Canada: Several provinces and territories under amended COVID-19 restrictions as of March 17. /update 3

Event

Authorities in provinces and territories across Canada are maintaining various restrictions in place within their jurisdictions as of March 17 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Alberta
The province is at Step 2 of its reopening plan, under which indoor social gatherings remain banned while outdoor social gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed. Travelers entering Alberta are prohibited from staying at the homes of others. Wedding ceremonies can allow 10 people, funerals up to 20 people, and places of worship up to 15 percent of their maximum capacity. Stores and malls may operate at 25 percent capacity. Restaurants and bars may operate with social distancing measures in place and customers being seated; such establishments must close at 23:00 nightly. One-on-one training sessions at fitness centers are permitted, but individual or group workouts remain banned. Health and personal care businesses may operate by appointment only. Most other businesses must remain closed. Working from home is mandatory unless the physical presence of the employee is necessary for operations. The use of facemasks is required in public spaces.

British Columbia
Up to 10 people are permitted to gather in the backyard of a private residence, a park, or at a beach. Individuals must wear facemasks in all indoor public settings. Outdoor recreational activities are allowed. Individuals are encouraged to avoid all nonessential travel.

Manitoba
As of March 17, only two persons may visit the private home of another, and only if all people living in the residence agree to allow the visitors. Otherwise, visits to private residences are prohibited. Retail stores, malls, personal care businesses, and restaurants can operate at 50 percent capacity, while gyms, sporting facilities, museums, and libraries can open at 25 percent capacity. Indoor theaters, concert halls, and casinos must remain closed. Funerals and weddings may occur with no more than 10 guests. Individuals must wear facemasks in all indoor public spaces.

New Brunswick
The province is at the "Yellow" level of its reopening plan. Travel into the province is only allowed for residents and those traveling for work, medical or compassionate reasons, or child custody. Residents, people moving into the province, and international travelers entering New Brunswick must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Frequent commuters, operators of commercial air, rail, marine, and truck transport are exempt from the quarantine requirement. All businesses are allowed to open, albeit most at 50 percent capacity. Restaurants and bars must require that patrons be seated. Masks are mandatory provincewide in indoor public spaces, as well as under circumstances where social distancing measures are not possible outdoors.

Newfoundland and Labrador
Only residents and travelers from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, as well as essential workers, residents of Saint Pierre and Miquelon requiring health care, or individuals approved by health authorities, may enter the province. All those allowed to enter must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, except essential workers and permanent residents from the Labrador-Quebec border area. In the Avalon peninsula, all persons may only gather with fellow household and immediate family members except when they are at work or school. Religious and cultural ceremonies can hold up to 10 people; retail stores and malls can open at 50 percent capacity, and most other businesses remain closed for on-premises services. In the rest of the province, all persons are permitted to gather with up to 10 people in addition to housemates, family members, schoolmates, and coworkers. Religious and cultural ceremonies can host up to 10 people and most businesses may reopen, albeit with enhanced capacity limits. Facemasks are mandatory in all indoor public spaces.

Northwest Territories
Only residents and those traveling for essential reasons can enter the province. Travelers entering from other regions of Canada must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Individuals may complete self-quarantine only in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith, Norman Wells, or Fort Simpson. Indoor events may allow up to 25 people and outdoor events a maximum of 50 people.

Nova Scotia
Travelers entering from other regions of Canada must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, except those entering from Prince Edward Island. Businesses and organizations can hold events, including arts and cultural events, and sports events, for up to 100 people indoors or 150 people outdoors. Private households may host gatherings of no more than 10 people, including the people who live there. Restaurants and bars, as well as event venues, may serve patrons on-premises nightly until 22:00 and must close by 23:00. Retail stores, gyms, and fitness centers can open at 75 percent capacity. Protective facemasks are mandatory in all indoor public spaces. Organized events are banned in Hants and Lunenburg counties.

