On April 23, 2021, Ontario filed Regulations 313/21, 314/21 and 315/21 under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020. The Regulations create new requirements relating to the temporary removal of masks in the workplace to consume food or drink during Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 of the reopening plan. Specifically, those responsible for a business or organization must ensure that workers who temporarily remove a mask to consume food or drink are separated from every other person by:
- a distance of at least two metres; or
- plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier.
These regulations took effect immediately, so employers must take steps now to ensure compliance with this new requirement.
