Restrictions & Guidance

Section 22 Orders from the Local Medical Officer of Health

Under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA), the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) may issue an order to limit the spread of communicable disease in the community. Actions under a Section 22 Order must be necessary for reducing or removing the risk for spread of communicable diseases and can include individuals or a class of individuals. Class orders apply to groups of persons as defined in the order issued by the medical officer of health.

October 6, 2020 

Class Order: Owners and Operators of Agricultural Farms in Windsor and Essex County 

For more information, visit: Farmers and Temporary Foreign Workers

Current Provincial Restrictions

The Ontario government has declared a second provincial emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA), and amendments to orders under that Act and to regulations under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020. 

As part of this second provincial emergency, effective Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., the Ontario government is issuing a stay-at-home order that requires everyone to remain at home, with exceptions for essential reasons, such as:

• going to the grocery store or pharmacy,
• accessing health care services,
• for exercise, or
• for essential work. 

These additional measures are in effect for all regions of Ontario and will remain in place until at least Thursday, February 11, 2021. The Local Pandemic Status page provides some information about how these changes affect individuals and businesses. Further details about the province-wide shutdown can be found on the Government of Ontario’s COVID-19: provincewide shutdown webpage.

Current Provincial Orders and Closures:

• Wearing of masks is required indoors in businesses and organizations, vehicles operating as part of the business or organization, and common areas of dwellings where a 2 metre distance cannot be maintained (with limited exceptions). For more information, visit the Face Masks and Coverings page.

• Closure of amusement parks and water parks;
• Closure of saunas, steam rooms, bath houses, hot tubs, floating pools, sensory deprivation pods (some exceptions) and oxygen bars;

• Closure of locker rooms, change rooms, and showers;

• Closure of tables and seating in food courts;

• Closure of concert venues, theatres and cinemas (some exceptions); 

• Closure of private karaoke rooms;
• Closure of nightclubs, except for the purpose of serving food or drinks to patrons in accordance to requirements for restaurants and bars;
• Closure of adult entertainment clubs; unless operating only as a restaurant or bar
• Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments are closed
• Buffet-style food services are prohibited;
• Dancing, singing and live performance of music at restaurants and bars is prohibited;
• Overnight stays at camps for children are prohibited;
• Team sports are not to be played (no scrimmages or games permitted)

Public and Private Gathering Limits

Please visit the COVID-19 Response Framework website to read more about public and private gathering limits for each coloured level.

Province-wide Shutdown Restrictions

These following additional measures are in effect for all regions of Ontario and will remain in place until at least Thursday, February 11, 2021. Further details about the province-wide shutdown can be found on the Government of Ontario’s COVID-19: provincewide shutdown webpage.

• Indoor gatherings are not permitted unless with members of a household, or for those individuals who live alone, they may join one other household.
• Outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings are further restricted to a maximum of 5 people, with limited exceptions.

For areas in Grey:

• There are no indoor organized public events and social gatherings permitted, except with members of the same household.
• Limit for outdoor organized public events and social gatherings is:
  • 10 people outdoors.
  • Physical distancing must be maintained.
• Capacity limits for wedding services, funeral services, and other religious services, rites or ceremonies:
  • 10 people indoors
  • 10 people outdoors

For areas in level Green, Yellow, and Orange:

• Gathering limit for certain public or social events and social gatherings (e.g. barbeques, parties) is:
  • 10 people indoors
  • 25 people outdoors

This applies to functions, parties, dinners, gatherings, BBQs or wedding receptions held in private residences, backyards, parks and other recreational areas. 

• Gathering limit for other organized public events and gatherings is
  • 50 people indoors
  • 100 people outdoors.

This applies to events and gatherings in staffed businesses and facilities.

• Limits for wedding services, funeral services and other religious services, rites or ceremonies, where physical distancing can be maintained is
  • 30% capacity of the room indoors
  • 100 people outdoors

For areas in Red:

• Gathering limit for ALL organized public events and social gatherings, where physical distancing can be maintained is:
  • 5 people indoors
  • 25 people outdoors
• Limits for wedding services, funeral services and other religious services, rites or ceremonies, where physical distancing can be maintained is
  • 30% capacity of the room indoors
  • 100 people outdoors

The County of Essex and the City of Windsor have declared a state of emergency.

Federal Actions:

• Closure of all land border between the United States and Canada to non-essential travel
• Mandatory 14-day self-isolation for all travelers returning to Canada except for essential workers

For more information on the mandatory isolation and the federal Quarantine Act, please review the Government of Canada News Release or website. For official global travel advisories, please visit the Government of Canada website.

COVID-19 Guidance for Workplaces and Organizations

Guidance for workplaces and organizations, including fact sheets for specific types of businesses can be found on our COVID-19 Guidance for Workplaces and Organizations Page.

COVID-19 Resources for Community Groups

The WECHU recognizes the difficulty that our local community groups, sports clubs, and social organizations face in finding and understanding the COVID-19 information they need to safety re-open and resume activities that is compliant with current public health regulations.  In this section you will find:

• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
• Current COVID-19 guidance documents, regulations, and local orders
• Checklists and guidance documents for safely resuming operations and planning classes and events
• Links to professional signage and posters related to COVID-19.

If you cannot find the answers to your questions on this webpage and are still in need of assistance, please fill out the following information and a WECHU staff member will contact you.