Ontario has declared a state of emergency.
We’ve extended March Break by two weeks, so schools have been ordered to remain closed until April 5th.
Honestly, I kinda doubt they will re-open at that time. They’ve extended the tax filing deadline to June 1 (from April 30). That says to me they’re expecting this to take longer than 2 weeks to fix, especially with other news reports from around the world. We’ll see, though. Some people seem overly optimistic.
From ontario.ca:
As a result of this declaration and its associated orders, the following establishments are legally required to close immediately:
- All facilities providing indoor recreational programs;
- All public libraries;
- All private schools as defined in the Education Act;
- All licensed child care centres;
- All bars and restaurants, except to the extent that such facilities provide takeout food and delivery;
- All theatres including those offering live performances of music, dance, and other art forms, as well as cinemas that show movies; and
- Concert venues.
Further, all organized public events of over fifty people are also prohibited, including parades and events and communal services within places of worship. These orders were approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and will remain in place until March 31, 2020, at which point they will be reassessed and considered for extension, unless this order is terminated earlier.
There’s chatter of maybe we should close most things and keep open only “essential services”, but I’m not fully sure what that includes. For now, social distancing measures have been implemented at work, but people are restless and scared and worried. People are working from home if they can. My job is 80% computer, 20% immediately hands-on and time sensitive, so I’m still going in. There’s news of some companies laying off employees so they can apply for EI, rather than just not being paid for a few weeks (or however long this lasts), but fortunately that hasn’t happened at my company.