The following had been the provincial governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario.
Initial response
On March 15, 2020, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) ordered the closure of all provincial casinos. On March 17, 2020, Premier Ford declared a provincial state of emergency, prohibiting public gatherings larger than 50 people, and ordering the closure of all schools, child care services, libraries, indoor recreation facilities, dine-in bars and restaurants, and all cinemas, theatres, and concert venues. Ford stated the "vast majority" of businesses were not affected by the order, promising that "essential services and essential needs will be available to every individual and families.
On March 20, 2020, further measures were announced, including waiving the three-month waiting period for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage, the launch of an e-learning portal, and extended privileges for hospitals to re-deploy staff.
On March 23, 2020, Ford ordered all "non-essential" businesses closed by 11:59 p.m. A list of 74 "essential" businesses was published later in the day. On March 27, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. ET, Alert Ready was activated on all radio stations, television broadcasters and LTE wireless networks in Ontario, broadcasting an emergency alert warning those returning from international travel of their obligation to self-isolate for 14 days under the Quarantine Act.
On March 30, 2020, the Ontario government extended the state of emergency through April 13, 2020, and also ordered the province-wide closure of all outdoor recreational amenities, including beaches, playgrounds and sports facilities (several Ontario municipalities including Toronto, had already ordered similar closures of their recreational amenities several days prior to the province-wide order).
On April 3, 2020, it was announced the number of "essential" businesses would be reduced to 44 beginning 11:59 p.m. on April 4, 2020; this included Ontario Cannabis Store and the halting of most non-essential construction, including industrial construction, and residential construction that did not begin before April 4, 2020, but excluding "critical" infrastructure projects. On May 27, 2020, all existing public health orders were extended through June 9, 2020.
On April 27, 2020, Premier Ford released "A Framework for Reopening our Province", a roadmap detailing a "gradual" lifting of economic restrictions. The process was divided into three stages, with the first intending to allow reopening outdoor spaces, businesses that can "immediately meet or modify operations" to allow a larger number of participants in certain types of gatherings and allow the resumption of some non-elective medical procedures. Stage 2 would allow additional businesses and outdoor spaces to reopen, and increase the limit on participants in gatherings. Stage 3 would contain further relaxation of prior restrictions, although restrictions on large public gatherings will remain in place indefinitely. After the process began in mid-May, the entirety of the province reached Stage 3 in mid-August.
On 19 May, 2020, the provincial government established the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission to investigate the problems associated with the response of long-term care facilities to the pandemic. The commission's report was released on 30 April 2021.
On June 12, 2020, Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams issued guidelines for "social circles" — allowance for families to expand their interactions with up to 10 people (including themselves) from outside of their immediate household.
On September 17, 2020, in response to a surge in new cases in parts of the province, it was announced that the maximum size of "unmonitored social gatherings and organized public events" in the Ottawa, Peel, and Toronto regions would be reduced from 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors, to 10 indoors and 25 outdoors. Organizers of events that violate this restriction can be fined a minimum of $10,000, on top of the existing $750 fine for violating Ontario public health orders. Ford stated that the rule was primarily intended to target events occurring in parks and private locations and that staffed facilities not targeted under the rule (such as banquet halls, cinemas, convention centres, and restaurants) have employed safety protocols compliant with the province's health guidance.
On September 19, the aforementioned restrictions on private gatherings were extended province-wide. On September 25, it was announced that effective September 26 province-wide, strip clubs would be ordered closed, and that all bars, restaurants and nightclubs would be required to end the sale of alcoholic beverages at 11:00 p.m. and close their dining rooms between midnight and 5:00 a.m. nightly.
On October 2, Premier Ford announced that the wearing of face masks would become mandatory province-wide in all public spaces and workplaces when social distancing is not possible, effective October 3. A number of health regions had already implemented similar mandates at the regional level.
In addition, new restrictions were introduced in the Ottawa, Peel, and Toronto regions; bars and restaurants must collect contact information from all patrons for contact tracing purposes, and are capped at a capacity of 100 people and six patrons per table. Event facilities were capped at a capacity of 50 people total (rather than 50 per room) and also subject to the six-person cap. Gyms are also capped at 50 patrons, and exercise classes were capped at 10.
Due to heightened cases in the regions, Peel, Ottawa, and Toronto were rolled back to Modified Stage 2 from October 10 to November 7, reinstating closures of indoor dining areas, casinos, cinemas and theatres, gyms, and personal care services that require the removal of face masks. All gatherings are capped at 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors, and team sports are restricted to practices only, with scrimmages and games prohibited. Wedding receptions were also prohibited following the Thanksgiving long weekend. Schools and places of worship will continue operations. On October 16, it was announced that York Region would also be placed under Modified Stage 2 beginning October 19.
