It Has Been 3 Weeks Since Ontario Finally Reopened…What’s Next?
By: Sebastian Marquez | Tolobi
It’s been close to a year and a half since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Canada. Now that more and more of the population is getting vaccinated (62% of Ontario’s population is fully vaccinated and 71% has at least one dose), what forms of normalcy can we expect?
Outdoor Activities You’ve Been Missing Out On
Perhaps you never considered camping overnight at Algonquin Park before, but the pandemic has affected us in different ways. Things you would never do pre-COVID are now viable options just because there are still limitations to outdoor activities. The three parks we highly recommend you check out for camping are Algonquin Provincial Park, Bruce Peninsula National Park, and Killarney Provincial Park. Both offer spectacular views of cliffs, rivers, and lakes. Not to mention the wildlife that you may encounter — take a bear spray with you!
Apart from camping, many sport venues have opened up, so you can get back to your fitness routine and shed off some of that pandemic weight gain. Tennis courts, football fields, golf courses, and outdoor swimming pools are open. Some may require you to make appointments or simply wait in line. Whatever the case, you’ll find it harder and harder to put off going back to your pre-COVID healthy lifestyle.
Support Small Local Businesses
During this time, it has been tough for everyone in different ways. Some people have been laid off, some have been going through their own mental struggles, and some businesses have been forced to shut down. We all suffered, one way or another. Now that life is seemingly going back to normal, it’s important that we strengthen our sense of community. Small local businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic and they could use your support, whether from a promotional post on social media or product purchase — anything helps!
Is It Actually Over?
Short answer: no, definitely not. With most of the adult population having gotten their second dose of the vaccine, we still have a significant portion of the population that has not. Countries around the world are coming to grips with another wave of COVID-19 cases, especially with the highly transmissible Delta variant. Capacity limits at hospitals have not changed and we still need to take all the precautions we can to keep the case count as low as possible. We still need to be wearing masks and washing our hands on a regular basis. With more and more flights resuming normal schedules, along with immigration and travel slowly rising again, the rental market has also seen itself gaining some ground. It’s not back at its pre-pandemic levels by any means, but if you were looking to move to a new place, now is the time.
With the reopening of the province coming quickly and swiftly, it’s important to realize that we haven’t seen “normal” life in a very long time. It may take a bit of time for many of us to adjust. Lifestyles have permanently changed. Is work from home here to stay? Whatever the case may be and whatever the future may hold, we all went through this together and we all will come out of it together as well.
