Ford issues State of Emergency - again

REGIONAL - With the Emergency Brake Shutdown announced April 1, still fresh in the minds of Ontarians, Premier Doug Ford doubled-down and issued a new State of Emergency for the province, accompanied by a stay-at-home order, which took effect Thursday, April 8 at 12:01 am.

The order is expected to last for 28 days, at which time it will be re-evaluated.

With COVID-19 positivity numbers on the rise, the Premier and his health table made the announcement last week to stem the spread of the virus and its more dangerous variants.

The stay-at-home order and emergency declaration effectively closed restaurants to indoor and outdoor dining, leaving many eateries with take-out as their only option.

The announcement was met with harsh criticism from both sides. Anti-lockdown groups decried Ford for killing small business during what many of them call a ‘plandemic.’ On the health and science side, those groups were equally as critical, saying that the Premier didn’t do enough - soon enough.

During the 28-day shutdown, personal care salons were also forced to shut down.

Big box stores like Walmart and Costco — long maligned because it was felt they were not essential — were hit with restrictions that saw them cordon off several sections of their stores. That action was done to allow smaller businesses to compete on a more level playing field.

Golf courses can remain open throughout the shutdown, but campgrounds cannot accept overnight campers.

The shutdown moves along as vaccine numbers continue to rise in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.According to the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, about 87 per cent of adults 80-plus have had at least one dose of vaccine.

The race between the vaccine and the COVID variants of concern rages on, with the variants holding a decisive lead province-wide. The local health units, however, have so far, been able to stay ahead of the virus by vaccinating over 25 per cent of the adult population, namely the 60- plus age groups.

The hope is that — with the stay-at-home order slowing down the virus — the vaccination programs will be able to make tremendous progress over the next three-and-a-half weeks.

For up-to-date information, or to book a vaccine appointment, visit wevax.ca (Windsor-Essex) or ckphu.ca.