Confusing but helpful — northern Ontario reacts to province's stay-at-home order

In this announcement Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford took great pains to explain how the stay-at-home order he's issuing for all of Ontario is not a curfew.

Instead of forcing everyone indoors at a certain time, as of 12:01 am Thursday, people will only be allowed to venture out for essential reasons like grocery shopping.

"I think curfew would probably send a stronger message, but I don't think it's the right to do either," says Alain Simard, an immunologist at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

He believes that these new restrictions are "measures that we do need" to stop the rise of COVID-19 cases in northeastern Ontario, while acknowledging people have been told to stay home for the last 10 months. 

"Obviously it hasn't been working as well as we want it to," says Simard. 

Maria Casas, a Sudbury nurse and the policy and political action officer for local chapter of Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, is also "not sure there's a big difference" between stay-at-home order and a curfew, but believes it will be "helpful."

She also worries that there is a lot of confusion about what exactly people are allowed to do when and would like to see a "clearer line"  from the province on how to stop COVID.

Casas says for her that includes a plan to get vaccines out faster and closing northern Ontario schools, which are currently allowed to stay open during the lockdown. 

Cameron Grant from the Timmins Chamber of Commerce says businesses are also confused about some of the new measures.

He says non-essential retail shops can be open for curbside pickup, but people are being told to only leave their homes for essential reasons. 

Grant also says there is similar confusion about the order that all but essential employees must work from home. 

"We have accounting firms that are considered essential, but does that mean their employees are also considered essential?" he says. 

"We're looking to the province to get that wording under control."

Nickel Belt MPP and New Democrat Health Critic France Gelinas doesn't believe the stay-at-home order will stop the spread of the virus. 

She says her party would like to see paid sick days for all workers so those who can't do their jobs at home don't spread COVID to their co-workers. 

"People will go to work and hide their symptoms because they need a paycheck so they don't find themselves homeless. He did not listen to that either. There's a number of ways to support people so they make the right decision," Gelinas says.

"Help them by making sure that they have the PPE, that these workers are supported and don't end up spreading it like we see so often in those workplaces. None of that is there."