COVID-19 Bulletin No. 34: Stay-At-Home Order For Ontario As State Of Emergency Is Declared

Updated on January 13, 2021

In response to the new COVID-19 modelling data released this week and the imminent threat to the health care system, the Ontario Government has declared a second provincial emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Effective as of 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, January 14^th 2021, Ontario will be placed under a “stay-at-home order”, which will require everyone to remain at home with exceptions only for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store, pharmacy, or for essential work. These measures are in effect for all of Ontario and are anticipated to be in place until at least Thursday, February 11^th 2021.

For more information on the State of Emergency please click here.

What additional measures have been put in place?

As mentioned above, the Ontario Government is issuing a stay-at-home order requiring everyone to remain at home. New additional measures that have been put in place by the government are as follows:

• All businesses must ensure that any employee who can work from home, works from home;
• All indoor organized public events and social gatherings are prohibited;
• Outdoor organized public events and social gatherings are limited to 5 people;
• Individuals are required to wear a mask or face covering in the indoor areas of businesses or organizations;
• Wearing a mask or face covering is now recommended outdoors when you cannot physically distance more than two metres;
• Non-essential construction is further restricted, including below-grade construction.

What businesses are deemed essential and may continue to operate?

The list of businesses that are permitted to remain open has been updated.  Those businesses that can remain open, and are of interest to the condominium industry, are as follows:

• Maintenance, repair and property management services that manage and maintain the safety, security, sanitation and operation of institutional, commercial, industrial and residential properties;
• Domestic services to support children, seniors or vulnerable persons;
• Snow clearing and landscaping services;
• Laundromats (condominiums should consider implementing restrictions around how many occupants can use them, establish a schedule and increase cleaning);
• Short-term rental accommodations can only be provided to individuals who are in need of housing. All guest suites should be closed;
• Open houses are prohibited; however, properties can be shown to individuals on an appointment-only basis; and
• Security services for residences, businesses and other properties.

For more information, please click here.

As always, a business that remains open must operate in compliance with the advice and recommended instructions from the Chief Medical Officer of Health. This includes:

• Preparing and making available a COVID-19 safety plan. A copy should be made available to any person for review and posted where it would come to the attention of individuals attending the business;
• Screening workers or essential visitors entering the environment;
• Practicing physical distance and limiting capacity to maintain two meters of distance from each other person; and
• Cleaning and disinfecting as frequently as necessary to maintain a sanitary condition.

Please refer to our previous COVID-19 Bulletins on proper protocols and procedures to be implemented and followed by condominium corporations.

Please also ensure that you speak with your legal counsel if you do not already have COVID-19 protocols and policies in place to help manage the risk of transmission of the virus within your condominium community and require assistance with respect to drafting and/or implementing the same.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact anyone on our team:

All of the information contained in this article is of a general nature for informational purposes only, and is not intended to represent the definitive opinion of the firm of Elia Associates on any particular matter. Although every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is accurate and up-to-date, the reader should not act upon it without obtaining appropriate professional advice and assistance.

www.elia.org

© Elia Associates Professional Corporation, All Rights Reserved