Child care, patios and malls part of Phase 2 reopening Friday
Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington Public Health unit is among the many regions of the province moving into phase two of reopening this Friday, June 12, 2020. Most of the public health units in Ontario, except for 10 in the Greater Toronto Area, have the green light to continue lifting COVID-19 restrictions, in place since mid-March.
The following businesses and services are allowed to reopen starting this Friday, subject to provincial, sector-specific guidelines and restrictions:
- Childcare centres
- Outdoor dining, such as bar and restaurant patios
- Barber shops, tattoo parlours, hair salons and other personal services
- Shopping malls
- Tour guides including winery and brewery tours
- Outdoor water recreation such as splash pads, swimming pools*
- Ontario provincial beaches and outdoor camping
- Outdoor sports training and outdoor recreation facilities
- Film and television production
- Drive-through and drive-in art and entertainment venues
The province is also increasing the limit on the number of people permitted for large group events, such as weddings or funerals, from five to 10.
Ontario closures costing billions
The provincial government implemented an intentional province-wide economic shut-down on Thursday, Mar. 17, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Queen’s University economists and Kingston-based research and analytics firm, Limestone Analytics, have teamed up to produce Ontario-specific analysis of the economic impacts thus far. Their modelling estimates that COVID-19 led to a loss in Ontario’s GDP of 9.4 per cent in March, 23.7 per cent in April, and 26 per cent in May, compared to what would have been expected.
“This implies a loss of over $40 billion across the province or $7,500 per household,” said a statement from Queen’s University.
“These are huge numbers, and that is just where we are after May,” said Huw Lloyd-Ellis, a contributor from the Queen’s Economics. “Losses will accumulate going forward. How big they end up being depends on how quickly the province can relax restrictions on various industries, and how the behavior of firms and consumers change going forward.”
*The Kingstonist has reached out to the City of Kingston to confirm the opening date for splash pads and public pools. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.