Here's What The Rest Of Summer In Ontario Could Look Like As Step 2 Gets Moved Up

A more normal summer may be possible with Ontario entering step two next Wednesday and step three following closely behind.

The provincial government announced on Thursday that the province will enter step two on June 30 at 12:01 a.m., two days earlier than initially planned.

Even though the province has already "surpassed step three vaccination targets," we won't be entering that step just yet.

The provincial government announced that "Ontario may remain in step two for a period of approximately 21 days to allow the most recent vaccinations to reach their full effectiveness and to evaluate any impacts of moving to step two on key public health and health care indicators. When it is determined to be safe, the province will promptly move to step three of the Roadmap to Reopen."

This means that we could be spending most of July with step two restrictions in place before moving into a more "normal" life by the end of that month.

What's opening in step two?

Step two of the reopening roadmap opens up a whole new world of possible indoor and outdoor activities for this summer.

This includes Canada's Wonderland, shopping sprees and maybe even Mayor John Tory getting a haircut.

Outdoor waterparks, amusement parks, outdoor cinemas and sports games will reopen with a 25% capacity next Wednesday along with shopping malls with some restrictions.

Outdoor live music and events will also be returning at a 25% capacity, so get ready for concerts, and outdoor gatherings will include up to 25 people.

If you're looking to host a dinner party, indoor gatherings of five individuals will be permitted, while restaurant patio seating will increase to six individuals per table.

Hair salons and other personal care services like nail salons will be open for bookings at a 25% capacity and require customers to wear a mask during their appointments.

When can you expect step three, and what will be allowed?

Step three is dependant on 70 to 80% of adults having one dose of the vaccine, with 25% of adults fully vaccinated according to the Ontario Roadmap to Reopen.

Ontario has already met these qualifications however, the provincial government says they may remain in step two for around 21 days, bringing a possible date for step three to July 21.

In step three, indoor dining, gyms, movie theatres and more will re-open with limited capacity and other restrictions.

Casinos, indoor museums, art galleries, aquariums and larger events and social gatherings, in general, will be included.

This means visits to local spots like Ripley's Aquarium, the Art Gallery of Ontario and getting active with your favourite indoor spin class may be a possibility this summer.

Will fully vaccinated people have different rules this summer?

The highly coveted title of fully vaccinated may open a few more doors for you this summer.

The provincial government plans on releasing COVID-19 guidelines for fully vaccinated people that will detail what they are permitted to do in each step of the reopening plan.

Health Minister Christine Elliott announced these plans on June 17 in a news conference alongside Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.

"We are going to be releasing guidelines for each of the three steps about what people should continue to do because I know that people want to follow the rules and keep everyone else safe as well. So we will be releasing that very shortly," said Elliott.

Elliott hinted the plan could include whether those who are fully vaccinated should still wear a mask and more.