Stage 3 for the reopening of Ontario’s economy begins tomorrow in Barrie and with the excitement also comes some confusion and caution.
Barrie falls under the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, which is one of the 24 regions allowed to enter the next stage on Friday, July 17.
The city entered Stage 2 on June 12 and has continued to see consistently low numbers when it comes to positive COVID-19 cases.
Mayor Jeff Lehman has been watching the local numbers closely and has faith in public health officials continuing to lead the way.
But Lehman also admits there's some worry when new recommendations occur around reopening.
“I am always nervous about the potential for spread with reopenings, however caseloads are now very low and from the beginning we have trusted public health to make these calls based on their assessment of the data,” Lehman told BarrieToday.
“We need businesses and customers alike to follow public health rules and guidance to make sure this happens safely and we don't see a surge," he added.
As for Lehman and his fellow city council members, they should get comfortable with the meeting via video.
Wendy Cooke, the city's director of legislative and court services, said they will continue meeting online to handle municipal business for the foreseeable future.
“Under the current state of emergency, city council and committees are permitted to continue to meet virtually, and there is legislation that has been introduced to allow for this to still occur outside of any emergency,” Cooke said. “Staff will continue to evaluate the situation to ensure a safe return to in-person meetings for members of council.”
Parents and kids will be happy to know that Stage 3 means more outdoor fun.
Outdoor playgrounds have been closed since mid-March to control the spread of the coronavirus.
As of Friday, municipalities that have been permitted to enter Stage 3 can open their playgrounds when they’re able.
However, Andrea Miller, the city's general manager of infrastructure and growth management, says Barrie will take a cautious approach.
“Since the province announced Stage 3 of the reopening plan, staff are working to plan for reopening Barrie's playground structures," she said. "There are safety inspections that need to be completed before they can open, so it will be phased and gradual reopening.
"We are beginning a phased opening of playgrounds this Friday," Miller added. "Staff are aiming to have 11 of the major playground structures open for this Friday, July 17. The rest will open gradually in the next few weeks.”
Miller urged people only to use playground structures that are marked as "open" and continue to stay away from areas that are closed/taped off.
The playgrounds given the green light by the city are Centennial Park, Queen's Park, Lampman Community Park, Sunnidale Park, East Bayfield Community Park, Eastview Community Park, Holly Community Park, Ferndale Community Park, Shear Park, Minet’s Point, and Tyndale Park.
Indoor dining at restaurants will now be allowed as of 12:01 a.m., Friday, but establishments will have to adhere to physical-distancing rules.
The dining rules have been confusing to some owners, such as Shalu Persaud, who owns The Simmering Kettle and Dosti Eats, and whose family is behind many eateries in the city.
Recently, a representative of the Ministry of Labour visited one of Persaud's establishments and she was later sent a so-called 'field visit report' that cited her for not adhering to the July 13 indoor public place face-covering requirement.
“This was on the outdoor patio where there is no mask required. My two employees never came near each other, even though the report said they didn't keep two feet apart," Persaud told BarrieToday "And this ministry employee is giving me a notice about these things? I was so upset."
Persaud said she was confused, because she had been following all health-unit guidelines, as advised by the city who said “we encourage residents and businesses to always follow the advice of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit and refer to the province’s reopening plan/direction for the most accurate and up-to-date information.”
When Persaud showed the labour inspector the guidelines set by the local health unit, she said the ministry employee responded with: “That’s just a doctor’s opinion. I am the law.”
“I was so confused and nervous, because my family has been involved in the restaurant business since the early 1980s. We know how to be clean and safe,” Persaud said.
“I have since sought out advice from the health unit and spoke to my MP, who is going to look into it," she added.
Persaud says she has been told by a health-unit official that servers inside her restaurants are not required to wear their mask, as it may lead to hand-to-face contact, and that is something that should be avoided.
As the Stage 3 guidelines begin tomorrow morning, anyone with questions is asked to head to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit website for information.
There will also be some changes at Barrie’s landfill effective Friday as part of Stage 3, including the following:
* Landfill operating hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday.
* The Household Hazardous Waste Facility is open Saturdays only from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
* Compost will now be available for sale. Remember to bring a shovel and containers for loading your own compost. It is recommended that all customers wear face coverings and continue to practise physical distancing when disposing of material.