Nunavut
Nonresidents who wish to travel to the territory require permission from regional authorities. Otherwise, only travel from the town of Churchill, Manitoba, is allowed. Nunavut residents must quarantine for 14 days in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, or Yellowknife before boarding a plane to enter the territory. Outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed, and most businesses are allowed to open at 50 percent capacity. Stricter restrictions remain in place in Arviat.

Ontario
All regions in Ontario have moved out of the stay-at-home orders and into a five-tier system of public health measures. The Lambton, Peel, Sudbury and District, Thunder Bay, Toronto, and Lambton regions are designated at the "grey" level, or "Lockdown zones", the most restrictive of the five tiers. At this level, no indoor organized public event or social gathering is allowed, although outdoor gatherings with up to 10 people are permitted. Supermarkets can open at 50-percent capacity and other retail stores at 25-percent capacity. Most other businesses must remain closed or offer only delivery and pickup services.

Each of the remaining regions is designated as being under one of the system's other four tiers, i.e. green, yellow, orange, or red in order of increasing transmission risk with tighter restrictions. For details on the status of specific regions in Ontario, click here.

Prince Edward Island
All temporary foreign workers entering the province must self-isolate for 14 days in a designated quarantine facility. All commercial locations except essential services and specially permitted businesses must close to the public as of March 17. Restaurants may remain open, but may seat no more than 10 persons per table and must close no later than 23:59 each night. Public gatherings are strictly limited. Each household may establish a social bubble of 10 specific persons from other households with whom they may meet, but may not attend gatherings with any other persons. Organized gatherings such as religious ceremonies are permitted to have up to 200 people as long as the ceremony is not a wedding or a funeral.

Quebec
As of March 17, 11 of the Quebec's 18 regions are at Level 3-Alert of the province's plan: Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Bais-Saint-Laurent, Capitale-Nationale, Chaudiere-Appalaches, Cote-Nord, Estrie, Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Mauricie et Centre-du-Quebec, Nord-du-Quebec, Outaouais, and Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean. The following measures are in place for regions in Level 3:

A nightly curfew is in place between 21:30-05:00.
Religious activities are allowed for up to 100 people.
In-person services at restaurants may open for a maximum of two adults per table.
Most other businesses and facilities, including museums, libraries, cinemas, stores, and personal care businesses, can open with capacity limits.

The regions of Lanaudiere, Laurentides, Laval, Monteregie, and Montreal remain at Level 4-Maximum Alert, under which the following measures are in place:

Effective March 17, the nightly curfew runs between the hours of 21:30-05:00.
Indoor and outdoor private gatherings are banned, except for people living alone.
Events in public places are banned, with the exception of funerals which may be attended by up to 25 people.
Places of worship may allow up to 25 people to attend services.
Restaurants and bars must remain closed for on-premises services.
Theaters may reopen beginning March 26 with audiences limited to no more than 250 people.
Museums, stores, and personal care businesses can open with limitations.

Nunavik and Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James are under special local measures. Authorities have announced their intention to move Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Cote-Nord, and Nord-du-Quebec to Level-2-Early Warning on March 26, which will eliminate the curfew in those areas. Provincewide, employees are required to work from home to the extend possible.

Saskatchewan
The use of facemasks is mandatory in all indoor public spaces. Private indoor gatherings must be limited to members of the household only; outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed. Indoor events at public venues and businesses must be limited to a maximum of 30 people. Team sports and group activities are banned. Casinos and bingo halls must close, and personal care businesses and retail stores can operate at 50-percent capacity.

Yukon
Travel is allowed from other provinces, but most travelers must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, except for essential workers and those entering from border areas from British Columbia. Most businesses are allowed to open. Private gatherings of up to 10 people indoors and 50 people outdoors are allowed. Organized events can have up to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors. Individuals must wear facemasks in public spaces.

Authorities could reimpose, extend, further ease, or otherwise amend any restrictions with little-to-no notice depending on disease activity over the coming weeks.