Easy does it.

The province is officially announcing COVID-19 restrictions will be relaxed gradually starting the end of this month with restaurant dining rooms, bars, gyms and cinemas, able to operate at 50% capacity.

Doug Ford says the government’s able to do this as evidence shows the measures that were put in place are working, and that we can be ”confident the worst is behind us and that we are now in a position to cautiously and gradually” loosen restrictions.

”And while we can be confident in how far we’ve come, I want to be crystal clear ‘We’re not out of the woods yet’,” adds the premier.

”The coming weeks will continue to pose real challenges, especially to our hospitals.”

But Ford says these are challenges our hospital system can manage.

If trends remain stable or improve, Ontario will move to the next step February 21, when capacity limits will be lifted in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, as well as other settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements.

The plan’s to then remove capacity limits in all indoor public settings March 14.

Social gathering limits will rise to 10 indoors and 25 outdoors at the end of January, then 25 indoors and 100 outdoors February 21, followed by a limit of 50 indoors and no limit outdoors in mid-March.