Reopening is coming too quickly for some
It’s ‘foolish’ for province to open wider while changing test strategy, epidemiologist says
Is Toronto reopening for business too soon amid the COVID-19 pandemic? Samantha Conover thinks so. Though she’s permitted under provincial rules to reopen her business, Broad Lingerie, she’s chosen not to for the time being.
“I feel like (the reopening) happened too quickly, especially when looking at the (COVID-19) numbers. Especially in Toronto, they’re not looking very good,” she said.
“I was under the impression that when we went through this phase, we would have stable and lowering numbers and more testing, and that’s something we’re still reaching for.
“So it feels a bit too quick, as much as I want to reopen, because I want my business to get back to normal. At the same time, I want to be safe and I want my community to be safe.”
Ontario entered “stage one” of its reopening plan May 19, which included allowing retail stores with street-front entrances to reopen, as well as the resumption of all construction work.
Businesses offering personal services such as hairstylists and manicurists remain closed, as do bars and restaurants except for takeout and delivery.
While the number of new cases has been dropping outside of the GTA over the last two weeks, they’ve been on the rise inside the region.
It’s led some to question whether Toronto should be at the stage it’s at now almost two weeks into reopening, with many big-box stores back in business, albeit with safety guidelines in place.
Business organizations insist that the conversation should be less about reopening stores and more about focusing on the actions of each individual in lowering the risks of transmitting the virus.
Ontario’s tally by Saturday included 123 new cases in Toronto and 114 more in Peel Region; together, the two health units accounted for nearly threequarters of the province’s new infections.
Infection control epidemiologist Colin Furness said the different realities across the province are begging for a tailored approach to reopening depending on the region and its experience with COVID-19.
Premier Doug Ford said Friday the province would indeed be looking to implement regional strategies for reopening.
That reversed his previous stance on the issue.
Furness would not have recommended allowing Toronto to enter stage one two weeks ago.
“I might have considered opening earlier in some public health regions where there’s been clearly very little or no community spread, but Toronto was too early,” said Furness.
He said a major problem was the fact that the province had been moving on one “timetable” for reopening.
“I think it was extremely foolish to do that. It made some people wait too long, and Toronto ended up going too early.”
Furness said he would not recommend closing the businesses down again, unless there is a significant rise in new cases.
He said it could be useful to see if the reopening has any impact on Toronto’s test results in the coming weeks, though he acknowledged this could be difficult to pinpoint because Ontario is continuously changing its testing criteria, expanding the number of people who are eligible.
“It’s foolish for the province to simultaneously reopen and change its testing strategy, because now if you’re doing way more testing you typically find more cases,” he said.
Furness said the province should have settled on a solid testing strategy weeks before stage one, so as to properly compare results before and after the first phase of reopening.
“It’s almost like we’re trying to stay as blind as possible,” he said.
And while stage one is now well underway, it’s unclear at this point when the province might enter phase two, which would lead to the reopening of even more businesses.
(The province gave the green light this past week for the resumption of health services including dentists, chiropractors and optometrists, though each profession’s regulatory college must first come up with safety guidelines.)
Furness said he would like to see a two-week significant decrease in cases — with no more cases that can’t be traced — before the second phase, though he said he’s not confident of that big drop coming any time soon.
The president and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade said many of the businesses that have not yet been able to open to the public are feeling the pressure to reopen, but also understand the province is still in the midst of a serious health crisis.
“I would say the bulk of the businesses we’re speaking to are very appreciative of the guidelines and are just trying to work through this,” said Jan De Silva. “If we rush too quickly and cause a serious second wave, that’s not going to be helpful either.”
A number of large retailers with street-front entrances that had previously been closed to customers, including H&M, Holt Renfrew, Zara and Indigo, have reopened, with safety measures in place.
They’ve indicated that they’ve been following government guidelines including making hand sanitizer available to customers, providing personal protective equipment for staff and ensuring there’s enough space between individuals to limit the possible spread of the virus.
Clothing retailers like H&M and Zara told the Star they’ve closed their fitting rooms, while Holt Renfrew says it isolates clothing that has been tried on but not purchased for 24 hours — which experts told the Star is reasonable and very low risk.
