Ontario is under a Province-wide shutdown. For more information review the details of the stay-at-home order and the Reopening Ontario Act. If you have questions about what will be open or impacts to your business or employment, call the Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.
Please check back for updates to sector-specific measures and workplace guidance below. Sector-specific public health and workplace safety measures can be found on the Province-wide shutdown webpage.
It is recommended operational changes are implemented or allow employees to work from home, where possible, in order to protect staff and customers from COVID-19.
Face Covering By-law for businesses
Instructions under ROA for workplaces and businesses
Business support
To view business support provided by both the federal and provincial government, please refer to Ontario’s Support for Businesses and the Government of Canada’s Support for Businesses.
Screening
All businesses are required to screen any workers or essential visitors entering the work environment. This does not include patrons entering a workplace (e.g., customers entering a grocery store, restaurant, car, or other food or drink establishments). It also excludes emergency services or other first responders entering a workplace for emergency purposes. Further, essential workers who travel outside of Canada for work purposes should not be excluded entry on this basis alone.
Screening should occur before or when a worker enters the workplace at the beginning of their day or shift, or when an essential visitor arrives.
At minimum, the questions in the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces should be used to screen individuals for COVID-19 before they are allowed entry into the workplace.
Workplace guidance
If your workplace is not listed below, please consult Ontario's Resources to prevent COVID-19 in the workplace for sector specific guidance and guidelines for developing a COVID-19 workplace safety plan. To find companies that sell personal protective equipment (PPE) please consult the Workplace PPE Supplier Directory.
| Child care centres |
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Owners/operators of child care centres can consult our resources for child care centres page for our guidance document that supports – but does not replace – the advice, guidelines, recommendations, directives or other direction of provincial Ministries. For more details information and operational guidance during COVID-19, read the Ministry of Education’s Operational Guidance During COVID-19 Outbreak Child Care Reopening. Owners/operators of summer camps can consult the Summer Camp Guidance Document for information that supports – but does not replace – the advice, guidelines, recommendations, directives or other direction of provincial Ministries. For more details information and operational guidance during COVID-19, read the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Guidance: Summer Day Camps. Child care centres should continue to monitor for new guidance from the Ministry of Education or Ministry of Health related to child care centres. For more details visit the Coronavirus resources for schools and child care centre page. |
| Fitness and sports activities |
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Requirements for Province-wide Shutdown
Continue to check the Province-wide shutdown webpage and O.Reg 82/20: Rules for Areas in Stage 1 for more updates |
| Food premises |
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Effective Saturday, December 26 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario is moving to a province-wide shutdown. At this time, restaurants must shut down all dine-in services:
Further details can be found on the Ontario’s Province-wide shutdown webpage. Additional Resources:
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| Food programs or food banks |
| Review COVID-19 guidelines for re-opening food programs. |
| Mobile food premises and temporary food vendors |
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Review COVID-19 guidelines for mobile food premises and temporary food vendors.
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| Personal service settings |
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Effective Saturday, December 26 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario is moving to a province-wide shutdown. All Personal Service Settings must close at this time. Further details can be found on the Ontario’s Province-wide shutdown webpage. Review COVID-19 guidelines for re-opening personal service settings including hairstyling and barbering, tattooing, micropigmentation, ear and body piercing, electrolysis, nail salons, and aesthetic services. |
| Places of worship |
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Effective Saturday, December 26 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario is moving to a province-wide shutdown. Religious services, rites, ceremonies and related celebrations must comply with the Reopening Ontario Act. Further details can be found on the Ontario’s Province-wide shutdown webpage. Review the COVID-19 guidance for places of worship during the Province-wide shutdown. |
| Recreational water |
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Effective Saturday, December 26 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario is moving to a province-wide shutdown. This means all recreational water facilities must close at this time. This includes all indoor and outdoor swimming pools, outdoor splash pads, wading pools, and other recreational spaces such as whirlpool/spas. Further details can be found on the Ontario’s Province-wide shutdown webpage. Review COVID-19 guidelines for re-opening recreational water including public pools, splash pads, spas, and wading pools. |
| Organized Public Events and Social Gatherings |
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Effective Saturday, December 26 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario is moving to a province-wide shutdown. This means no indoor organized public events and social gatherings, except with members of the same household (the people you live with). Individuals who live alone and single parents may consider having exclusive, close contact with 1 other household to help reduce the negative impacts of social isolation. Outdoor organized public events and social gatherings are limited to 5 people and must comply with public health advice on physical distancing. Further details can be found on the Ontario’s Province-wide shutdown webpage. |
General principles (applicable to any setting)
- Only have close contact with your household members. Physically distance and wear a face covering with everyone else, including coworkers.
- Stick to smaller groups. Smaller is safer. This includes in break rooms, for in-person meetings, etc.
- Ask employees not to carpool. If they need to carpool, they should limit the number of vehicle occupants, open windows to create airflow and everyone in the vehicle should wear a face covering.
- Remind workers to stay home if they have COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are mild. Support employees who need to stay home for isolation or due to symptoms, with access to government support programs or other arrangements.
- Public Health does not provide letters clearing workers to return to work or for negative test results.
- If a worker has symptoms, with no known exposure, they may return to work after self-isolating for 10 days from the start of symptoms.
- If a worker has symptoms, with no known exposure, they may return to work if they test negative and they are feeling better.
- If a worker was exposed to a COVID-19 positive person, they may return to work after self-isolating for 14 days from the date they were exposed and they do not develop symptoms.
- If a worker tested positive, Region of Waterloo Public Health will provide them with specific isolation guidance. When their isolation is complete, they can return to work.
- Remind workers returning from travelling abroad that they must self-isolate for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms, even if mild.
- Ensure all high-touch tools and surfaces are cleaned and disinfected regularly with Health Canada approved disinfectants. For detailed information, refer to the Public Health Ontario guide to environmental cleaning.
- Create greater distance between workers, keeping a distance of at least 2 metres from others, as much as possible.
- Use floor markers, signage and directional arrows to reduce the number of passengers on elevators and avoid crowding in stairwells and other tight spaces.
- Give workers more opportunities to keep their hands clean, for example by providing soap and water or hand sanitizer if soap is not available.
- Encourage your employees to download the COVID Alert app.
Transmission through ventilation
COVID-19 is spread mainly from person to person through close contact, for example, in a household, workplace or health care centre.
It is most commonly spread from an infected person through:
- respiratory droplets generated when you cough or sneeze
- close, prolonged personal contact
- touching something with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands
The risk of transmission from aerosols may be possible when there are a higher number of people indoors, for a longer period of time, with poor airflow or ventilation. With proper airflow or ventilation, the smaller particle will become diluted and disperse faster, similar to what occurs when you open windows to air out a smoky room.
While aerosols may contribute to the spread of COVID-19, close contact transmission is still the most common and efficient method of infection. Most infections are still linked to person-to-person transmission through close direct contact with someone who was contagious.
HVACs and their filters are designed to reduce airborne pollutants, including virus particles, when they circulate through the system. HVAC filtration can protect people indoors when used with other public health measures. It is important to ensure regular maintenance of the HVAC systems in your home, business, workplace or school.
- Increase air-exchange settings on the HVAC system, if possible.
- Use the highest efficiency filters that are compatible with the HVAC system(s).
- Keep areas near HVAC inlets and outlets clear.
- Arrange furniture away from air vents and high airflow areas.
Effective December 14, 2020, the Medical Officer of Health for Waterloo Region provided the following instructions to all persons responsible for a business or organization in Waterloo Region that are permitted to be open under the Reopening Ontario Act. They are required to:
- Optimize indoor air ventilation, through measures such as increasing ventilation with outdoor air where possible, avoiding recirculation of air as far as practically possible, ensuring clean filters, controlling humidity, and optimizing air change rates.
- Consult with a HVAC contractor or knowledgeable maintenance staff regarding how to properly optimize ventilation in the facility.
Have the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems assessed on a regular basis, and ensure they are meeting the expected standard for the facility.
Break and lunch rooms
- Stagger start times for shifts, breaks and lunch times. Limit the number of people using lunchrooms at any one time to ensure physical distancing can be maintained.
- Ensure face coverings are worn at all times except when necessary to remove to consume food or drink.
- Install physical barriers, such as plexiglass or similar, on lunch/break tables.
- Arrange tables so that they are at least 2 metres apart.
- Stagger seating at the tables to prevent people from directly facing each other (e.g. in a triangle formation)
- Space out commonly used appliances (e.g. microwaves, toasters, etc.) in lunch/break rooms such that they are at least 2 metres apart.
- Disinfect high touch surfaces frequently and in between break/lunch changes, using a disinfectant approved by Health Canada.
Meetings
- Meet virtually as much as possible.
- Limit in person meetings. If in-person meetings are necessary, meet in large rooms to ensure physical distancing can be adhered to and ensure everyone is wearing a face covering. Meeting outdoors, where possible, is also a safer option.
- Offering food and snacks in meetings is not recommended.
Additional resources
- Waterloo EDC
- If you have questions about what will be open or impacts to your business or employment, call the Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.
- For the latest updates from the Government of Ontario, please visit the Ontario Newsroom.
Frequently asked questions
| What happens when a person is diagnosed with COVID-19? |
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1. The testing lab notifies the responsible public health unit of each positive case of COVID-19. 2. Public Health staff then follow-up with the individual case to:
3. With guidance from Public Health, workplaces will identify and follow-up with close contacts. Close contacts are required to self-isolate for 14 days following the last exposure to the positive case. |
| What happens if the individual was at work while infectious? |
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There is now community spread of COVID-19 in the Region of Waterloo, so all interactions should be treated as a potential risk of exposure. If a person was at work while infectious, Public Health staff will determine if they posed any additional risk to the workplace than what exists in the general community. Please Note: not all cases result in exposures. A transient interaction (e.g., walking past someone who tested positive) does not pose an increased risk. There is also no increased risk of exposure if the person was not at work while infectious. Public Health will consult with the employer if additional information is needed about the individual (e.g., to confirm their close contacts or to clarify details that the employee cannot provide) or if any other measures need to be taken by the workplace or staff to reduce the risk of transmission. It is important to note that Public Health:
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| What should I tell an employee to do if they fail our workplace screening? |
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Screening should occur before or when a worker enters the workplace at the beginning of their day or shift, or when an essential visitor arrives. At minimum, the questions in the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces should be used to screen individuals for COVID-19 before they are allowed entry into the workplace. If an employee fails the screening, they should be advised they should not enter the workplace (including any outdoor, or partially outdoor, workplaces). They should go home to self-isolate immediately and contact their health care provider or Telehealth Ontario (1 866-797-0000) to find out if they need a COVID-19 test. |
| Does Public Health notify a workplace when a confirmed case of COVID-19 has been at the workplace? |
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Public Health will notify a workplace and provide support when a confirmed case attended a workplace while infectious and there was a high risk exposure to COVID-19 to others. Public Health will not notify workplaces that a confirmed case attended the workplace when Public Health identifies a high risk exposure to COVID-19 did not occur and there is not an increased risk to employees and patrons. |
General workplace resources
- COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces (Ministry of Health)
- COVID-19 Workplace Safety Plan (Province of Ontario)
- Sector-specific guidelines and posters (Province of Ontario)
- Preventing COVID-19 in the workplace: Employers, employees and essential service workers (Public Health Agency of Canada)
- Risk mitigation tool for workplaces/businesses operating during the COVID-19 pandemic (Government of Canada)
- Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 (World Health Organization)
- Guidance on COVID-19 screening (checklist) (Infrastructure Health & Safety Association)
- How to self-isolate (Public Health Ontario)
- Tested! Now what? (Region of Waterloo Public Health)
- Posters
Physical distancing
- Physical Distancing (Public Health Ontario)
Personal Protective Equipment
- Non-medical masks and face coverings (Government of Canada)
- Video: How to wear a non-medical mask or face covering properly (Government of Canada)
- Mask Use for Non-Healthcare Workers (Public Health Ontario)
- Workplace PPE Supplier Directory (Province of Ontario)
Proper Hygiene and Cleaning
- How to wash your hands/How to use hand sanitizer (Public Health Ontario)
- Cleaning and Disinfection for Public Settings (Public Health Ontario)
- Cleaning and disinfecting public spaces during COVID-19 (Public Health Agency of Canada)
- COVID-19 Disinfectants, sanitizers, cleaners and soaps (Government of Canada)
- Hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers (COVID-19): List of disinfectants with evidence for use against COVID-19 (Government of Canada)
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