Guidance for Businesses and Workplaces

Modified Step Two requirements - January 5, 2022

The province of Ontario will return to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.

• Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
• Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
• Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.
• Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services are limited to the number of people that can maintain 2 metres of physical distance. Social gatherings associated with these services must adhere to the social gathering limits.
• Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50 per cent capacity. For shopping malls physical distancing will be required in line-ups, loitering will not be permitted and food courts will be required to close.
• Personal care services permitted at 50 per cent capacity and other restrictions. Saunas, steam rooms, and oxygen bars closed.
• Closing indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
• Public libraries limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
• Restricting the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premise in businesses or settings after 11 p.m. with delivery and takeout, grocery/convenience stores and other liquor stores exempted.
• Closing indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions.
• Closing museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, amusement parks and waterparks, tour and guide services and fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy, where applicable, limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy limited to 50 per cent capacity. Boat tours permitted at 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
• All publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.
• School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations, including emergency child care, to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely and for staff who are unable to deliver quality instruction from home.
• During this period of remote learning, free emergency child care will be provided for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers.

What to do if you have a notice of a positive COVID-19 exposure in the workplace

If a positive COVID-19 case has been identified in the workplace, employers must follow the What to do if an employee has COVID-19 workplace checklist (PDF) for next steps.  

Monitor for symptoms

• All employees must watch for any symptoms of COVID-19. If symptoms develop self-isolate right away. 

Guidance for highest-risk settings

Highest risk settings include:

• Hospitals and health care settings, including complex continuing care facilities and acute care facilities
• Congregate living settings (e.g., long-term care homes, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, temporary foreign worker settings), and correctional institutions
• First Nations, Inuit, Métis communities

Work self-isolation and workplace exposure recommendations in highest-risk settings

Workers should contact their employer's occupational health and safety department for specific advice and follow the 

You’ve been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or
someone with COVID-19 symptoms and you work in a highest risk setting. Now what?

 Click image to view flow chart in full screen - PDF

• Employers may permit Essential Healthcare Workers that have been identified as close contacts to work self-isolate. Individuals who work in the highest risk settings should avoid work for 10 days, the safest approach is to continue self-isolating.
• In exceptional circumstances where work would be severely compromised without additional staffing, an earlier return to work under work self-isolation may be considered for an asymptomatic HCW who is self-isolating due to a high-risk exposure. Employers are to perform a risk assessment to determine the risk of having a worker work self-isolate and if a worker is critical to operations. HRC living with someone who is positive have the highest risk of acquiring Covid-19 and are not recommended to work-isolate.
  • The following measures must be followed for workers on work self-isolation:
  • Continuously test negative according to Testing Requirements for Work Self-Isolation
  • Actively screened ahead of each shift
  • Are fully vaccinated
  • Strict adherence to masking at all times
  • Stringent hand hygiene
  • Breakrooms are not to be used
  • Daily rapid testing before entering the workplace where possible
  • Not attending work if symptomatic
  • Self-isolate when outside of the workplace.

 Resources

• COVID-19 Integrated Testing & Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance: Omicron Surge (page 14 to 17) - Ontario Ministry of Health 

Proof of vaccination

The Reopening Ontario Act, Regulation 364/20 has been amended to include information about vaccine policies and proof of vaccination.

Beginning September 22, 2021, all Ontarians will need to provide proof of vaccination along with photo ID to access some businesses and organizations. Review the provincial easing of capacity limits in select settings where vaccination proof is required.

This approach is focused on higher-risk indoor public settings where masks and face coverings cannot always be worn. Locations include:

Upon entry to a business or organization, with limited exceptions:

• Patrons must provide proof of identification and proof of vaccination (or entitlement to an exemption),
• The person responsible for the business or organization must verify patrons meet the requirements for proof of identification and proof of vaccination (or entitlement to an exemption)
• Businesses and organizations must not retain any information provided by a patron as it relates to proof of vaccination.

Proof of vaccination poster for your business or organization.

A patron may present a paper or digital version of the PDF receipt. Visit the Government of Ontario's website to download your proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Ontario's enhanced vaccine certificate

On October 22, 2021, Ontario will implement an enhanced vaccine certificate, as well as a verification app to allow businesses to use a QR code.

A patron may present a paper or digital version of the PDF receipt or the enhanced vaccine certificate with QR code.

Active and passive screening

• Active screening is required before entering a business of organization for
• Staff of the business or organization
• Patrons of
  • meeting or event space
  • restaurants
  • personal care services
  • businesses that provide teaching and instruction
  • sports and recreational fitness facilities
  • photography studios

COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms - Ontario Ministry of Health

Passive customer screening (i.e., signage) is mandatory in any business where active screening is not required.

• STOP Notice to Visitors (français) - KFL&A Public Health

COVID-19 vaccine information for employers

By promoting vaccination in your workplace can:

• Reduce employee absences due to illness and ensure sustained workplace productivity
• Keep the workforce healthy by preventing employees from getting COVID-19
• Boost workplace morale

Employers have an important role to play in building vaccine confidence among employees in the workplace.

Employers are well placed to facilitate conversations about vaccines because of their position of leadership and  existing relationships with staff. Facilitating conversations and giving employees the opportunity to share their concern about vaccines can help increase vaccine literacy, identify barriers to vaccination, and help employees know what to expect before and after getting their vaccine. KFL&A Public Health encourages employers to consult Ontario's toolkit, the COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs webpage, and the other resources highlighted below to become familiar with how to respond to some common concerns.

