Provincial and City Rules

Masks must be worn in all indoor public spaces. Masks are mandatory in the common areas of condominium and apartment buildings. You also need to wear a mask while on the O-Train, OC Transpo buses, taxis and private transportation vehicles. Full details can be found in the Temporary Mandatory Mask By-law.

The Province of Ontario and Ottawa Public Health recommend that you limit close physical contact to people within your household and, if necessary, one or two additional supports. Those who live alone may consider having close contact with one additional household. Find more information on the latest social gathering recommendations.

Effective November 7, indoor food and drink service is permitted under strict conditions including:

• 50-person indoor capacity limit
• Limit operating hours, establishments and their patios close for dine-in between 10 pm and 5 am (take out and pick-up permitted to continue).
• Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Require screening of patrons
• Require contact information for dine-in customers
• Limit of four people may be seated together
• Tents on patios must have at least two sides open.
• Closure of strip clubs
• No buffet style service
• Music, dancing, karaoke and live performances allowed with restrictions

Effective November 7, indoor gyms and fitness centres may open with restrictions, including:

• Maximum 50 people per facility
• Require screening of patrons
• Limit duration of stay
• No spectators permitted (exemption for parent/guardian supervision of children)
• Team or individual sports must be modified to avoid physical contact
• Face coverings required except when exercising
• Increase spacing between patrons to 3 m for areas of a sport or recreational facility where there are weights/weight machines and exercise/fitness classes
• Require appointments for entry; one reservation for teams
• More info about gyms and fitness centres in City facilities.

The City is now working to ensure all safety protocols are in place before resuming its operation of its cardio and weight rooms and drop-in fitness and sporting activities. Please check ottawa.ca/recreation for new start up dates and locations.

Places of worship are permitted to open with face masks and physical distancing measures in place. Attendance is limited to no more than 30 per cent of the building capacity.

Effective November 7, casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments may open with restrictions, including:

• Capacity cannot exceed 50 persons.
• Table games are prohibited, unless exception is granted by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
• Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• No consumption of liquor between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m.
• Require screening of patrons
• Require contact information from all patrons

Effective November 7, cinemas may open with restrictions, including:

• Limit of 50 indoors
• Limit of 100 outdoors
• Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• No consumption of liquor between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m.
• Require screening of patrons
• Face coverings except when eating or drinking only
• Drive-in cinemas permitted to operate, subject to restrictions

Effective November 7, performing arts facilities may open with restrictions, including:

• 50 spectators indoors, 100 spectators outdoors with 2m physical distance maintained
• Singers and players of wind or brass instruments must be separated from spectators by plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier
• Performers and employees must maintain 2 m physical distance except for purposes of the performance
• Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• No consumption of liquor between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m.
• Require screening of patrons

Effective November 7, retail businesses may open with restrictions, including:

• Fitting rooms must be limited to nonadjacent stalls
• Line-ups/patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue
• 2m distance and face covering required
• Require screening of patrons at mall entrances
• Limit volume of music to be no louder than the volume of a normal conversation

Effective November 7, personal care services may open with restrictions, including:

• Services requiring removal of face coverings prohibited
• Change rooms & showers closed
• Steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, floating pools and sensory deprivation pods closed
• Require screening of patrons

Regular parking enforcement operations have resumed.

Motorists should follow all posted signage when parking and insert payment when utilizing pay and display zones.

Parking enforcement ensures safety, traffic flow, emergency vehicle access and parking space availability as services begin to reopen and normal traffic patterns resume. It is also necessary to resume the enforcement of overtime parking on residential streets in preparation for snow clearing operations during the winter months.

Parking limits in unsigned areas are three hours, Monday to Friday, between 7 am and 7 pm, and six hours on weekends and statutory holidays, between 7 am and 7 pm.

Enforcement of overtime parking on streets without posted signs will only occur on a complaint basis.