Some good news for the owners, employees, and patrons of the Lindsay Drive-In and the Port Hope Drive-In in Cobourg — drive-in theatres in Ontario can reopen on Sunday (May 31).
The Ontario government has amended its emergency order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act that requires the closure of non-essential businesses.
The emergency order now excludes drive-in theatres, as well as batting cages. Cinemas remain closed.
The Ontario government ordered the closure of drive-in theatres and other cinemas, along with performance venues and bars and restaurants, when the province first declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17th. Since then, drive-in theatres have been allowed to reopen in other Canadian provinces and in other countries, where they’ve experienced a resurgence in popularity.
The amended emergency order includes some requirements for drive-ins that are reopening:
- people must remain in their vehicles except to go to the washroom
- only members of the same household are allowed in a vehicle
- each vehicle must be at least two metres from other vehicles
- no food or beverages can be sold at the drive-in theatre
- washrooms at the drive-in theatre must be cleaned and disinfected frequently
- drive-in theatre employees must stay at least two metres away from vehicles and other people, except when collecting admission fees
- no materials can be exchanged between people at a drive-in, except between members of the same household, between drive-in employees, or for collecting admission fees.
PDF: 51/20 Closure of establishments – 246/20 Amendment on May 29
51/20 Closure of establishments - 246/20 Amendment on May 29
