, food courts open.

Outdoor recreation

• Ski hills are closed.
• Playgrounds, tobogganing hills, ice rinks, show-shoe and cross-country trails, and more are open but certain rules will apply. Check with your municipality for more details.

Indoor recreation

Closed

Hotel, motels, and other rental accommodation

Open, but all indoor recreational facilities (pools, gyms, etc.) will be closed.

Personal care services/Personal service settings

Gaming establishments

Tour and guide services

Museums

Closed

For more detail on specific sectors, see Information for Specific Sectors.

To access a full PDF of the sector specific restrictions included in this shutdown, see the “Province-wide Shutdown” document released by the Ontario Government.

Last Updated: 30/12/2020