Ontario is delaying for a second time the planned lifting of capacity limits in “higher risk” settings like nightclubs and wedding receptions, as it continues to monitor COVID-19 trends including the rise of the Omicron variant.
That will keep capacity capped at 25 per cent in venues including clubs and other food and drink establishments with dance facilities, strip clubs, sex clubs, bathhouses, and wedding receptions held at meeting and event spaces where there is dancing.
The decision was made in consultation with chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore, the province said in a release Tuesday announcing the extension.
The province first announced the pause on Nov. 10, saying it would monitor COVID-19 trends for 28 days before making a further decision.
Minister of Health Christine Elliott also indicated on Monday the province could delay other planned milestones in its reopening plan, like the lifting of vaccine passport requirements, tentatively set for January.
The decision is a precaution, the province said, as it experiences a slow uptick in new cases and considers the impact of the Omicron variant. Severe outcomes from COVID-19 remained manageable, the government reported.
As of Dec. 6, there were 165 COVID-related critical illness patients (CRCI) in intensive-care units, representing only seven per cent of overall ICU capacity in the province, it stated.
The province can handle up to 300 COVID-19 patients in ICU without putting urgent surgeries at risk, it estimates.
