The South Bayview Bulldog

Johnson & Johnson is on track to roll out its single-shot coronavirus vaccine in March, and expects to have clear data on how effective it is by the end of this month or early February, the US healthcare company’s chief scientific officer said. Dr. Paul Stoffels said J&J expects to meet its stated target of delivering 1 billion doses of its vaccine by the end of this year.

Lots of parking on first day of stay-at-home order

Deserted sidewalks

Bayview Ave and other streets in South Bayview were quiet at mid-morning Thursday, the first day of Ontario’s stay-at-home order. Early Thursday, the government rushed into circulation its instructions on how to abide by the order. They seem fairly reasonable. Order in Council PDF here.

You must not leave home, except:

· To go to work or volunteer. The work role must be considered “essential.” Per the terms of the order, employers get to decide if a job is essential or not.
· To go to school. (Elementary schools, secondary schools and post-secondary institutions are largely closed for in-person learning in southern Ontario).
· “Attending, obtaining or providing child care. (Child care facilities are closed, except those that provide care to children not old enough to be enrolled in school.)
· “Receiving or providing training or educational services.”
To buy things:

· Purchasing “food, beverage and personal care items.”
· Obtaining healthcare items and medication
· Buying goods or services that are “necessary for the safe operation, maintenance or sanitation of households, businesses, means of transportation or other places.”
· Buying or attending an appointment at any business allowed to be open, including for curbside pickup.
· Attending a financial institution.
· Receiving any government service including healthcare or mental health assistance.
Helping others:

· Delivering goods or providing care to anyone in a congregate care setting, or receiving goods or support.
· Accompanying someone else outside who requires assistance to travel.
· Transporting a child to their parent or guardian’s home.
· Transporting a member of one’s household “to any place the member of the household is permitted to go under this Order.”
To protect oneself:

· From domestic violence
· Assisting someone living in unsafe conditions
· Seeking help in an emergency situation
· Attending a court or other location for the administration of justice
To exercise:

· As defined as “walking or moving around outdoors” using “an assistive mobility device,” or an outdoor amenity permitted to be open during Stage 1 of Ontario’s reopening rules. There is no word on what an individual would have to show a peace officer to prove they are exercising. Playgrounds and play structures were closed during Ontario’s Stage 1. So far, most outdoor amenities are permitted to be open, save for ski hills. But the question of permitted outdoor amenities has sparked confusion.
Indigenous rights:

· All activities protected under Aboriginal treaty as defined by the Constitution Act of 1982.
Moving and travelling:

· Travelling is permitted to another location if the person intends to stay there less than 24 hours and is doing so for one of the other purposes set out in the order.
· Otherwise, travelling to another residence is only allowed if an individual intends to stay there for at least 14 days.
· Travelling between homes of parents, guardians or caregivers in order to safeguard someone under their care.
· “Making arrangements to buy or sell a residence or to begin or end a residential lease.”
· Moving
· Going to the airport, train or bus station, “for the purpose of travelling to a destination that is outside of the Province. (The latest orders suggest a voluntary self-isolation period of 14 days when returning to Ontario, even from another province.)
Gathering:

· If one lives alone, with the members of one additional household.
· For a wedding, funeral or religious service. (With no more than 10 people indoors or outdoors.)
Caring for animals:

· Buying food or veterinary services for an animal
· Walking an animal
· Preventing or avoiding an imminent risk to an animal’s health or safety, including preventing animal abuse.

Provincial officials say they did their best to guide hospitals to administer early COVID-19 vaccines only to those who actually provide care to patients, but concede the hospitals may have given doses to people who really shouldn’t have gotten them. Three GTA hospitals offered vaccines this month to back office administrative staff, volunteers, clinical researchers and information technology staff. In southwestern Ontario, a hospital network administered doses of vaccine to its executive team, some of whom are able to work from home. The hospital network defended the decision saying the doses would be wasted on the day they were administered if they were not used — CP24

Veteran John Boyd will be 108 on January 26/SHSC

Sunnybrook veteran John Boyd, 107, received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today. As his life-extending shot was given, Mr Boyd recalled that he had survived another nasty pandemic, the Spanish flu ordeal of 1918 to 1920. Read the story on the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Facebook page.

Canadian Press says the government is expected to provide details Wednesday on how its stay-at-home order, which takes effect Thursday, will be enforced. The province says it will publish the “legal parameters” for the order online and offer more clarification on the measure. The order requires residents to stay home except for essential purposes such as grocery shopping, accessing health care and exercising. A tweet from Cynthia Mulligan of City News says those who live alone will be permitted to visit other households.

Just checked. Yes people who live alone can still join another household. https://t.co/QQTosgZOU8

— Cynthia Mulligan (@CityCynthia) January 12, 2021

The Ontario government has issued an extraordinary stay-at-home order to all citizens which requires everyone to remain at home with exceptions for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for essential work. The expectations created by the 24-four hour order stretch the mind. It looks like a curfew by a different name. The order will doubtlessly have a different meaning for different people and how the police are expected to respond is not clear. News release

• Premier’s news conference Tuesday (34 minutes)

Summary of new restrictions

New restrictions

• All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, will not be allowed to open earlier than 7 a.m. or close after 8 p.m. Stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores and restauraunts open for takeout or delivery will be exempted.
• Outdoor public gatherings and social gatherings of more than five people will be prohibited. Previously, up to 10 people were allowed to gather outdoors.

Schools

• Schools in Toronto, Peel Region, York Region, Hamilton and Windsor-Essex will not return to in person instruction until at least Feb. 10
• The Chief Medical Officer of Health will advise the Ministry of Education by Jan. 20 on which public health units elsewhere in southern Ontario will be allowed to resume in-person learning the following week
• Students in Grades 1-3 will now be required to wear masks. Masks will also be required outdoors when physical distancing cannot be maintained. The province is also expanding screening protocols and targeted testing at schools

Child care

• Child care centres for non-school aged children will remain open
• Child care remains suspended for school-aged children in areas where in-person learning is on hold, with the exception of emergency centres for the children of essential workers

Workplaces

• Each person responsible for a business or organization that is open shall ensure that any person who performs work for the business or organization conducts their work remotely except where the nature of their work requires them to be on-site at the workplace
• The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development will conduct a workplace inspection blitz with a particular focus on “areas of high transmission, including break rooms
• The province will provide up to 300,000 rapid COVID-19 tests per week to key sectors such as manufacturing, warehousing, supply chain and food processing, as well as additional tests for schools and long-term care homes

Other

• The province is now recommending that residents wear masks outdoors when they can’t maintain two metres of physical distance
• The government is issuing a stay-at-home order requiring everyone to remain at home with exceptions for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for essential work

Closed til further notice

Good times at McSorley’s

McSorley’s Saloon at 1544 Bayview Ave. has announced that it will close until further notice in the face of business and regulatory bad times. A letter sent Monday says that after “10 months (of the pandemic) we think we deserve a little vacation from all this mess.” It looks forward to “the warmer weather (when) maybe the majority have been vaccinated, we will all have a street filled with unique shops, activities and restaurants for us to enjoy.”

Remembering Georgia

This photo was posted Sunday showing a bouquet and card remembering the late George Walsh. The little girl was 7 when she was killed in a motor accident at the corner of Millwood Rd. and McRae Drive as she made her way home from the playground. FB

• May Georgia’s playground delight kids, keep memories new

A ticket holder in Ontario won Saturday night’s $8.7 million Lotto 649 jackpot. The draw’s guaranteed $1 million prize also went to a lottery player in Ontario. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on January 13 will be approximately $5 million.

The Quebec curfew law has gone into effect. The rules will see most residents face police questions or fines of up to $6,000 if they’re out between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the next four weeks. There are exceptions for essential workers, people walking the dog near their homes and those who have medical reasons to be out, such as a doctor’s appointment.

New location of Your Clothes Friend/Bulldog

Long-time women’s wear retailer Your Clothes Friend has moved north to a new location at 1633 Bayview Ave. beside Pagnello Antiques. For many decades Your Clothes Friend was located at 1575 Bayview.