Ontario limits capacity at restaurants and retailers at 50%

By ROB GILLIES
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s largest province is cutting capacity at restaurants, bars and retailers to 50% and limiting social gatherings inside restaurants to 10 people in an effort to slow the spread of the omicron variant. Ontario’s chief medical officer of health also said Thursday that the sale of alcohol will be stopped at 10 p.m. and no food or drink will be allowed to be sold at sports events and movie theaters. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the variant is unlike anything they have seen so far in the pandemic, saying Britain’s experience with a surge of infections is an urgent call for action. The new restrictions take effect Sunday. Neighboring Quebec announced similar restrictions Thursday.