Human Resources Legislative Update
Ontario Reduces Certain Capacity Limits in Light of Omicron Variant
Date: December 16, 2021
On December 15, 2021, the Ontario government announced that in light of the Omicron variant, it is reducing capacity limits to 50% for the following indoor venues with a usual capacity of 1000 persons or more:
- facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities
- entertainment facilities such as concert venues, theatres and cinemas
- racing venues
- meeting and event spaces
- studio audiences in commercial film and television production
- museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions
- casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
- fair, rural exhibitions, and festivals.
This new capacity limit comes into effect on December 18, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. (Editor’s note: these changes are found in O. Reg. 863/21, published on December 17, 2021.)
The government also announced it is:
- expanding eligibility for booster shots to those ages 18 and over and is shortening the interval to three months following an individual’s second dose, effective December 20, 2021
- distributing free rapid test kits through pop-up testing sites in high-traffic settings (e.g. malls, transit hubs).
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