We’re into day two of Ontario’s stay at home order and frustration is growing. Whether it’s people angry at what the government or big box stores have deemed essential or non-essential, small business owners being forced to scale back, or average citizens being kept away from their extended family and friends once again.
But municipal and public health officials are asking for patience and understanding as we try to navigate the third wave of the pandemic.
Chatham-Kent CAO Don Shropshire says everyone is doing the best they can.
“It’s not like there’s another path that’s easy to walk,” Shropshire says. “The restrictions that we’ve got right now from the province are absolutely intended to get us out of this pickle as soon as we can. If we don’t think our current provincial government and federal government are concerned about the economic impact, I think we’re fooling ourselves.”
Dr. David Colby, the municipality’s medical officer of health says he gets it, He hears it, but restrictions are for the good of everyone, and they work.
“I get concerned when people think the restrictions are the problem instead of the virus being the problem. The restriction are the solution to the problem,” Dr. Colby says. “The strict lockdowns that we’ve seen in the past were very effective at curtailing the runaway race we were experiencing at the time.”
Dr. Colby says he has confidence that despite the grumbling on social media, local residents will abide by the new rules for the greater good.
