COVID-19: Meetings and Events

All meetings and events are subject to the Ontario Regulation 364/20. Additional information can be found in the Guidance for Meeting and Event Facilities during COVID-19.

General Rules for Meetings and Events in Ontario

When hosting a meeting or event, the person responsible for the event must ensure that all current rules are followed as per the Ontario Regulation 364/20.

The Ministry of Ontario's Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework, sets out public health and workplace safety measures for all businesses, services and public spaces, including settings in which meetings and events may occur. Below is a summary of the additional measures required in the "Yellow - Protect" level that the TBDHU region is currently in:

Establishments must be closed from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Liquor can only be sold or served between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., and consumed in establishments between 12 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Contact information is required to be collected for all seated patrons.
Limit of 6 people may be seated together.
Music volume must be limited to a low enough volume that a normal conversation is possible.
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request.

Gathering Limits

All businesses, services and public spaces are subject to indoor and outdoor gathering limits. Indoor meetings or events, held within professional meeting and event spaces, are looked at on a ‘per room’ basis. In any scenario, indoor and outdoor events and gatherings cannot be merged together in order to increase the number of attendees allowed.

All those in attendance at the meeting or event must be able to maintain a physical distance of 2 metres from one another, unless they are from the same household.

Monitored Events

Gathering limits for organized public events and gatherings in staffed businesses and facilities, such as bars, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, convention centres, banquet halls, gyms, places of worship and recreational, sporting or performing art events, are as follows:

Indoor events can host up to 50 people.
Outdoor events can host up to 100 people.

Unmonitored Events

Gathering limits for certain organized public events and private social gatherings, such as functions, parties, dinners, gatherings, BBQs or wedding receptions held in private residences, backyards, parks and other recreational areas, are as follows:

Indoor events can host up to 10 people.
Outdoor events can host up to 25 people.

Information on rules that apply to social gatherings associated with a wedding, funeral or religious service, rite or ceremony, such as a wedding reception, can be found on the Places of Worship, Weddings and Funerals page.

Advice for Hosts and Organizers

If you are planning a gathering within the limits prescribed by the Government of Ontario, be a responsible host by assessing your event for risk to participants and putting measures in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Ensure you are aware of the stage your community is in, as this can change quickly, and the rules that apply to that stage - visit the Current Alert Level page for details. At all stages, the main concern around public meetings and events is the density of people. Precautions should be taken to ensure physical distancing and increased environmental cleaning.

The goal is to reduce interactions between different households and increase the safety of interactions during the event. To reach this goal, organizers must put in place multiple measures to:

promote personal protective practices (e.g. hand hygiene and physical distancing),
maintain a healthy environment (e.g. cleaning and disinfection and physical layout), and
manage the event so that public health measures are effective and guests are likely to follow them (e.g. procedures, communications and staff or volunteer training).

The booking of more than one room for any particular event or social gathering is not permitted.

Remind guests in advance and during the event to follow recommended practices to protect themselves and others.
Remind guests to say home if they are sick or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. Have screening in place for arriving guests. Have a plan if someone attending the event feels unwell during the event.
Provide hand hygiene products at convenient locations and restock as needed throughout the event.
Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces before, during and after the event. Remove items that guests may handle if they cannot be easily cleaned between use, such as toys, games and recreational equipment.
Limit attendance to ensure that physical distancing can be maintained for your space. Keep a log of guests attending the event. Minimize allowing additional guests into the space i.e. once a guest leaves the event, the facility should not allow entry of a new guest to that event.
Plan the scheduling and physical layout of your gathering to reduce the chances of crowding, congestion and contact between people. This could include:
- Using signs and/or floor markers to guide attendees directly to their event.
- Having a dedicated one-way entrance and exit if possible, as well as one-way flow of traffic throughout.
- Encouraging attendees to arrive close to the start time of the event to decrease congregating in lobbies, hallways, etc.
- Marking physical distancing spacing for anywhere line ups may occur.
Decrease touch points throughout, including using online registration, check-in and screening, as well as touch-free payment systems.
Host the gathering outdoors. Tents are considered an outdoor space ONLY if open on 2 or more sides.
If food or drink will be served, avoid shared food or dishes. Have a limited number of people serving guests or ask guests to bring their own food and drinks.
At events where live music will be performed, singers and players of brass or wind instruments must maintain a physical distance of 2 metres and be separated from any spectators by plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier.

General Rules for Meetings and Events in Ontario

Gathering Limits

Advice for Hosts and Organizers

Key Resources