The other day I was looking out my window only to see a local construction crew working on a roof. None of them were six feet apart. There was no physical distancing. The same day, I received an email from a national grocery chain heralding the expansion of hours, allowing more people into his company’s stores, along with the opening of meat counters and bakeries.
Yet, scanning social media, there is a wave of people expressing their concerns that we are reopening too quickly. There are obvious tensions between people fed up with being hampered by public health rules and guidelines and those who are genuinely scared there will be a second wave of the pandemic similar to other countries who have reopened too fast.
In today’s show, I get to talk to one of the people who are at the table helping to make the decisions about how we go forward from here during COVID-19. I think you will find the conversation interesting.
Earlier this week the Ontario government relaxed the rules around businesses opening, giving retailers and others an opportunity to restart.
Balancing the needs of businesses with the recommendations of public health officials is tricky.
This week marks the beginning of a series of public consultations organized by Northumberland Peterborough South MPP David Picinni with six major sectors over a number of weeks. This is in addition to numerous individual calls he has received and a string of meeting with municipal and indigenous leaders to figure out how to restart the local economy while avoiding a second wave of the pandemic.
David took time out of his hectic schedule to speak with me online about the consultations, restarting the economy, and protecting people’s health.
Originally aired: May 22, 2020
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