Despite the advice of many public health experts, outdoor recreational amenities are going to remain closed under the latest extension of the province’s stay-at-home order.
It was announced by Premier Doug Ford yesterday and prohibits all outdoor recreational activities, such as golf courses, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts and more.
Ford said mobility is the main reason behind keeping outdoor activities closed.
He said, “we just can’t risk it.”
Under the stay-at-home order, all non-essential businesses must remain closed and residents are required to stay home as much as possible, except for essential reasons like groceries, medications and exercise.
The Ontario Medical Association released a statement earlier this week stressing the importance of outdoor recreational facilities for both mental physical health, while Golf Ontario has started a campaign called “LetUsPlay.”
Following Thursday’s announcement, infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch, who sits on the province’s COVID-19 vaccination task force, wrote that he was still frustrated with the decision to limit outdoor activities, writing “These are safe & should be encouraged.”
1/ Ontario will keep the stay-at-home order until June 2nd.
As per Doug Ford "We can't rush to reopen".
This is the right approach – it will help us vaccinate significantly more people & have greater community-level immunity. It should also make this the last lockdown for ON.
— Isaac Bogoch (@BogochIsaac) May 13, 2021
GOLF IS SAFE⛳️
And it is incredibly important for the mental and physical well-being of so many. It is time to reopen safe outdoor activities.#LetUsPlay #mentalhealth#GolfIsSafe pic.twitter.com/kaE8Tz8WMw
— Golf Ontario (@TheGolfOntario) May 7, 2021