Additional services are set to reopen on Wednesday in Kingston, as the City prepares for stage 2 of its reopening plan.
The Ontario government accelerated the reopening process by two days, which will allow businesses and individuals to move into a routine encumbered by less COVID restrictions.
The Ontario government’s “Road to Reopening” plan has been based on province wide vaccination rates and key public health indicators like hospitalization rates. The province has hit their target of administering a first vaccine dose to 70% of adults and fully vaccinating 20% of adults, with the KFLA region being slightly ahead of both of those numbers.
Stage 2 will now give individuals greater freedoms outdoors where the chance of COVID transmission is extremely low. Effective June 30, outdoor gatherings will be expanded to twenty-five people, including those from different households, while indoor gatherings remain limited to five people.
As part of stage 2, outdoor sports fields will also reopen for team play, which will mark the restricted return of recreational organized sports like soccer and baseball for youth and adults.
Kingston Baseball will see some players returning to game action as soon as Saturday, with local play set to begin on July 12th with an unprecedented number of participants.
“Last year’s registration numbers were down very slightly,” said a spokesperson for Kingston Baseball. “But 2021 has seen an increase in numbers to our previous 5 years, with many new players joining our sport.”
Among a number of changes, step 2 will also allow for the expansion of religious ceremonies, outdoor dining, fitness classes and live music and performing arts.
Additionally, the Kingston Area Recycling Centre will reopen on July 5, and public spaces in Kingston like City Parks and Springer Market Square will now have relaxed COVID restrictions.
All details to the province’s reopening plan and targets can be found on their website.
Owen Fullerton is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of YGK News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
