You will be able to catch up with a friend on a Niagara patio today, as dining rules are lifted.
Section 22 orders, which restricted dining with household members only, are now being lifted for parties dining outdoors as of today.
All other additional restrictions for food and drink premises remain in effect, as do additional restrictions for shopping malls and retail stores.
Local restaurants, bars, wineries, breweries, and other food and beverage service operators will still be required to follow other restrictions in the section 22 order, including asking if diners have any symptoms of illness and recording information such as name and contact information.
Niagara businesses and operators are also still required to adhere to the province’s regulations that are currently in place for Step 1 of reopening, including only permitting outdoor dining and limiting it to four people per table.
However, Ontario is moving into Step 2 on Wednesday, which allows outdoor dining for up to 6 people per table with exceptions for larger households.
“Thanks to ongoing vigilance against COVID-19, cases continue to decline in Niagara allowing our businesses to continue to recover,” said Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Acting Medical Officer of Health. “However, other communities show us that this progress isn’t guaranteed. With the more contentious and more severe delta variant starting to circulate, we need ongoing vigilance around keeping distance, wearing masks, and limiting in-person social interactions until we have the vast majority our population vaccinated with two doses. If you have not already done so, please sign up to get vaccinated so we can make our economic reopening permanent.”