KAWARTHA LAKES- The Ontario government is allowing the Rogers Centre in Toronto to “self identify” as an outdoor venue, even with the dome closed.
Officials say after having reviewed the ventilation at the venue, the government, based on the advice of with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, has classified the Rogers Centre as an outdoor venue, even when the dome is closed. This while locally-owned restaurants continue to have capacity limits due to social distancing requirements.
“With more and more Ontarians joining millions of others in rolling up their sleeves, our government is taking a safe and cautious approach to ease capacity limits in certain settings where proof of vaccination is required,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “With the added layer of protection offered by proof of vaccination, we are ensuring our businesses can remain safe and open as we continue to reach even more Ontarians who have yet to receive a first or second dose.”
While allowing the Rogers Centre to “identify” as an outdoor venue and increase its capacity, the government added proof of vaccination will now be required in other outdoor settings where the normal maximum capacity is 20,000 people or more. With an extensive collection of media assets Rogers Sports & Media reaches 96% of Canadians through their various platforms including City TV, Omni Televisions and more.
Officials say they are also easing capacity limits for select indoor and outdoor settings where proof of vaccination is required.
Effective September 25, 2021, at 12:01 a.m., capacity limits will be increased in many of the indoor settings where proof of vaccination is required. Meeting and event spaces, such as banquet halls and conference/convention centres; sporting events; concerts, theatres and cinemas; racing venues (e.g., horse racing); and commercial and film television productions with studio audiences will be increased to up to 50 per cent capacity or 10,000 people (whichever is less) for indoor events.
For certain outdoor event venues where patrons stand, capacity limits will increase to up to 75 per cent capacity or 15,000 people (whichever is less). For certain outdoor event venues where patrons are seated, capacity limits will be increased to up to 75 per cent capacity or 30,000 people (whichever is less). This is in recognition of the fact that the risk of transmission is lower because of reduced mobility around the venue according to the government.
“Thanks to the tremendous efforts of Ontarians adhering to public health measures and going out to get vaccinated, some of our key public health and health care indicators are currently stable,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Work remains however, and we must all remain vigilant and continue following the measures and advice in place, and continue to work to vaccinate as many Ontarians as possible to achieve the highest immunization rates we can, and to increase our level of community immunity and protect those who cannot receive the vaccine.”