• Ontario COVID-19 Vaccinations Workplace Vaccination Policy Toolkit - Province of Ontario

• Training and Education Material - KHSC Kingston Health Sciences Centre (kingstonhsc.ca)
• After vaccinations how employers can help keep COVID-19 in check at work (PDF) - Province of Ontario
• COVID-19 Vaccination Policy Template - Public Health Sudbury and Districts
• COVID-19: Vaccine Information for Employers – City of Toronto

 Cleaning and disinfection in the workplace

• Environmental cleaning is the cleaning of frequently used surfaces in the common and shared areas in workplaces. Effective cleaning reduces the risk of spreading infection through touching contaminated surfaces.
• Increase the frequency of cleaning to at least twice a day, especially high touch surfaces such as:
  • desks
  • phones
  • break room counters, tables and chairs, and appliances
  • cash registers
  • common area door handles and railings
  • elevator buttons
  • common area furniture
  • toilets
  • light switches
• High touch zones should be cleaned first to remove visible dirt, then disinfected.
• It is recommended that items that cannot be easily cleaned (e.g., newspapers, magazines, stuffed toys) be removed.

Environmental cleaning in non-health care settings

Most non-healthcare settings only require routine cleaning and not disinfection. Clean touched surfaces twice daily.

If you want to disinfect surfaces, use an off-the-shelf disinfectant according to the instructions on the label and follow Public Health Ontario’s directions for cleaning and disinfection of public settings. If you have no access to a disinfectant product, you can dilute household bleach by pouring 20 mL into 1 litre of tap water (1000ppm of Sodium Hypochlorite solution). The surface must remain wet for 10 minutes to achieve disinfection. The bleach solution may damage fabric, corrode metal, and destroy adhesives with prolonged soaking. Mix a fresh solution daily. Do not mix the bleach solution with any other cleaner or disinfectant. To find the correct dilution ratio, check out the dilution calculator from Public Health Ontario.

Environmental cleaning in clinical settings

The Public Health Agency of Canada has developed the following guidance related to environmental cleaning of clinical settings during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

What to do

• Increase frequency of cleaning of high-touch surfaces to control the spread of microorganisms during a respiratory infection outbreak, such as COVID-19.

What to use:

• Environmental cleaning products registered in Canada with a Drug Identification Number (DIN) and labelled as a ‘broad-spectrum virucide’ are sufficient to destroy SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

What to clean and when

• All surfaces, especially those that are horizontal and frequently touched, should be cleaned at least twice daily and when soiled.

Other considerations

• Follow your ‘terminal cleaning’ protocol for cleaning of a patient's room after discharge, transfer or discontinuation of contact and droplet precautions. For more information, review Appendix 6 in Best practices for environmental cleaning for prevention and control of infections in all health care settings (third edition) - Public Health Ontario
• Ensure rooms have minimal equipment or supplies to help facilitate the environmental cleaning process.
• Amenities that are open to the public (e.g., washrooms, change rooms, showers) must be cleaned a minimum of twice daily and more frequently if needed, and disinfected frequently.

Contact tracing

Contact tracing is required for:

• meeting or event space
• restaurants
• personal care services
• businesses that provide teaching and instruction
• sports and recreational fitness facilities
• photography studios
• casinos
• bingo halls
• gaming establishments
• tour and guide services
• boat tours
• strip clubs
• bathhouses
• sex clubs.

Track customer contact tracing information with the COVID-19 Sample customer log (PDF) - KFL&A Public Health.

Personal protective equipment for COVID-19 in the workplace

• Masks must be worn indoors
• Eye protection is required if staff is within 2 metres (6 feet) of an unmasked individual (some examples are servers, bartenders, personal service setting staff)
• Masking is required at certain outdoor venues where distancing can not be maintained, and proof of vaccination is not required
• Mask must fit properly and be well constructed for optimal protection, this consists of
• a good snug seal on your face
• the mask should be constructed with layers of materials that can filter fine virus particles (for example a medical/surgical mask)
• For more information on masks, please visit our face coverings page

Safety plan

• Under the O. Reg 364/20 Rules for Areas at Step 3 all businesses or organizations are required to prepare and make available a safety plan. The plan must:
• Describe measures and procedures that have been or will be implemented in the business, place, facility or establishment to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
• Include measures for screening, physical distancing, masks or face coverings, cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and objects, the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and preventing and controlling crowding.
• Be in writing and made available to any person for review, on request.
• Be posted in a visible place to come to the attention of those working or attending the location.
• Operators of some businesses*, places* or events* must also include information for how their business, place or event will:
• prevent gatherings and crowds in the business or place or at the event;
• ensure that physical distancing and wearing of masks, as required, while waiting in line-ups is complied with in the business or place or at the event; and
• mitigate the risk of any interactive activities, exhibits or games that may be included in the business or place or at the event.

Resources

• Proof of Vaccination Guidance for Businesses and Organizations under the Reopening Ontario Act - Government of Ontario
• Proof of Vaccination Questions and Answers - Government of Ontario
• O. Reg 364/20 Rules for areas in Step 3 and at the Roadmap exit step - Government of Ontario

• Easing of capacity limits in select settings - Government of Ontario

• COVID-19: public health and workplace safety measures
• COVID-19 Worker and Employee screening tool - Government of Ontario
• COVID-19 Customer screening tool - Government of Ontario
• Face coverings - KFL&A Public Health - Train staff on proper use and care of face coverings

• Keep it up at work...be COVID Safe! poster series - Government of Ontario
  • Your break is not a break from COVID safety (Poster, PDF)
  • Keep it to yourself during COVID (Poster, PDF)
  • COVID should not be on the menu at lunch (Poster, PDF)
• COVID-19 Tip Sheets: health and safety tips and good practices, for both employers and workers, specific to each industry or sector - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety 
• COVID-19 Signage page - KFL&A Public Health - Resources and printable signs for your workplace or building. 
• A Public Health Inspector Shows You How to Wash Your Hands - (video) - KFL&A Public Health
• Sample Customer Log - KFL&A Public Health