TORONTO — The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is extending orders currently in force under the Re-opening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) until at least Sept. 22. The extensions provide the government with the necessary flexibility to address the ongoing risks and effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure important measures remain in place to protect vulnerable populations, such as seniors, people with developmental disabilities and those with mental-health and addiction issues.

“We’ve seen great progress in our fight against COVID-19 in recent weeks, but now is not the time to let our guard down,” says Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “We must continue safely and gradually down the path to recovery while tackling the ongoing effects of this pandemic. We’re conducting an ongoing review and assessment of all orders to determine if they are still necessary and will relax restrictions or lift orders when it is safe to do so.”

On July 21, 2020, the Ontario Legislature passed the ROA to ensure important measures remained in place to address the sustained threat of COVID-19 once the provincial Declaration of Emergency came to an end. Orders, made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) that were in effect when the ROA came into force, were continued under the new act for an initial 30 days. Under the ROA, orders can be extended for up to 30 days at a time.

The government will continue to review all orders and will report on order extensions to the newly created Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight.

All orders under the ROA have been extended to Sept. 22, with the exception of the Education Sector order, which will end on Aug. 31, and the Limitation Periods order. The orders that remain in force for at least another month include Work Deployment Measures in Long-Term Care Homes, Limiting Work to a single long-term care home, patios, rules of areas in Stage 3, and more. A complete list can be found here.

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