Mayor urges caution with Stage 3 promotion

Mixed emotions for Leamington’s Mayor

LEAMINGTON — This region’s move to Stage 3 on Wednesday has prompted a precautionary warning from Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald.

While she’s happy for the restaurants, gyms and other businesses who will be able to fully open, MacDonald fears an uptick in cases should the community not get behind the health guidelines.

“This may force us to add some layers to the mandatory mask ruling,” she said. “We still need to proceed with caution.”

A motion to create a new mask mandate in the municipality was to be brought forward at the Leamington council meeting on Tuesday evening, but results were not available at press time.

“We need to keep on social distancing, sanitizing and wearing masks,” said MacDonald. “And act as if everyone is a potential carrier.”

MacDonald also wanted to come to the support of the Low-German speaking community, as she felt they were unnecessarily identified last week in the news media.

HILDA MACDONALD

“That never should have happened,” she said. “I want to support the Low-German community. Nobody should be pointing fingers at them.”

She added that identifying certain groups by religion, language or nationality serves no purpose, other than to cause issues for that group.

“Are French Canadian Catholics next?” she asked. “It seems like we all have to identify someone to blame the Coronavirus on.”

MacDonald sees all kinds of concerns throughout the community and most have no connection to any particular group, religion or demographic.

The recent request by Kingsville and other municipalities to identify case counts down to the neighbourhood is not something MacDonald wants Leamington to be a part of.

“I don’t believe it serves a purpose,” she said. “I’m not willing to have our neighbourhoods identified.”

The Stage 3 announcement means that gathering limits increase to 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors, where physical distancing can be observed. The provincial health people have stressed that physical distancing must be adhered to, or the plan will falter.