The provincial government is extending COVID-19 emergency orders until at least June 19.
The orders were set to expire on June 9, however, on Saturday morning the province announced the ten-day extension.
As a result, social gatherings of more than five people will continue to be prohibited. Restaurants and bars will also be limited to take-out and delivery service for the time being. Childcare centres, theatres and playgrounds are some of the other amenities impacted by the extension.
Current emergency orders that have been extended also allow frontline care providers to redeploy staff where they are most needed and allow public health units to redeploy or hire staff to support case management and contact tracing.
According to a press release, the decision was made after consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
"It is critical that we keep these emergency orders in place so we can continue to reopen the province gradually and safely," said Premier Doug Ford. "We are not out of the woods yet, and this deadly virus still poses a serious risk. We encourage businesses to begin preparing to reopen, so when the time comes, they will be able to protect employees, consumers and the general public."
Additionally, the province is extending the suspension of limitation periods and time periods for legal proceedings until September 11. This move ensures that people will not experience legal consequences if the original time requirements of their case are not met while this order is in effect.
Earlier in the week, the state of emergency for Ontario, which permits the provincial government to issue emergency orders, was extended until June 30.
For a full list of emergency orders in effect in Ontario, click here.
