On Jan 14th, 2020 the Ontario Government declared a second state of emergency in response to the COVID 19 Pandemic. To help stop the spread of COVID-19, the Government issued a stricter “stay-at-home” order aimed at limiting people’s mobility and reducing the number of daily contacts that individuals have with others outside their households. The order will stay in place for 28 days and will apply to the entire Province.
Key areas of the new Declaration of Emergency that affects businesses:
New stay-at-home order requires citizens to stay home and only leave for essentials purposes:
- Visit the pharmacy
- Grocery shopping
- Seek health care services
- Physical activities
- Essential work
The new stay-at-home order allows individuals to leave their home to attend work where the business is an essential service and the employer has determined that the work cannot be done remotely. The new measures do not apply to the health care sector or government or any publicly-funded organization or individual that delivers or supports government operations and services.
Social gathering limits for organized public or social events are reduced to five people.
New Public Health measures
- Individuals are still required to maintain 2 meters physical distance when in a place of business or a facility that serves the public. Individuals are obligated to wear face masks when visiting a place of business or an organization.
- Face masks are still mandatory indoors and when physical distancing is not possible while outdoors the use of face masks is recommended.
For a copy of the stay-at-home order visit:
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r21011
Updated Screening Requirements
The Ministry of Health and Long -Term care updated the COVID 19 Screening Tool for Businesses and Organizations. Every business and organization must ensure that they are in compliance with the updated screening requirements. Business and organizations should ensure that they keep records of the screening results as local public health may require the records to facilitate contact tracing in the event of a breakout.
Updated COVID 19 Screening Tools for Business and Organizations can be found here:
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2021-01/Guidance-Screening-Workplace-Jan7_EN.pdf
More questions? Visit COVID-19 Returning to the Workplace FAQ.
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