COVID restrictions starting Wednesday

On Monday, January 3rd, the Government of Ontario announced new sweeping measures to control the transmission of the Omicron variant and protect Ontario’s healthcare system. The new restrictions are part of a modified version of Step Two of the province’s Roadmap to Reopen, which was first implemented earlier last year. The new measures, which take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 5. The restrictions that impact athletics in Ontario include:
  • The closure of ALL indoor sports and recreation facilities, including gym facilities.
  • The wearing of face coverings indoors – and outdoors when a distance of 2m cannot be maintained.
  • Outdoor sports and recreation facilities may remain open, with the provision that all participants maintain a distance of 2m. Indoor bathrooms and change rooms are permitted to be open to support outdoor activities – and if there is a spectator event, the cap is at 50% of total allowed capacity and they must wear face coverings.
  • Outdoor training is not part of the restriction of the outdoor gathering limit of 10 people, as it is considered an organized event vs. a private social gathering.
  • As an organized outdoor training event, the organization must have a Covid Safety Plan, including recording the name/contact information of each participant at each session. To learn more about creating a Covid Safety Plan, here is a great resource: https://www.ontario.ca/page/guide-developing-your-covid-19-workplace-safety-plan
  • There is no vaccine requirement for organized outdoor training, however individual clubs may choose to enforce the vaccine requirement at their discretion.
The new measures will kick in on Wednesday, January 5 at 12:01 a.m. and will remain in effect for at least 21 days, until January 26. These new restrictions are subject to change at the discretion of the province, public health and trending public health indicators. You can read the full details of the new restrictions here: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/200263
With respect to the schedule of meets, Athletics Ontario is working with the Toronto Track & Field Centre to update the meet schedule and will share updates as they are finalized in the coming weeks, dependent on the status of the public health measures and pandemic restrictions. Updates will be shared with member clubs and coaches, and posted to the AO website.
We are all exhausted as the grip of the pandemic continues to impact our everyday lives – including our athletes who have continued to train and compete through this challenging time. It is our hope that these restrictions for the next 21 days will have a positive impact on the spread of the virus, and that we will, in short order, move out of these restrictions and get back on track. We will continue to share any relevant updates to our members via our website and newsletter – and are here to support our member clubs in all ways. Stay safe, everyone … and we’ll see you on the track, in the field and on the roads soon!

A full list of measures can be found in the news release.

Technical Briefing: Modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen – Presentation Slides:

News Release:

COVID-19 Public Health Measures and Advice:

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