A sound plan for reopening Ontario
When you walk into a dark room, it’s advisable to move slowly.
And slowly but surely is the wise principle governing Stage 1 of the plan to reopen Ontario that Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday.
Starting on Saturday and continuing Tuesday, Ontarians will have more opportunities to work, shop, play and access vital health care than they’ve had during the past two, dispiriting months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At long last,” many people will say, and no wonder. There will be widespread joy that this province is finally emerging from its painful economic lockdown. Many people will also celebrate the fact that Ontario is gradually leaving behind some of the restriction on individual freedoms that strained daily life for so long.
But there will also be trepidation that Ford might be moving too fast. And that’s because when it comes to knowing what the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can or will do, we remain in the dark.
Just three days ago, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, said he was not confident the province is ready for Stage 1 of the recovery. Indeed, not all the requirements for reopening the province that Ford set down in April have been met.
Yes, our hospitals have the capacity to handle a potential surge in COVID-19 cases. Local health officials are doing a good job of contacting new COVID-19 cases within a day and the number of daily tests being conducted is higher.
But we haven’t yet seen the consistent two- to four-week decrease in new COVID-19 cases that was supposed to precede any reopening. So is Ford wrong to ignore his own conditions and Dr. Williams’ advice?
The reality is nobody truly knows the best and safest way to reopen a complex, 21st-century economy. We’ve never been in a situation like this before.
Faced with this pandemic, the government needs to do everything possible to protect public health and save lives. But it can’t indefinitely keep Ontario’s economy or its society in what amounts to an induced coma. Unemployment, poverty, isolation, loneliness and mental illness are real problems, too.
Ford has weighed the risks of starting to reopen Ontario now against the dangers of keeping it as shutdown as it has been. On balance, he made a reasonable, informed and sound decision.
As early as Saturday morning, golf courses, marinas, private parks and campgrounds will be allowed to reopen, although with clearly defined restrictions. On Tuesday, retail stores with a street-front entrance can open, but again with conditions that could limit the number of customers at any one time. Many health services will be allowed to resume, including some surgeries that had been postponed to make room for COVID-19 patients. All construction work can resume, too.
The list of what’s able to reopen is too long to include here. But it’s worth noting schools and shopping malls will remain closed. Gatherings of more than five people not from the same household will also still be prohibited.
If all goes well, sometime — no one knows when — Ontario will move to Stage 2 of its reopening. Before that happens, the government needs to do a far better job than it has in testing for the coronavirus in the community at large.
So much will also depend on the 14.5 million people living in his province. Ontario will not be fully reopened unless the vast majority of Ontarians continue playing safe, obeying the rules and doing what’s necessary to beat COVID-19. For now, we’re still groping through the dark.