It is about time and most merchants are pleased.
Many small storeowners like those in Lake Shore Village, Long Branch and elsewhere say the financial hit suffered by their businesses have already been done and they are hoping for a good Christmas season to help stem the losses from more 18-months of COVID-19 closures and staff reductions.
Starting this month all capacity limits have been lifted from bars, gyms and some other places for patrons, once they have been vaccinated and have a certificate of proof.
Premier Doug Ford said that the phasing out of public health measures will end by next March, with the masks gone by mid January.
The Premier’s plan calls for an end to mandatory proof-of-vaccination as of January 17 for restaurants, bars, bingo halls, casinos and gyms and the lifting of mandatory indoor masking mandates by March.
By November 15 capacity limits will be lifted in night clubs, wedding hall spaces with dancing, strip clubs, bathhouses and sex clubs.
And by March 28, all public health measures end, including mandatory face coverings in public and remaining mandatory proof of vaccination orders.
Many of us have been so used to carrying masks, ordering takeout, staying away from huge crowds and no handshaking; that it will be a hard for us to break the COVID-19 rules. I can see the use of masks staying with us for years to come.
The suffering and loss of friends has also brought out more empathy and compassion in area residents and people seem to care a bit more for their friends and neighbours.
We will not miss the boring daily press conferences by Ford and medical health experts who for months have worked so hard to bring us updates and remind us how great we are doing in battling the virus.
Let us not forget the bars, gyms, restaurants, salons and other businesses which have been hurting financially for more than a year. Still today owners say their facilities are struggling as people are staying at home as do not want to show, or have obtaine, proof of vaccination certificates.
Ontario health officials maintain the provincial COVID-19 daily caseload is low and stable so a new approach is warranted to acknowledge people’s sacrifices to get here.
The lifting of limits, off course, had nothing to do with Ford weeks ago lifting capacity limits to which hockey arenas, baseball and soccer fields can jam thousands of fans inside without masks sitting six inches apart.
There was such a surge of outrage from residents, small business owners and others that the Ontario government was forced to do something.
Small business owners, which are the mainstay of most communities, claim they were sold out down the river by the Premier, who first looked after his rich corporate friends, rather than working people trying to get by.
The government have said that the dreaded coded and paper vaccine certificates patrons need to show to enter restaurants, gyms and other high-risk settings will be done away with as early as January 17.
Area restaurant and bar owners point out that business fell 50% with the introduction of the vaccine certificates to enter businesses.
“People just stopped coming in,” one restaurant owner lamented. “People are still staying at home and don’t want to show their vaccine documents.”
Some owners say they’ve stopped asking to see the vaccine certificates since it leads to disputes and confrontations with customers.
“I am only one person working here,” another storekeeper pleaded. “These people are my regular customers and I cannot kick them out or they will never come back.”
Tom Godfrey is Publisher of The South Etobicoke News, who lives in the community. He was a reporter at the Toronto Sun for many years before deciding to use his skills to work in community journalism.