Advertisement 1

Column: Carnage south of border makes Ontarians jittery as province moves to Stage 3

Ontario’s Stage 3 re-opening of the economy is like that first time you  jumped into the deep end without a life jacket.

Article content

Ontario’s Stage 3 re-opening of the economy is like that first time you  jumped into the deep end without a life jacket.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

You want to, but it’s scary. Toes curled over the edge of the diving board, knees bent, arms stretched forward, you think you’re ready, then you aren’t.  What if the water’s too deep? What if you don’t re-surface?

The provincial government said Monday to 24 public health districts, including Middlesex-London, to jump in. The water’s fine.

Article content

After four months of isolation and social bubbles, it’s not that easy.

At 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Londoners can go inside a restaurant or bar, work out at a gym, or go to the movies, all with proper safety measures.

You won’t be able to go dancing or sing karaoke, but playgrounds are back. Outdoor gatherings are expanded to 100 people, while 50 are allowed indoors, with proper social distancing.

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

Premier Doug Ford and Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips said at the daily news conference Monday by the time all regions are phased in, 99 per cent of the local economy should be up and running. Daycares are expanding to 90 per cent capacity. Education minister Stephen Lecce hinted at “daily conventional learning” with proper safety measures at schools by September.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford stands at a window used for take-outs, as he visits a bakery in Toronto, on Friday, July 10, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford stands at a window used for take-outs, as he visits a bakery in Toronto, on Friday, July 10, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

COVID-19 hotspots such as Toronto, Peel, York, Windsor-Essex and border areas like Sarnia-Lambton remain in Stage 2.  The easing of restrictions in those areas was delayed in June and won’t be moved to Stage 3 until a full four weeks of data is assessed by health officials.

The numbers are improving. Ontario reported 116 new cases Monday. Middlesex-London had one new case.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

Still, there was unease on social media after the Stage 3 announcement. Jennifer Kwan, a family physician in the Toronto area whose daily Ontario COVID-19 analysis on Twitter has attracted more than 18,000 followers, said there are risks. There’s no provincewide guidance surrounding face masks. Opening indoor bars and casinos is concerning.

“We have to do everything possible to keep the numbers low to ensure that reopening of schools is safe in September, which is coming up fast,” she said. “A safe return to school for children and educators should be our first and foremost priority.”

Those concerns fall in line with recent surveys by Leger Marketing and the Association for Canadian Studies that suggest Canadians are more anxious about re-opening than they were two weeks ago. Last week, 64 per cent of those surveyed were comfortable with governments maintaining, not speeding up, the pace of relaxing physical distancing and isolation measures.

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

In Ontario, the survey suggested 66 per cent were content with the current pace.

“You would think anxiety levels would diminish with the cases diminishing,” said Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies, but the raging pandemic in the United States has raised fears, even though we’ve been successful in crushing the curve.

“Our benchmark is what is going on in the United States and now we look like we’re on two different planets compared to their situation,” he said.

Guests wearing protective masks wait outside the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World on the first day of reopening, in Orlando, Florida, on July 11, 2020. (Photo by Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images)
Guests wearing protective masks wait outside the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World on the first day of reopening, in Orlando, Florida, on July 11, 2020. (Photo by Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images)

On Monday, there were 50,000 new cases reported in the United States. The survey suggested that 86 per cent of Canadians are against the Canada-U.S. border re-opening. The border closing has been extended to July 21, a little more than a week away.

Advertisement 6
Story continues below
Article content

Meanwhile, Canadians have been compliant with government and public health guidance. For example, at the end of April, only 20 per cent of Canadians surveyed said they wore a face mask to the grocery store. Now, with clear recommendations that masks help stop virus’s spread, it’s 66 per cent.

The data points to a need by all levels of government to monitor anxiety levels and “phase-in behaviour.”

And “we need to monitor our own behaviour and phase it in at our comfort level independent of what is being opened up out there,” Jedwab said.

So, take it slow. Instead of the deep end, Jedwab said maybe we wade into the shallow end at our own pace.

The water will be fine.

jsims@postmedia.com

twitter.com/JaneatLFPress

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers