With the recent announcement of many Ontario municipalities outside the GTA moving to Phase 2, we at ONroute want you to know that we’re ON it as you travel and are proud to be a safe, clean partner on your journey. We understand that these are unprecedented times, especially for travel, and assure you that ONroute is here for you and remains committed to doing our part to help make your journey smooth and enjoyable, especially as Ontario begins the gradual process of re-opening.
We continue to prioritize the health and safety of our employees and customers, ensuring we are offering a safe and clean place to work and to stop. As an essential business, all 23 ONroute travel plazas remain open offering 24/7 access to washrooms, fuel, parking and food/beverage via take-out, grab and go, drive-through services, as well as greenspace areas and outdoor dining options at applicable locations. All indoor dining and seating areas remain closed in accordance with the Government of Ontario’s State of Emergency direction.
Further to the Government of Ontario’s recent direction detailing a move to Phase 2 for some regions, our various ONroute plazas are now in different phases of re-opening based on geographic location and/or are subject to regional orders meaning there are differences in operating protocols and procedures. Specifically:
- Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Phase 1 – Newcastle, King City, Maple Plazas - Our Newcastle, King City, and Maple plazas all remain in Phase 1 as part of the GTA and continue to have the required limitations in place, including closed indoor and outdoor dining.
- All Other Regions (Outside GTA) Phase 2: All Remaining 20 ONroute Plazas (excludes Newcastle, King City, Maple Plazas) - All of our remaining 20 additional plazas, including those in the REGIONS, fall under Phase 2 and have opened outdoor dining areas as of June 12 part. Outdoor dining areas will allow for a maximum of 4 patrons per table. Where the existing secured tables do not allow for 6 feet/2 metre social distancing space, some tables may be closed to ensure we are adhering to all government directives.
- Cambridge North and South Plazas – Face Coverings Required - In accordance with the Wellington/Dufferin/Guelph Public Health order dated June 10, which affects our Cambridge North and South plazas, all customers and employees in businesses are required to wear masks. As such, all customers and employees at Cambridge North and South plazas will be required to wear masks to enter. Customers who do not wear masks will be denied service and asked to leave.
ONroute also continues to maintain the numerous precautionary measures we have implemented as part of our daily operations to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our plazas. These include, but are not limited to:
- Enhanced existing cleaning and sanitation measures
- Increased frequency of our cleaning and disinfecting routines
- Providing gloves for employee use in serving customers
- Providing masks for employee use
- Re-trained and continually re-emphasizing proper hand-washing protocols with our team members
- Actively take the temperatures of employees and ask screening questions before every shift and continue to advise all employees who feel unwell to stay home. Consistent with advice from local and national health authorities, we also require employees who have traveled recently to self-isolate at home. ONroute has waived any requirement to produce a doctor’s note during this time and we are actively working with our employees to monitor their well-being, support them during time away from work, and assist in managing their return when appropriate to do so.
- Moved to cashless transactions, accepting debit and credit for purchases
- Installed plexi-glass shields at our point-of-sale systems
- Increased signage to ensure appropriate social distancing for the public in our plazas
- Implemented new queue protocols to increase distance from counter staff
- Temporarily removed our children’s play areas
- Closed all indoor dining/seating areas, and where applicable by municipality, outdoor eating areas are now open as part of Phase 2
- Replaced all plastic trays with only take-out bags
- Moved all cream/sugar stations behind the counter
- Ensuring a separation of duties for employees handling cash and those handling food and beverages, with dedicated cashiers who handle cash only and dedicated food and beverage expeditors who handle and package food, where feasible; or, on shifts where staffing is lower, we require employees to change gloves between tasks
- We ask all customers who feel unwell to stay home and for those who have traveled recently to self-isolate at home for 14 days before visiting us again.
We also continually monitor for updates from the Government of Ontario (ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus) and the World Health Organization and adjust our policies and protocols as needed. If you have any questions, please contact Colleen Ryan at cryan@sussex-strategy.com.
ONroute proudly supports all who are travelling during this time by having what you need, when you need it, all in one-stop and, when it comes to servicing customers with quality and care, we’re ON it. Thank you for your understanding and for making ONroute a part of your journey.
Melanie Teed-Murch
Chief Executive Officer