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       A closed nail salon on King Street in Toronto on June 4, 2020.

       Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail

       Ontario is moving into the second phase of its reopening plan on June 30, two days ahead of schedule, allowing shopping malls, hair salons and amusement parks to reopen with capacity limits.

       The province has surpassed its COVID-19 vaccination targets for the third, more permissive step of its reopening plan, but the government said it is still not expected to start until later in July.

       So far, 76.5 per cent of adults in the province have received a first dose, and 29 per cent have received two doses of a vaccine.

       “We’ve got to get every single business open and the economy booming again, and we’ll get that done as soon as we get more vaccines into people’s arms,” Premier Doug Ford said at a photo-op on Thursday, after receiving his second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

       Ontario is moving into the next phase of its reopening plan on June 30, two days ahead of schedule. The province has met its targets for lifting rules on businesses and other activities. Dr. David Williams, the province's top doctor, says other health indicators have improved too, allowing for the change. The Canadian Press

       Step 2 of the province’s three-part plan, which was scheduled to begin July 2, further loosens restrictions but keeps most indoor activities closed. It allows for outdoor gatherings of 25 people, indoor gatherings of five people, non-essential retail including malls to reopen at 25-per-cent capacity and personal-care services to resume at 25-per-cent capacity. Overnight camps will also be allowed to reopen.

       Outdoor sports leagues are permitted, but indoor gyms remain closed. Indoor weddings, funerals and religious services are allowed at 25-per-cent capacity. Outdoor amusement parks, waterparks and fairs can also resume with reduced capacity.

       Julian Herrche, owner of the Barking Iron Barbershop, which has locations in Toronto and Waterdown, Ont., said he was irritated with the government’s decision to move up reopening by two days – one of them being Canada Day, a statutory holiday. He said a month’s notice would have been more appropriate.

       “They’re really just giving us one day,” he said. “We can’t really run our businesses off potential opening dates. We kind of need a solid answer, because people’s livelihoods have been completely destroyed.”

       At least one region, Waterloo, said it will hold off on moving into Step 2 because of the prevalence of the highly contagious Delta variant. The region reported 95 new cases on Thursday, compared with 35 in Toronto.

       “To give our residents more time to be vaccinated, to avoid having to take a step back, and based on our situation at this time, I anticipate the Region of Waterloo will be able to move into Step 2 in mid-July,” Hsiu-Li Wang, Waterloo’s Medical Officer of Health, said in a statement.

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       The Porcupine Health Unit, whose jurisdiction includes Timmins and the remote Kashechewan First Nation, had also paused its reopening plans in the face of the Delta variant. Kashechewan recently battled an outbreak of more than 200 cases, most of them affecting children younger than 17. Lianne Catton, Porcupine’s Medical Officer of Health, said this week that most of the region will enter Step 1 of the province’s plan on Friday. But she said the area of Moosonee, within the James and Hudson Bay region, will face additional restrictions. No decision has been made as to whether Porcupine will join Step 2 on June 30, spokesman Gary Schelling said.

       Meanwhile, Mr. Ford’s government is facing pressure from the business community to move into Step 3 of its plan faster, which would allow for larger indoor and outdoor gatherings, indoor dining and for indoor sports and recreational facilities to reopen.

       “We were disappointed ... to not have any inkling or movement on Stage 3. That was the real frustration,” said Ryan Mallough, director of provincial affairs for Ontario for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

       Step 3 of the government’s reopening plan requires 70 to 80 per cent of adults to be vaccinated with one dose, and 25 per cent of adults to be fully vaccinated. The government says other factors are at play as well, including hospital capacity and case numbers, and officials have said they are monitoring the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.

       The government said Thursday it will remain in Step 2 for “approximately” 21 days to allow vaccines to reach their full effectiveness and to evaluate the impact.

       David Williams, Ontario’s outgoing chief medical officer of health, said Thursday that vaccinations are only one marker of the province’s reopening plan, and that it takes two weeks to build up immunity. He noted about 25 per cent of adults in the province have yet to receive one dose. He added that Ontario will also provide guidance for fully vaccinated residents in the near future.

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