On November 25, a report was released by Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk which found that Ontario's initial response to COVID-19 was "slower and more reactive relative to most other provinces and many other international jurisdictions" (in contrast to its response to the SARS outbreak during the early 2000s). The report found that Public Health Ontario had a "diminished role" in the response, including the province's Central Co-ordination Table for COVID-19 consisting largely of deputy ministers rather than public health officials such as Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams (who acted primarily on the advice of Ontario's Health Command Table), and ignoring recommendations made by public health officials.
Lifting of restrictions after the first wave On May 14, 2020, it was announced that Stage 1 of Ontario's lifting of restrictions would begin May 20, focusing primarily on "workplaces that are well-positioned to follow public health advice to maintain physical distancing, implement workplace safety guidance and limit gatherings". Certain outdoor recreation activities that are part of Stage 1 were allowed to resume on May 16, for the Victoria Day long weekend.
On June 8, it was announced that Stage 2 would be implemented across most of the province, excluding 10 Southern Ontario health regions primarily in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and along the Canada–United States border (such as Windsor-Essex) due to a large number of active cases. In addition, Ford announced that the cap on gathering sizes would be increased to ten province-wide regardless of phase, and that there would be a moratorium on evictions through the end of August of small businesses which are eligible for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program. On June 15, the Durham, Halton, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton, Lambton, Niagara, and York health regions were allowed to enter Stage 2.
On June 22, it was announced that Peel and Toronto would be allowed to enter Stage 2 on June 24. Windsor-Essex was still excluded from Stage 2 due to outbreaks involving the agriculture industry. On June 24, it was announced that most of Windsor-Essex would be allowed to enter Stage 2 on June 25, excluding Kingsville and Leamington, the two southernmost towns in Canada.
On July 3, Premier Ford stated that he did not have a specific timetable for Stage 3; "You see what's happening [in the United States] when you move too quickly, you see what's happening south of the border. We don't want that happening up here."
By August 12, after a region-by-region roll-out, all regions in Ontario had entered Stage 3. On September 8, in response to growing case numbers, the provincial government announced a moratorium on further lifting of restrictions (such as expansion of "social circles" and gatherings) for at least four weeks, besides those already ongoing (such as schools, and reopening of selected casinos on September 26). Stages of Reopening (First Wave - 2020)StageEffective date(s)Restrictions liftedNotes1 May 14: Outdoor activities May 16Stage 1 includes eased restrictions on the following:
Industry/retail Construction Shopping (provided it has street-front access) Motor-vehicle dealerships Media operations Non-essential professional services
Outdoor recreation Seasonal business (e.g. golfing) Individual sporting
Care/household Services Non-emergency healthcare Services for animals Libraries (pick-up/delivery only) Indoor/outdoor household services+2Province-wide, regardless of their stage or not, were given some looser restrictions. Social gatherings were extended to include up to ten people. Places of worship are allowed to operate at 30 percent of their normal capacity.
Stage 2 allowed certain businesses to reopen, with heavy restrictions: Personal and personal care services Restaurants & bars (outdoor patio service only) Shopping malls & centres Photography Film & TV Tour & guide services Water recreational facilities Outdoor recreational facilities Beaches, parks & camping Outdoor recreational team sports Drive-in & drive-thru venues Weddings, funerals and similar gatherings Libraries Community centres Attractions & heritage institutions Small outdoor events (such as cultural celebrations, animal shows and fundraisers)+3 Gatherings capped at 50 indoors and 100 outdoors. Most businesses and activities not covered under Stage 2 (such as cinemas and theatres, dine-in restaurants, indoor gyms, recreation and attractions, etc.) are allowed to resume operations with social distancing and capacity limits enforced per industry, unless otherwise prohibited. Certain activities remain prohibited, including amusement parks, bathhouses, buffet service, casino table games, dancing at bars or restaurants, overnight children's camps, oxygen bars, saunas, steam rooms, and contact sports that involve "prolonged" contact.Modified 2 October 10: Ottawa October 10: Peel October 10: Toronto October 19: YorkThe following restrictions were re-implemented: Gatherings and public events capped at 10 indoors and 25 outdoors. Casinos and gaming establishments, indoor dining areas, indoor cinemas, performing arts venues, and exhibits at museums/etc. that have a "high risk of personal contact" must close. Team sporting events are prohibited.
Second province-wide shutdown (December 26, 2020 – January 25, 2021)