Fingers crossed as our province cautiously reopens

Fingers crossed, hopefully this will be the weekend when things really do start to return to normal.

Premier Doug Ford is opening the door — just a crack — to let more businesses get back to business.

Nurseries and garden centres were allowed to let customers in Friday, hardware stores were to open fully on Saturday, and Monday any store with a street entrance can at least provide curbside pickup.

On the other hand, all this does make us think of the guy who closed his eyes, pulled the trigger and hoped for the best.

After having caution, caution, caution urged on us for the past two months, how could it feel otherwise?

No one likes isolating, but is it too soon to risk the success we’ve already achieved?

After all, it was just over a week ago that Ford himself said, “We’ve come so far with this fight and we just don’t want to give it up now.”

“We want to continue moving forward and the quicker we see the numbers come down, the quicker we can get things back to normal.”

As of Thursday, the number of new cases in Ontario was still rising, albeit slightly — up 2.1 per cent, or 399 new cases more than the day before.

And while COVID-19 symptoms can apparently take two weeks to show themselves, it’s only been about a week since Queen’s Park allowed greenhouses and garden centres to offer curbside services (which confused operators, since many had already been doing that for the past five weeks).

Granted, letting customers back inside greenhouses and hardware stores might be a reasonable next, small step toward normal.

They’ll basically be doing what Walmart, Costco and grocery stores have been doing for the past two months.

That is, allowing people to shop while enforcing social distancing in the aisles and at the cash register, hopefully providing hand sanitizer and limiting the numbers allowed inside.

That would be the next step. But is it too soon? At least Ontario isn’t following Quebec, which on Monday will start the gradual reopening of schools.

One has to wonder how many parents will dare send their kids back to class, even if they are going stir crazy at home.

And don’t get us started on the U.S., where many governors have been reckless in rushing toward a reopening despite coronavirus figures that are far worse than Canada’s.

Certainly, we agree with Fort Erie council which this week called on Ottawa to extend the agreement with the U.S. to keep the border closed. It expires later this month.

Reopening at any time is going to be difficult. It seems like an eternity, even though it has been less than two months.

Do it wrong, and we’re back behind closed doors for who knows how long.

At the very least, let’s wait at least two weeks and maybe more, before Ontario takes the next step toward reopening.

By that time we should a clearer idea of where we are at.

We’ll also know what to do about the school year then. They’re closed until at least May 31. A return to the classroom at this point looks doubtful (and maybe even pointless).

The thing is, no one knows for sure. That’s the problem.

We can listen to the scientists, empathize with the people who need to get back to work and nod in agreement with those who just want their lives back.

No matter what we decide, it feels like we’re closing our eyes and pulling the trigger.

Fingers crossed.