RESTAURANT PATIOS RE-OPEN; BUT DAY CARES DOUBTFUL

GRAVENHURST — It was a cool day here Friday for the first customers on the “patio” balcony at Boston Pizza.

A “few people” with “parkas and blankets” braved an early June cold-snap as the restaurant re-opened for partial in-house dining.

Takeout and delivery has continued throughout most of pandemic.

But there was no trouble social distancing — as the law requires — with plenty of room to space out.

Even for groups as large as 10 allowed now.

And no blackflies or mosquitoes to contend with today.

As Ontario entered Phase 2 of its ambitious plan to reopen the economy in much of the province outside the GTA and larger cities, Simcoe-Muskoka was one of the areas to enter the next stage of COVID-19 recovery.

The new protocols permit restaurants to open patios if local bylaws allow.

Most restaurants in town here don’t have patios — but the chamber of commerce in a recent bulletin urged them to rent tents.

No sign of them yet.

Hair salons are also eligible to re-open today with conditions — in addition to conditioners.

Meanwhile, if you’re a parent you can check with your day care to see if they are licensed and eligible to re-open as of June 12.

However, don’t count on it as many child and health experts — and even many parents — think it’s too early.

According to the District of Muskoka, which runs a licensed child-care centre (but doesn’t say in a release Friday if it is re-opening next week), licensed day cares can open provided that the child care centres can comply with all the criteria set out by public health and the province: https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-reopening-child-care-centres.

It may depend on the resources each centre has available.

And that may take more time.

“Although the emergency orders are no longer a barrier to reopening licensed centres in Muskoka, realistically, it will take time for centres in Muskoka to assess when they are able re-open and then to take all the steps necessary to comply health and safety requirements outlined by the Province,” said Norm Barrette, Muskoka’s commissioner of health services.

He says in the district release that families should contact their individual centre directly to confirm if they have initiated the process to re-open and how long it might take for the centre to prepare and be ready to comply with all the requirements.

The district, he says, operates the Muskoka Home Child Care Agency and “continues to work closely with the Home Child Care providers in Muskoka to help meet the needs of families in Muskoka during the COVID-19 pandemic.”