TORONTO -- The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is calling on the provincial government to announce if businesses shuttered under the latest pandemic restrictions will be allowed to reopen on Jan. 26.

President and CEO Rocco Rossi says in a statement today that now that the province has said schools will return on Monday, it's time to provide clarity for businesses.

The government announced on Jan. 3 that due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant driving up COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, schools would move online until at least Jan. 17 and restrictions would be placed on businesses until at least Jan. 26.

Restaurants were ordered closed for indoor dining, museums, zoos and other such attractions were closed, as were gyms, indoor recreation facilities, cinemas and indoor concert venues, while retail settings and personal care services were capped at 50 per cent capacity.

Rossi says businesses, in particular small businesses, have suffered greatly over the last two years and need some certainty.
He says employers, workers and families need to be able to plan and see what metrics are guiding the government's decisions to impose and lift restrictions.