As COVID-19 cases in Ontario continue to rise, Durham has not been immune to the spike.
This has many concerned about the region entering another lockdown.
“Everyday we’re checking the news headlines to see what’s happening,” said Kieran Grant, general manager of Kingsway Hardware in Courtice.
Grant is well aware the lockdown could happen any day now. He says larger retailers shouldn’t have the upper-hand and be able to stay open, while small businesses like his are struggling to survive, noting sales for the store are down by nearly half this year.
“We really want to see that it’s a level playing field between smaller and larger businesses because a lot of larger businesses are set up to take the losses for a month or two, whereas small businesses aren’t and they’re surviving month to month.”
In Clarington, more than 50 businesses have come together to call on the province to reconsider any potential plans for a full-scale grey-zone lockdown.
Mark Canning, a small business advocate who is leading the initiative, says, “we want to be separated out from the Durham region.”
“If (the province needs) to do something more restrictive, let’s put better restrictions in place. Maybe it moves to an appointment-only approach.”
- Posters promoting ‘Steal From Loblaws Day’ are circulating. How did we get here?
- Video shows Ontario police sharing Trudeau’s location with protester, investigation launched
- Canadian food banks are on the brink: ‘This is not a sustainable situation’
- Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec
As of Thursday, Clarington has over 57 active cases. The group has scheduled a meeting Friday with municipal and provincial politicians to advocate for the province to think twice about a widespread regional lockdown.
It comes as a regional motion was passed Wednesday, requesting the province exclude long-term care deaths and infections from Durham’s case count, suggesting the majority of cases are coming from that sector.
Clarington municipal and regional councillor Joe Neal says he asked Durham’s medical officer of health, “‘how many deaths have happened in the community outside of long-term care homes in the last three months?’ and he said none.”
Matt Cardwell, who has been turning those from out-of-town away from his pub, Royal Oak in Whitby, says he agrees the province should consider other options.
“Making a balanced approach may just be the best way to combat when these restrictions are lifted so we don’t have to go back to into a grey-zone lockdown or a red-zone lockdown,”
“As a Durham business owner, we don’t want to be here.”
Comments