‘Region-hopping’ a worry as restrictions ease
Public health lacks mobility data to monitor movement into Hamilton area businesses
From the time Lime Ridge Mall welcomed back customers for indoor shopping on Tuesday morning, to the last few hours before closing, the capacity tracker on its website hovered at “not too busy.”
Snow and slippery road conditions may have deterred visitors from returning to the shopping centre, as Hamilton enters the red-control phase of the province’s COVID-19 response framework this week.
Still, shoppers braving the snow formed a line outside one of the two available entrances, with security allowing people to trickle into the mall, with capacity limits at most retailers capped at half of the regular allowance.
While services offered by the city and province include measures to curb “region-hopping,” businesses like malls and restaurants may see an influx of those travelling to Hamilton from areas with higher restrictions, and local public health does not currently have access to cellphone mobility data to monitor these trends.
In a media briefing on Tuesday, medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, said she hopes to have some of this data in the coming months, pointing to instances in Niagara where mobility data was linked back to COVID-19 exposures through case management.
“It’s certainly something we’re concerned about,” Richardson said. “We know from the last phase if that’s what happens, it will spread, and we’ll have to take a step backwards.”
The city is restricting access to its recreational services and facilities to local residents and organizations only as Hamilton is flanked by areas still under emergency orders, like the GTA and Niagara. Provincial services like DriveTest centres are now open in Hamilton, but applicants residing in other areas will be turned away, a Ministry of Transportation spokesperson said in a statement to The Spectator.
Though public health officials have been consistent with their messaging against crossing regional borders since the onset of the second wave, businesses may also emerge as a louder voice on this front.
“One other thing that we want to make sure that people understand is (to) stay at home, and do not leave your region,” said Liem Vu, general manager of Lime Ridge. “Do us a favour by not coming in and lingering and gathering, because we want to protect our workers, as well as the community,” he added.
The mall is requiring shoppers to complete an online provincial screening form for COVID-19, available on its website, and present the result to security at the mall’s two available entrances to go inside. The screening process does not include inputting an address.
Retailers at the mall can open at 50 per cent capacity, and 75 per cent capacity for pharmacies and grocery stores.
Restaurant workers are also gearing up for a return to indoor dining, which is capped at 10 patrons, with a maximum of four people at a table.
But with the limited capacity will come fewer shifts for workers like Emily Gay, who is now treating her job of four years as bartender and server at Firth’s Celtic Pub as a part-time gig. She was called back to work this week, with two shifts a week compared to five previously.
“The first lockdown, I just waited it out, and the second time … it kind of forced me to find another job,” she said. She recently began working fulltime at McMaster University when it became clear she needed work that would provide stability through lockdowns, she said. “It’s quite the change, but it’s good because I was sitting around for so long, just waiting on work to happen” she said. “It’s almost relieving to know that I have two jobs now.”