Ford provides details on new stay-at-home order

Less than a week after a third provincial shutdown was imposed, further restrictions and a stay-at-home order have been issued, as well as a state of emergency in Ontario.

The stay-at-home order is effective Thursday, April 8 at 12:01 a.m.

This will be in effect for four weeks.

Non-essential retail stores will only be open for curbside pickup. For the first time in the pandemic, big box stores will be limited to only selling essential items.

These changes are in addition to the emergency brake measures that took effect April 3 in all 34 health units across the province.

However, after the shutdown measures were in place the government faced criticism after a video of a packed Yorkdale mall surfaced.

Yesterday, Ford hinted that further restrictions were on the way and some would be targeted at York, Peel and Toronto regions, which make up about 60 per cent of the provincial case numbers.

The shutdown measures include:

• Indoor organized public events and social gatherings are prohibited. The capacity for outdoor organized public events or social gatherings is a maximum of five people, except for gatherings with members of the same household or gatherings with one household and one person from another household who lives alone.
• In-person shopping is restricted to 50 per cent capacity for supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers' markets, stores that primarily sell food, and pharmacies. The capacity is 25 per cent for all other retail, including big box stores. 
• Essential items only to be sold at big box stores.
• Personal care services are prohibited. 
• Indoor and outdoor dining is prohibited. Restaurants are allowed to operate by take-out, drive-through and delivery.
• Gyms are closed.
• Capacity at weddings, funerals and religious services, rites or ceremonies is limited to 15 per cent capacity per room indoors. This does not include social gatherings associated with these services such as receptions, which are not permitted indoors and are limited to five people outdoors.
• Residential evictions will be suspended

These measures are in addition to the emergency brake measures put in place last week.

The last stay-at-home order and state of emergency in the province lifted in mid-February. 

Health unit regions transitioned back to the COVID-19 Response Framework, with five colour-coded levels of varying restrictions.

When the stay-at-home order lifted, the Porcupine Health Unit moved to the yellow - protect level.

To date, there have been 248 confirmed cases in the Algoma Public Health region. There are 22 known active cases.