Get the status of closed public places and learn what government services have changed due to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
What happens during a state of emergency
To help stop the spread of COVID-19, the province declared a state of emergency on March 17, 2020.
This allows Ontario to create and enforce emergency orders, such as ordering non-essential workplaces to close, restricting retirement and long-term care home employees from working in more than one facility and prohibiting events and gatherings.
Most emergency orders are currently in force until July 29, 2020 to ensure the government continues to have the necessary tools to safely and gradually reopen the province, while continuing to support frontline health care workers and protect vulnerable populations from COVID-19.