Social circles are up to 10 people that can interact without physical distancing. Everyone in a household must be part of the same social circle.
People in the same social circle:
do not have to physically distance from each other
can hug and touch each other
should continue to follow public health advice, including washing/ sanitizing hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, and keeping their environment clean and disinfected
should not join more than one social circle
should continue to physical distance from others outside of their social circle
People may or may not, choose to participate in a social circle depending on their unique circumstance and risk of developing complications from COVID-19, for example people:
over 70.
with compromised immune systems.
with underlying medical conditions.
Social circles are important as they will support the mental health and well-being of Ontarians. They will help to reduce social isolation, will allow some families to get additional support with child care, elder care and other personal needs, and will allow for more rapid contact tracing in the event of a case of COVID-19 in a social circle.
The province has put together practical information on the How to Build your Social Circle website to help Ontarians safely develop and join a social circle.
Ontarians who wish to form a safe social circle should follow these five simple steps:
Start with your current circle: the people you live with or who regularly come into your household.
If your current circle is under 10 people, you can add members to your circle, including those from another household, family members or friends.
Get agreement from everyone that they will join the circle.
Keep your social circle safe. Maintain physical distancing with anyone outside of your circle.
Be true to your circle. No one should be part of more than one circle.
Read more details on forming a safe social circle in Ontario's Step-by-Step Guide.
Social Gatherings
Social gatherings include people from outside your household or social circle and physical distancing of at least 2 metres (6 feet) must be maintained.
Based on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and public health experts, gathering limits in Stage 3 have increased to:
up to 50 people indoors
up to 100 people outdoors
Social circles should continue to be kept at 10 people province-wide, regardless of stage.
Invited to a gathering or event? Check out Going out? Do it safely! to help you make informed choices about how to socialize during COVID-19.
If you choose to get together with others, socialize safely:
Don’t gather with others if you’re sick.
Keep 2 metres (6 feet) from those outside your household or social circle.
Do not exceed gathering limits.
Stay outside if you can.
Wash/sanitize your hands often.
Don’t touch your face with unclean hands.
Cover your coughs and sneezes.
Wear a mask.
If you think you were at risk of exposure to COVID-19, call the Assessment Centre nearest you or Telehealth Ontario at 1 (866) 797-0000.
Your overall health and well-being is important and social interaction is part of that. Use your social network to support your mental health and well being but be respectful of where other people are at.
Have a conversation with your friends and family about the risks of interacting and agree on guidelines for safety. Think about how you will respond if the guidelines are not being followed. Think about how you will decline an interaction you are not comfortable with. Think about how you will respond without judgement if someone declines a visit that they are not comfortable with.
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.
The goal is to reduce interactions between different social circles 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).
When hosting an event, the person responsible for the event must ensure that all current Rules for Areas in Stage 3 are followed.
All businesses, services and public spaces are subject to indoor and outdoor gathering limits. Indoor events are limited to 50 people, not including staff; outdoor events can host up to 100 people, not including staff. Outdoor drive-in or drive-through events are not included in this gathering limit.
Tents are considered an outdoor space ONLY if open on 2 or more sides.
People gathering indoors for a wedding, a funeral or a religious service, rite or ceremony can continue to fill up to 30 per cent of the capacity of the particular room, as introduced in Stage 2.
All those in attendance at the event must be able to maintain a physical distance of 2 metres from one another, unless they are from the same household or are part of the same social circle.
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.
Limit attendance to ensure that physical distancing can be maintained for your space.
Tell guests to say home if they are sick and consider having a wellness check/ screening for arriving guests.
Remind guests in advance and during the event to follow recommended practices to protect themselves and others (see Advice for Guests above).
Plan the scheduling and physical layout of your gathering to reduce the chances of crowding, congestion and contact between social circles.
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 drink.
Provide hand hygiene products at convenient locations
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.
Have a plan if someone attending the event feels unwell during the event.
Contact the Thunder Bay District Health Unit at (807) 625-5900 or Toll-Free at 1 (888) 294-6630 for advice if any of these situations apply to you:
You are organizing a special event such as a fair, festival or charity barbecue where food will be sold and/or given away. Within the District of Thunder Bay, organizers of these types of events must notify the Thunder Bay District Health Unit before the event. Download a copy of TBDHU’s Special Event Guidelines – Operating Guidelines for Event Organizers and Food Vendors (PDF).
