At his daily briefing this morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doubled down on the need for social distancing to combat spread of COVID-19. He said, “We’ve all seen the pictures online of people who seem to think they’re invincible…. Well, you’re not…. Go home, and stay home.” This was followed a few hours later by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement of the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces effective as of Tuesday, March 24th at 11:59 p.m. This closure will be in effect for 14 days with possible extension of the order as the situation evolves. Ford said, “The health and safety of every Ontarian must come first. The health of you, your children, your grandparents and friends depends on all of us doing our part.” Ford later told media it thought it unlikely that kids could return to school on April 6th.
These messages for Canadians are in stark contrast to President Trump who tweeted on Sunday (in caps as usual), “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!” CNN reports that one senior official said the President is losing patience with the period of national self-isolation that has frozen the US economy.
Here in the Valley The Current observed that local businesses have already been following national, provincial and county health unit guidelines and are doing everything possible to minimize spread of COVID-19 coronavirus. Additional measures noted during this morning’s “Geezer Grocery” hours included:
- Increased in-store signage reminding customers about social distancing requirements
- More shops allowing TAP purchases and an increased maximum amount allowed for debit purchases by TAP
- Loyalty cards to be laid on counter for scanning by staff
- Shoppers who bring their own bags must pack them as cashiers may touch only the store’s bags and boxes
- Reduced hours of business; for example, as of today the Barry’s Bay Post Office will open one hour later and close one hour earlier each day to allow staff adequate time for disinfection and other protective measures
In general, folks appear to be both optimistic and compliant. The Current noted fewer discourteous shoppers invading the two-metre social distance requirement today.
St. Francis Memorial Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Jason Malinowski said it with a new Facebook cover last weekend:
