Some farmers indicated they are unlikely to venture out any time soon
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Some Ontario producers aren’t planning to expand the number of businesses they visit despite being allowed to do so.
Some communities across the province can enter Stage 2 of reopening the economy on Friday after the COVID-19 pandemic forced several businesses to close, the provincial government announced Monday.
Barber shops and hair salons, campgrounds and patios are among the businesses that can start to welcome customers again.
In addition, the number of people allowed at a social gathering will increase from five to 10 on Friday.
The government continues to encourage physical distancing or wearing a face covering if maintaining physical distance is a challenge.
Farmers in some of the areas allowed to reopen don’t plan to frequent these businesses at this time.
Instead, Larry Davis, a cash cropper from Brant County, one of the communities permitted to enter Stage 2, is concerned about out-of-town visitors and the potential to spread the virus.
“We’re kind of a stay-at-home group anyway,” he told Farms.com. “What worries me is people coming from places like Hamilton and Toronto, that haven’t reopened and have higher (numbers of COVID-19) cases, coming to Brantford. Will that increase our level of exposure? Because that’s another level of concern we have to pile on top of everything else.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Brant County had 116 confirmed cases of the virus compared to 745 in Hamilton and 556 in Toronto.
Other producers don’t anticipate visiting any reopened businesses for the sake of their own health.
Kim Sytsma, president of the Leeds County Federation of Agriculture, plans on keeping her routine the same for the time being.
“Aside from the fact that we’re so busy on the farm, my husband and I are both over 60 and I’ve had health issues so I’m not going anywhere,” she told Farms.com. “Most of the time I’m just going to the grocery store or to the bank, and I always wear a mask and (use) hand sanitizer.”