Current COVID-19 Restrictions & Variant Updates

Summary of Public Health & Workplace Safety Measures

• Stay home if you have any symptoms of illness, or test positive for COVID-19.
  • Stay home until symptoms have improved for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms), and you have no fever.
  • If you test positive, but have no symptoms, you do not need to stay home unless symptoms develop.
  • Following symptoms or a positive test, you should wear a mask in all public settings, not visit anyone who is at higher risk of illness, and avoid non-essential visits to high risk settings (e.g., hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes) for 10 days.
  • Individuals who live in a high risk setting, are immunocompromised, or have been hospitalized for COVID-19 related illness, should isolate for at least 10 days and until symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms), and you have no fever.
• Staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations is highly recommended to help us live with and manage COVID-19.
• Businesses and organizations may choose to have passive screening signage and/or safety plans. Downloadable and printable signage is available here.
• Wearing well-fitted masks in indoor public settings is still highly recommended and may be required in certain indoor settings, including:
  • public transit, including indoor areas and vehicles. This does not include businesses or organizations that provide sightseeing or touring services
  • health care settings including:
    • hospitals
    • psychiatric facilities
    • doctors’ offices
    • immunization clinics
    • laboratories
    • specimen collection centres
  • home and community care provider locations only if you are an employee or contractor
  • long-term care and retirement homes
  • shelters and other congregate care settings that provide care and services to medically and socially vulnerable individuals
    • For a complete list of settings and exceptions to masking requirements that may apply, please refer to O. Reg. 364/20.
    • Please visit the Government of Ontario’s Face Covering and Masking page for information on wear and fit.
• Physical distancing is still highly recommended in public settings.
• Businesses and organizations may choose to require proof of vaccination upon entry but must do so in accordance with all applicable laws and may benefit from independent legal advice before proceeding.
  • The Verify Ontario app will continue to be made available for businesses and other settings that wish to continue using it.
• Individuals who have recently been infected with COVID-19 should continue to take the steps to reduce their risk of re-infection.

Domestic and International Travel

Visit the Government of Canada’s website or the Canada Border Service Agency’s website for current quarantine, border, and travel requirements and restrictions.

Variants of Concern

Variants are viruses that have changed or mutated.

All viruses change over time and can lead to variants. While most variants have little impact on the properties of the virus and the impact it has on the community, some can have a larger impact.

Variants are common with coronaviruses, however, a variant becomes a VOC when its changes have a clinical or public health significance that affects one or more of the following:

• transmissibility (spread)
• virulence (severity of disease)
• vaccine effectiveness
• diagnostic testing

The latest information about variants of concern is available on Public Health Ontario’s website.