What does returning to red zone mean in Richmond Hill?

Limits for all organized public events and social gatherings will be five people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 23, 2021

A wide swath of businesses are allowed to reopen in Richmond Hill alongside the rest of York Region as the region returned to the red-control level of Ontario’s re-opening framework Feb. 22, lifting the stay-at-home order which has been in place since Jan. 14.

The decision came after the region's top doctor, Dr. Karim Kurji, advocated Feb. 18 for moving York out of total lockdown in order to give businesses "a bit of a breathing space."

So, what does the red-control level mean to residents and businesses in Richmond Hill?

All city facilities remain closed to the public and residents can still access many city services online or by phone, according to a press release Feb. 19.

All Richmond Hill Public Library locations remain open pre-booked curbside pickup and drop box returns, with a variety of programs and digital services available online.

Limits for all organized public events and social gatherings will be five people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

Public health officials advise that residents should continue to avoid social gatherings and limit close contacts to the people you live with.

The city continues to offer a number of opportunities for winter activities.

Several skating locations are open for local residents at Richmond Green Skate Trail, Mill Pond and Lake Wilcox. Pre-registration is required as new time slots are released daily for the next day.

Meanwhile, parks, playgrounds, off-leash dog areas and trails remain open for walking, snowshoeing, cross- country skiing and other winter activities.

The city reminds the public to use the trails with caution as they are slippery when snow and ice are present.

Residents can also register for city-run virtual programs and at-home resources for all ages including fitness, arts, theatre, and astronomy.

Meanwhile, businesses are allowed to reopen, and non-essential retailers and restaurants can welcome customers back with capacity limits.

Supermarkets and other stores that primarily sell groceries, convenience stores and pharmacies are restricted to operate at a capacity limit of 75 per cent.

The capacity cap for all other retail, including discount and big box retailers, liquor stores, hardware stores and garden centres, will be 50 per cent.

Restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments are permitted to have up to 10 patrons seated indoors with two metres minimum between tables.

There have been a total of 3,659 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Richmond Hill, including 137 active cases and 38 deaths, as of Feb. 21, according to York Region Public Health.

Fifty one of the city’s COVID-19 caseload were cases of variant, accounting for about 14 per cent of the total number of mutants in Richmond Hill, statistics show.

Visit RichmondHill.ca/StayHome for a list of parks, trails and at-home resources