Return to normal?
As each level of government turns its attention to recovery efforts, here’s a look at where we stand, and where we might be going
We’re a long way off from a “return to normal,” as the prime minister keeps reminding us.
But what does the immediate future look like? And could any day soon look more “normal” than our current reality?
With all levels of government now turning their attention to recovery efforts, we take a look at what the future holds in five different areas for Hamiltonians.
School
As it stands, provincially run schools remain closed until at least the end of May. It’s not looking likely they’ll reopen in June.
“No one wants to put our children in harm’s way. I’m just not willing to chance it,” Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday when asked why his recovery plan does not include a return to school.
On Sunday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced all remaining professional activity (PA) days — seven in high schools and two in elementary schools — will now be learning days and an “expanded summer learning program” focused on credit recovery, course upgrading and vulnerable students supports will be rolled out. The details of summer schooling are yet to be unveiled.
“We will never compromise the safety of your child,” Lecce said.
He said the next time he provides an update will be the “final update” regarding the future of the school year.
Quebec, meanwhile, is planning to open elementary schools in May — a step that has drawn criticism from some for being too premature.
Economy
Hamilton city council is creating an economic recovery task force, but it’s more a future guide than an immediate plan of action.
“We’re hoping that that will give us a bit of a kick-start in terms of being ready whenever the province says we’re ready to move on this next phase of opening up,” said Mayor Fred Eisenberger in a Monday briefing.
The city’s economic recovery plans, indeed, hinge on Ontario’s plans.
Ontario released its COVID-19 recovery plan, “A Framework for Reopening our Province,” on Monday, but it has no dates attached to it. Stage one addresses reopening workplaces that can meet public health guidelines, opening more outdoor spaces, permitting some events to occur and allowing hospitals to offer more non-urgent procedures. Stage two includes opening up more workplaces and allowing larger public gatherings, while stage three would see all workplaces reopen and more large gatherings permitted.
Physical distancing
Get used to staying two metres apart for the foreseeable future — there’s been next to no indication Hamiltonians will be permitted to roam freely in proximity any time soon.
Still, developments in other provinces, such as New Brunswick, could give us some hope.
After several straight days of no new COVID-19 cases, New Brunswick told its citizens they could expand their “bubbles,” linking up with one other household.
Still, that presents its own challenges — how do you politely turn down a bubble request?
Vaccines
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has routinely said a vaccine is “extremely important” for “getting back to normal.” The creation and rollout of a vaccine, however, is believed to be 12 to 18 months off, if not longer.
In the meantime, Trudeau has said “treatments” could be developed to manage the virus until a vaccine exists. Several times he’s referenced HIV/ AIDS, noting there’s still no vaccine for the infection, but it can be managed through treatment.
Questions remain about whether an eventual COVID-19 vaccine could be mandatory.
“We are so very far away from making that kind of decision,” Trudeau said Tuesday when asked if he would impose mandatory vaccination to ensure high levels of immunity.
Referring to other vaccines for different diseases, he acknowledged about 80 per cent of a population must be immunized to stop the spread of disease.
Long-term care
Long-term care homes remain the epicentre of deadly COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario, with 159 care homes reporting outbreaks and 775 residents dying with the virus.
In Hamilton alone, outbreaks are ongoing at four long-term care homes and one retirement home. Six long-term care home residents and seven who live in a retirement home have died.
Ford has said the sector was in “crisis” long before the pandemic hit. Earlier in April, he suggested a review of the “cracks” in the long-term care sector will take place post-pandemic.
In the short-term, Ford has called in the military to help five homes hard hit by COVID-19, he’s temporarily hiked pay for some front-line health-care workers, including those in long-term care, and some hospitals have deployed “SWAT teams” to care homes.
Other hospitals, including those in Hamilton that haven’t deployed “SWAT teams,” are finding other ways to work with long-term care homes. For instance, doctors are now speaking with care home staff and residents via video conferencing, cutting down on the number of emergency room visits vulnerable residents would otherwise have to make.