On Monday, Dough Ford announced the upcoming Ontario reopening plan, for as of February 17th, social gatherings will be increased to 50 people indoors and up to 100 outdoors. Ford also commented with the advice of Dr. Moore, Ontario will be dropping the vaccine passports as of March 1st. Despite the Freedom Convoy protesting going on in Ottawa, Ford reiterates this “plan was in motion before the demonstration started”.
As of March 1st, restaurants, movie theatres, sporting events and “non-spectator areas” will no longer need to see proof of vaccination before seating or serving guests. The public opinion regarding the new reopening plan and shut down of vaccine passports is split. Many are happy with Ford’s decision to end the vaccine passport mandate however some are not so thrilled. A local high-risk Ontario resident who asked to remain anonymous comments,
“I am happy that people who are not vaccinated can participate in life again! I am just concerned as a high-risk individual that my health will be compromised by people who are not taking the vaccine for the wrong reasons. I am for freedom of choice and body autonomy! I’m just concerned for those who are ignorant to science and the reality of Covid-19 to act like it's not real or still around because it still affects and kills people like myself.”
However, more high-risk places such as nightclubs, restaurants with dancing, sex clubs and bathhouses will still require proof of vaccination and be at a capped capacity of 25 percent. “I don’t really care about nightclubs honestly…I care more about the restaurants and bars,” comments Reiley of Caledon. “As a server, I am glad to seat anybody who would like to spend dinner at our restaurant. It feels awful having to turn down customers who did not know about the new QR code mandate or do not have an Ontario health card.” Reiley also comments,
“a lot of servers themselves are not vaccinated, so what is the big deal if somebody who is worried about the side effects of the vaccine eats at our restaurant? As long as they wear their mask, I don’t care…I know a lot of people feel the same way.”
Ultimately, if the new mandate for March 1st goes into action, restaurants and local businesses will be back in motion and be able to return to a ‘new normal’. Although the new mandate is a promising look into a pandemic-free future, masks are still required to wear indoors and in highly populated areas. More announcements are set to come in the future regarding the Ontario reopening plan. More information regarding the Ontario reopening plan can be found here.
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