'No advantage to being last in lockdown': Newmarket reacts to being stuck in stage 1

'I want to remind every person that we are in control of what phase we’re in, to a large degree,' Mayor John Taylor says

Newmarkettoday.ca
June 10, 2020
Kim Champion

The news that Newmarket and York Region are excluded from the province’s stage 2 reopening of the economy was met with confusion, disappointment, and frustration among some local residents.

The slow and cautious approach to reopening during the coronavirus pandemic, while understood by many, is also a source of frustration to some.

York Region joins other densely populated areas that will have to wait a little longer to reopen, including Toronto, Peel, and Durham. Northern neighbour Simcoe County, including Bradford, got the green light yesterday to move forward and reopen much of its economy this Friday, June 12.

“There is no advantage to being the last in lockdown,” Newmarket resident and political pundit Darryl Wolk told NewmarketToday. “If we want an economic recovery, we have to open soon. Phase 2 is an exciting step, and I predict Barrie and Bradford will be booming this weekend.”

Wolk said that residents have made major sacrifices following social distancing rules and staying home, but unemployment levels similar to the Great Depression, the fact that half of businesses are at risk of closing, and only a fraction of stores at Upper Canada Mall are able to pay rent, need to be considered.

“I am really concerned about the restaurants on Main Street and the retail sector, generally,” he said. “I hope we don't get an economy that only has a future for Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon, and the big box stores. I fear we will lose small independent restaurants and only be left with fast food. Unfortunately, people are underestimating the economic consequences of this situation.”

“I am happy about expanding social gatherings to 10 people and believe we will fully reopen before September,” Wolk said. “Short-term, being excluded from reopening is disappointing.”

Meanwhile, a discussion among residents on a Newmarket Facebook page yesterday about the issue drew a lively debate that garnered 225 comments within 24 hours.

Some residents vented that Newmarket’s rate of coronavirus infection has declined over the past few weeks and they feel penalized about being lumped in with southern York Region, where COVID-19 cases have been higher. Others expressed a public health first view, and others still were left confused.

“York Region is still on stage 1, but north of here (in Simcoe County) is in stage 2. So, I’m a bit confused,” Rebecca Banks said in a Facebook post.

“Basically, I could sit on a patio for dinner in Bradford, go to a nail salon or get my haircut, and then return to my home and family members in Newmarket?” Banks said. “I’m not sure I see how a nail salon on one side of a street is deemed safe, but unsafe on the other. Personally, I would think that decisions should be made on business type rather than by region.”

But resident Alan Scott said it's "a difficult time for any moves to be made when no one in power has ever dealt with this sitation before".

"There will be mistakes made, but as a community, we just need to cognizant that proper self-regulation of what we as individuals do will be the most important part of getting back to normal," Scott said.

"Social distance, minimize public time when you can, wash your hands, get some sun, support others," he said. "We just need to try to keep things calm right now. Overall, we have lessened the curve, we did what we were supposed to do. Now, its about just not going crazy so we don't have a second wave that's too much for health care to absorb."

As in most York Region municipalities, the pandemic in Newmarket has been fuelled by outbreak cases, the majority of which are resolved -- of Newmarket's 130 outbreak cases, 82 per cent are recovered.

Cases have steadily declined in Newmarket, from a peak of 20 new cases reported April 19 when testing was mandated at all long-term care homes.

The seven-day moving average in Newmarket is 1.8 cases as of June 7, a drop from 2.4 cases June 1.

Vaughan, on the other hand, which accounts for the majority of the region's cases at 44 per cent, has a seven-day rolling average of 9.3 cases as of June 8, a sharp decline from the 18.7 case average June 1.

Still, York Region’s numbers are not where they need to be to safely reopen, according to Ontario's criteria, despite the continued decrease in the number of positive coronavirus cases.

The decision to permit York Region to move into stage 2, which includes the reopening of restaurant and bar patios, hair and nail salons, malls, public pools, and more, will be re-examined weekly by Ontario officials, York Region spokesperson Patrick Casey said.

“While many areas of Ontario are now poised to gradually reopen workplaces and restaurants, York Region, like other health units in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area, will remain under a number of current restrictions as part of remaining within stage 1,” said Casey. “The decision for this was based on the available data and evidence reported to the Ministry of Health.”

That could mean good news for Newmarket and York Region on Monday, June 15, if the local coronavirus data continues on a downward trend.

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said he wasn’t surprised the region is being held back from stage 2 reopenings, but he is disappointed.

The signals in recent weeks from the Ontario government hinted it would take a regional approach to economic recovery, with jurisdictions with controlled coronavirus cases allowed to move forward.

“I am disappointed we didn’t move to stage 2, not because they didn’t include us at this point, but because our COVID numbers aren’t favourable enough to move to stage 2,” Taylor said.

“For those areas with higher COVID numbers, I see some merit in holding them back, like what happened in Quebec with Montreal,” he said. “But it’s unfortunate, and I wish all our businesses and patios could start to reopen and thrive.”

Meanwhile, Taylor continues to receive calls from local business people crying on the phone about the hardships they are enduring during the pandemic, along with frontline health-care workers who are upset that some in the community aren’t following the public health measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 while they make daily sacrifices.

Taylor said he’s concerned about the potential health impacts of people travelling to Bradford West Gwillimbury or Barrie to get haircuts or sit on patios.

“The border areas are going to be tough,” Taylor said, of open regions in promixity to those that remain closed for now. “If I was a mayor of one of those communities ...I’m sure they’re losing a little sleep over how this is going to go.”

But the fact provincial health officials will review the coronavirus data weekly is a good sign, he said.

“The numbers are changing quickly and, generally, in a positive way,” Taylor said. “It’s tough, you draw the line and you say you can get a haircut in Bradford and not Newmarket, how could that make sense?” he said. “But if you didn’t take a regional approach, there would be people saying they have low numbers where they are, why are they being held back.”

The pandemic landscape finds decision-makers in uncharted territory, Taylor said, and the goal is to balance public health imperatives against business impacts.

“I want to remind every person that we are in control of what phase we’re in, to a large degree," Taylor said. “We are in control of how much others in this community suffer. People are letting down their guard, easing up on social distancing, and they need to stay strong so we can move forward. It has so much to do with our behaviour.”

“If we methodically stick to the six feet apart rule, there’s so much we can do to reopen our economy,” he added.