Ford government extends Ontario’s state of emergency
Posted January 25, 2021 1:44 pm.
Last Updated January 25, 2021 3:16 pm.
Ontario’s government officially extended its state of emergency and stay-at-home orders for an additional 14 days.
Originally enforced on January 12, the state of emergency will now expire on February 9, at the earliest, unless extended further. If the order weren’t extended, it would have automatically expired on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., per the province’s release.
This release says the stay at home is extended to Feb. 9th even though the 28 days isn't up until Feb. 11th. Solicitor General @SylviaJonesMPP office spokesman tells me since the emerg order and stay at home order came two days apart, there is a date difference.
— Charlene Close (@CharleneDClose) January 25, 2021
The stay-at-home order remains in place, being legally extended until February 9 under the emergency order. The initial minimum 28-day order will still take Ontario to February 11.
A declaration of emergency is enforced “to ensure that necessary measures and restrictions can be put in place to keep Ontarians safe and immediately respond to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.”
It automatically terminates 14 days after being made unless withdrawn earlier or extended by the government.
RELATED: COVID-19 restrictions list – What they are and what they mean moving forward
Stay-at-home orders require everyone to remain at home with exceptions for permitted purposes or activities, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise, or for work where the work cannot be done remotely.
Among the many restrictions:
- Outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings are further restricted to a limit of five people with limited exceptions. This is consistent with the rules during the lockdown during the first wave of COVID-19 in spring 2020 and will allow individuals and families to enjoy time outdoors safely.
- Individuals are required to wear a mask or face-covering in the indoor areas of businesses or organizations that are open. Wearing a mask or face covering is now recommended outdoors when you can’t physically distance more than two metres.
- All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, must open no earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 8 p.m. The restricted hours of operation do not apply to stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants for takeout or delivery.
- Non-essential construction is further restricted, including below-grade construction, exempting survey.
The provincial government has extended closures for school boards that will not return for in-person learning until February 10 at the earliest, including Windsor-Essex, Peel Region, Toronto, York, and Hamilton.
More than 100,000 students from regions outside the GTHA headed back into the classroom on Monday.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that the province’s Chief Medical Officer had cleared the way for in-person learning to resume across seven public health units including Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge, and Peterborough Public Health.
