City council and committee meetings will be carried out under hybrid arrangements
The City of Toronto has announced that it will expand its return-to-office scheme among its employees starting March 21, after it began a transition back to workplaces last February 22 under a hybrid workplace arrangement.
The city government's offices are currently allowing maximum capacity based on occupational health and safety guidelines, including physical distancing.
Other implemented measures across offices include:
- ensuring physical distancing
- universal wearing of masks
- increased sanitization and enhanced cleaning protocols
- improved ventilation in buildings
- mandatory daily screening
- mandatory vaccinations for all staff
Toronto Mayor John Tory said the reopening of the City Hall and civic centres come after "great progress" in vaccinations across the population.
"Opening City buildings to the community and reopening offices, in a safe and responsible manner, is another example of the work underway to return to a more active and thriving city," Tory previously said in a statement.
Additionally, the City Council and Committee meetings will begin transitioning to a hybrid model starting March 21, where members of the council will be allowed to join meetings virtually or in-person.
The city government said standing committees, community councils, and council meetings will be the first to adopt the hybrid model on March 21.
"Council advisory bodies, boards (including the Toronto Board of Health), tribunals and panels supported by the City Clerk’s Office will continue to be conducted online only and will move to the hybrid model at a later date," it said in the announcement.
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The hybrid meetings will be carried out in the Council Chamber to maximise space for all participants, who need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
"The health and safety of residents, businesses, and City staff remain key priorities in the reopening plans. All provincial, public health and occupational health and safety regulations and guidelines will be followed," the government said in its announcement.
Twenty per cent of Toronto's office workers transitioned to remote work at the beginning of the pandemic, with about 80% continued to deliver essential and critical services on-site. On the other hand, Toronto City Council and committee meetings have been carried out virtually since 2020.
The city was supposed to reopen to its fully vaccinated remote workers back in January, but this plan was derailed due to the outbreak and spread of the Omicron variant.
The city is regarded as one of the most diverse and liveable cities with more than 2.9 million people living in it. Toronto has reported over 289,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to its public health office as of March 4.