Windsor, Ont. — Monday was supposed to be the day that the proof of vaccination requirement was going to be gradually lifted, but instead Windsor-Essex and the rest of the province are in a ‘modified’ Step 2 of reopening. On Oct. 22,2021, the Ontario government announced that capacity restrictions for restaurants, gyms and casinos would be lifted on Oct. 25 with proof of vaccination against COVID-19. The province also laid out a plan for further reopening. Jan.17, 2022 was supposed to be the day that proof of vaccination was going to start to be gradually lifted. As COVID-19 cases started to surge in Ontario due to the Omicron variant, the province began to impose more restrictions. On Jan. 3, Premier Doug Ford said the province will return to a ‘modified’ version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen effective Wednesday, Jan. 5, for at least 21 days (until Jan. 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators. On Monday, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll he was starting to have more hope on COVID-19. He did not say when restrictions could be loosened, saying it’s a government decision. “We’re always cautious and this virus continues to humble me on a regular basis, but I think the sacrifices that Ontarians have made in the last two weeks are showing,” said Moore. With files from CTVNewsOttawa.ca.
