Ontario cuts capacity at large indoor settings, MLSE not selling tickets for upcoming games
Posted December 30, 2021 5:13 pm.
Last Updated December 30, 2021 8:16 pm.
Ontario is further slashing capacity limits at large indoor settings as it ramps up restrictions amid a rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore announced seating capacity in concert venues, arenas and theatres will be limited to 1,000 people or 50 per cent capacity, whichever is less, starting Friday, Dec. 31 at 12:01 a.m.
The province says they will continue to monitor the data to determine when it will be deemed safe to lift capacity restrictions in these settings.
The Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs say they will play games with no sold tickets for games starting on Friday after Ontario announced new rules for capacity during the current COVID-19 surge on Thursday.
“It is expected that these limits will be in place for the next three weeks at which time the province has indicated they will reassess restrictions,” reads at statement from MLSE. “Maple Leafs and Raptors Season Seat Members will receive follow up information within the next 24 hours as ticketing details are finalized.”
MLSE is opting not to have any sold tickets starting with Friday’s Raptors game versus the Los Angeles Clippers and Saturday’s Maple Leafs game against the Ottawa Senators.
Fifty per cent capacity limits remain in effect at most smaller indoor settings in the province and social gathering limits are capped to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
The Ford government also updated the province’s COVID-19 testing and isolation guidelines on Thursday.
Effective Friday, isolation periods are being reduced to five days for most fully vaccinated residents provided they no longer have symptoms of the virus and tests are being saved for the most vulnerable residents.
The province is also pushing back the return to in-person learning at schools until Jan. 5 in order to provide more time to implement additional health and safety measures. Classes were originally set to resume on Monday, Jan. 3.
Ontario reported a recorded 13,807 new infections on Thursday, with 965 people now hospitalized with the virus.
The seven-day average rose by 1,145 and is now over 10,000 cases per day (10,328), with the positivity rate the highest the province has seen to date, at 30.5 per cent.
With files from Lucas Casaletto, Michael Talbot and Sportsnet Staff
