The Province of Ontario has declared an emergency and provincewide stay-at-home order which is in effect as of Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 12:01 am. These shutdown measures are the most stringent seen to date and have been put in place to address the rapid escalation of COVID-19 transmission across the province, including the spread of COVID-19 variants which are of particular concern.
The stay-at-home order puts shutdown measures in place that include new business closures in high risk sectors like fitness, restaurants (including indoor and outdoor dining), and personal care.
In regards to vehicle sales, dealerships must follow the province’s restrictions, which include:
- In-person shopping by appointment only
- Maximum capacity: up to 25%
- Operating hours limited to between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. for sales, with delivery allowed between 6:00 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- Members of the public must not be permitted where products are neither sold nor displayed for sale
- Certain conditions related to test drives, including:
- limited to no more than 10 minutes
- a maximum of two people, including up to one sales representative permitted
- windows must be opened at all times if two people who are not members of the same household are present in the vehicle.
Under the province’s regulations, motor vehicle sales “include cars, trucks and motorcycles; recreational vehicles including motor homes; trailers and travel trailers; boats and other watercraft; and other motorized vehicles, including power-assisted bicycles, golf carts, scooters, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles.”
Visit the Province of Ontario’s website for more information about what is and is not allowed under the new stay-at-home order.
