Ontario opens up: expert advice for parents as the province moves into Step 3
At the Jump for Joy play centre on the Danforth, every surface is sanitized—every precaution is in place.
“We have to take a cautious approach when opening,” owner Irene Sikiotis told CTV News Toronto Wednesday. “We still have to be diligent.”
The indoor play centre sat empty for the better part of 16 months during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will finally be allowed to welcome back kids and their parents under Step 3 of the provincial re-opening framework.
“It’s a really long time coming,” Sikiotis said. “Especially for our pandemic babies.”
The centre will operate with reduced capacity limits, a masking requirement for children over two, contact tracing, sanitizing stations, and screenings—the exact measures many experts recommend parents continue to keep in mind as the province reopens.
Children under the age of 12 are too young to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Canada at this time and public health officials stress they need to continue taking precautions to avoid catching the virus.
“Do a sort of a risk assessment of situations where there is potential crowding and situations where there is the ability for kids to interact with other kids at more intimate levels,” Thomas Tenkate, professor with the Ryerson School of Occupational and Public Health, advised.
“Try to avoid those as much as possible, but if they can’t be avoided, have the kids wear their masks.”
Doctors also suggest keeping children’s social contacts within a reasonable number to avoid mini-outbreaks.
“As we have this group under 12 who are not vaccinated, and most adults are, we are monitoring to see if there is a shift in those transmission patterns,” Dr. Karina Top, pediatric infectious disease physician with the Canadian Center for Vaccinology, told CTV News Toronto.
“I think it’s important for people to try to protect their kids as best they can.”
Pfizer and Moderna are both conducting COVID-19 vaccine trials on children younger than 12 years old and experts are hopeful that the shots could be approved for kids in Canada before the end of this year.
Under Step 3 of Ontario’s “Roadmap to Reopen,” which comes into place on July 16, indoor dining, indoor religious services, museums, concerts, and theatres are among the services allowed to reopen with certain restrictions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.