The president and CEO of the Retail Council of Canada said she’s been hearing that customers and employees in reopened stores are a bit anxious, but are being patient given the unusual circumstances.
Diane Brisebois said retailers have been going above and beyond the guidelines, saying her organization is receiving hundreds of calls asking what more they can do to keep people safe.
She also pointed to how quickly essential retailers like grocery stores and pharmacies adapted and implemented safety measures as the pandemic progressed in Ontario.
“With all due respect, Ontarians and Torontonians seem to be behaving better when they shop than when they go into parks,” said Brisebois.
“So I think the focus needs to be on continually pushing the message about physical distancing, wearing face coverings when they may be closer to someone else that they shouldn’t be. If everyone followed those guidelines, there would be no discussion about reopening stores or not.”
And while many larger stores have reopened, many small businesses in the city have yet to resume full operation. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 25 per cent of small businesses in Toronto have reported being fully open, 55 per cent are partially open and 20 per cent are fully closed.
The CFIB’s director for provincial affairs for Ontario said she believes the province is moving at a cautious pace with the reopening, pointing out that some sectors remain completely closed and that the province is unlikely to reopen further any time soon until there’s a consistent drop in cases.
Many small businesses that are eligible to reopen but have decided to remain closed are “taking the time to get it right, to get the health and safety measures in place, to protect their employees and customers,” said the CFIB’s Julie Kwiecinski.
“To make sure that when they open, it is going to be safe for both their employees and customers, unlike large gatherings where you have people falling all over each other in a park.”
Both Kwiecinski and Brisebois were referring to the presence of thousands of people in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park last Saturday, which sparked outrage over a lack of physical distancing and calls to open more space for people throughout the city.
The incident also raised questions over whether messaging to citizens during stage one on reducing the risks of transmission was clear and properly understood. Experts encourage spending time outdoors, but maintaining physical distance from others is paramount.
Furness, the infection control epidemiologist, said he was bothered by the incident, but even more so by the mindset that it represented: that if this is OK, then other gatherings must be too, including indoors where the risk of transmission can be higher.
“A bunch of people in the park on a really hot humid day is much less dangerous than a bunch of people hanging around in retail stores,” Furness said.
“But it’s the mindset that says this is OK, and therefore so is dating, so is that dinner party, and all of those other things leading to shared air indoors.”
Physician epidemiologist Dr. Nitin Mohan agreed that a tailored approach is needed for different parts of Ontario as the province looks toward the next phase of its reopening; in Toronto’s case, he said the city needs a continued focus on tracing the contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19 and clear, consistent messaging, including on public gatherings in parks.
He suggested going so far as mandating the wearing of masks as it can be difficult to maintain distance in a densely populated city.
“At this point I think what we’re urging is low-hanging fruit: consistent messaging,” said Mohan, a partner at ETIO Public Health Consultants.
“The reality is that citizens of Toronto are getting messaging from various levels of government and that messaging needs to be aligned,” he said. “It’s almost like an information overload. If you’re a lay person and may not have the general background, it’s quite understandable that this is overwhelming.”
Conover, at Broad Lingerie, said she’s concerned that the gradual reopening of the economy may have sent the wrong message.
“I feel reopening businesses sort of sent a message that everything is getting better. Even though they didn’t say go out and sit in Trinity Bellwoods and have a beer, I think it pinged something in people’s heads where they felt they weren’t in danger anymore,” she said.
Conover said she’s not sure when she’ll be fully reopening her business; for one thing, her fitting rooms will need to have doors instead of curtains, as mandated by the province. Unlike larger retailers, she just doesn’t have the budget for that right now. She continues to do online sales and curbside pickup.
She also specializes in bra fittings, something that just isn’t possible right now. If she were to reopen, it would likely be by appointment only, given the small space of her store.
“I love my job, I love helping people, but I want to do it in a safe way,” she said.
“A bunch of people in the park on a really hot humid day is much less dangerous than a bunch of people hanging around in retail stores.”
COLIN FURNESS INFECTION CONTROL EPIDEMIOLOGIST