OK, ONTARIO … LET PLAY (RE-OPENING) BALL

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Opening day and we’ve made it to third base.

Home is in our sights.

And hopefully we can steal fourth base in the weeks — months and years — to come.

With 1 COVID case in Barrie today, Simcoe-Muskoka is on a definite road to recovery.

Especially if you were near Hwy. 11 this morning or stuck in the spin-off traffic in crowded downtowns all day.

It was like a coming out party as motion was the potion for pandemic-weary Ontarians.

There was nary a care in the air — even as some did still sport masks going into stores.

But outside everyone was carefree and fancy-free.

COVID? Who? What? Me? Not in your life! Or mine.

Business owners were smiling broader than ever as diners danced in the streets.

At least broader than yesterday.

Indoor dining may now be allowed, but patios were still more popular under the sun with hot cuppa or cold cappucino.

Hundreds — gasp — were seen gathered in public on streets across Muskoka and the region.

(Doug Ford blew in to Barrie.)

This was the “May 2-4” most missed out on almost two months ago.

We may be in the woods, but we’re definitely not out of the woods just yet.

With Delta cases continuing to take off around the globe faster than a Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson rocket, it’s perhaps glib to talk about hitting home base until Vladimir Guerrero knocks the cover off COVID-19 with a walk-off homer.

There are 96 Delta cases still in Simcoe and Muskoka.

Enjoy the weekend. But be careful. Be safe.

FRIDAY: COVID BY THE NUMBERS … 1 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA  (4 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 159 AND 10 DEATHS (143-10) … TORONTO 23 (20), YORK 0 (5), PEEL 2 (7) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 6 (2) … PORCUPINE 3 (4) …

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • 12,328 cases to date
  • 10 new cases this week, 21 last week, which was 43% lower than the 37 cases the last week of June
  • 3 deaths in July, 6 in June
  • 3,997 Alpha cases, 166 Gamma, 34 Beta and 96 Delta
  • 671 cases await confirmation of VOC
  • 687,350+ vaccines have been administered
  • 406,000+ residents have had one vaccine, which represents 67% of the population
  • 78% of adults 18+ have had at least one vaccine
  • 62% of youth 12-17 have had their first vaccine
Statistically we’re looking better by the day, but … we’ll see Labour Day.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • With the price of a post secondary education, students in Quebec may be gambling on vaccines as a way to pay for tuition. Lotto Quebec is dangling $2 million in lottery prizes adults and kids to get jabbed and re-jabbed — including cool school bursaries.
  • Not since we won the War of 1812 has an American invasion been so talked about. And now that Justin Trudeau is taking aim at our neighbours to the south by opening the 49th parallel in August, it’s as if the road to recovery is paved with New York and Pennsylvania licence plates.
  • Canadians, too, are expected to go with the southern flow in a sort of reversing falls way that Democrats flush with cash flee across the boarder aboard the Grand Trump Runaway Railway. All electric engines pointed due north.
  • Insurance companies — never to be outdone — are adding new COVID clauses to household policies to prevent people from suing you for catching the coronavirus. There’s a communicable disease catch, though. (Isn’t there always?) It’s already in their policies and procedures (fine print) that they’re off the hook “in case of unforeseeable events outside their control.” Hmm! Sounds familiar.
  • Californians may yet be dreaming of another summer of love, as the state proceeds like wild fire in opening despite Delta. And as many, including some politicians, ignore public pressure to disclose their vaccination status.

Ontario was on the move today as Stage 3 of re-opening

began with a busier than normal Friday traffic report.

This little pot of gold saw shippers stocking up cannabis for the influx of summer shoppers. Or was it just the weekly haul on high street?
Finding a parking spot in Gravenhurst was still little problem if you’re snug as a bug in a rug. Or you’re a yellow Beetle buzzing about angling for angle parking in downtown.
On the road again as Ontario steps up to the plate with Stage 3 of its re-opening today, which saw traffic in and out of Muskoka busier than it’s normally been Fridays this past 18 months.

Email news@muskokatoday.com

28 years of ‘Local Online Journalism’

Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1

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