While some people flocked to Ontario cottage country for the May long weekend, Muskoka’s mayors say the region was relatively quiet in comparison to previous years as the province continues to battle the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Everyone was hyping it that it was going to go crazy,” Muskoka Lakes Mayor Phil Harding told Global News.
“I personally assumed that it would be relatively quiet because shops weren’t really open, things were just opening up, people were still fearful.
“Yes, there were a number of people up, but most people isolated.”
Leading up to the Victoria Day long weekend, Muskoka’s mayors told Global News it would be better that people hold off from visiting the cottage if they didn’t need to. People who chose to travel to their seasonal properties over the long weekend were asked to bring supplies with them and to socially distance and isolate themselves as much as possible.
“We’ve had members of our seasonal cottage community coming up prior to the weekend, so it wasn’t like everyone came stampeding at once,” Bracebridge Mayor Graydon Smith said.
“There’s been a slow trickle prior to this.”
Smith said he didn’t see lineups at local grocery stores and that the LCBO wasn’t overburdened, although area hospitals did see a slight uptick in emergency room visits this past weekend.
“I think some people made some trips just from accidents around their property,” Harding added. “The ER was probably a little bit busier than it has been over the past few weeks, but generally speaking, everybody survived the weekend.”
Looking forward, Smith said, Muskoka is still concerned about community spread of COVID-19.
At this time, Smith and Harding both say Muskoka is not ready for tourists.
“Until our hotels are able to open up again, and some food is being served, it really isn’t an appropriate time for tourism,” Harding said, adding that he estimates tourism may start at the beginning of July.
Another concern amid the coronavirus pandemic is regarding local businesses and the summer season, a time when many shops rely on revenue from seasonal residents and visitors.
“Business owners do, for the most part, make a lot of their money for the year in these coming months,” Smith said.
“It’s been a rough spring, with many of them generating no revenue over the last couple of months.”
For the residents who are already in Muskoka, the Bracebridge mayor encourages them to support local businesses.
“We’ll see what the ultimate volume of people is through the summer, but if the tourism market opens up again, then I think there is a chance for a reasonable summer,” Smith added.
“If that remains shut down, then it’s going to be very difficult.”
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