Lift them all: Experts join the chorus that lets discerning Ontario folks enjoy some outdoor activities

TORONTO – Thousands have signed a petition demanding that the province roll back COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor activities, including boating, as even top scientists say the government is going overboard.

Sailors are amazed at how solitary hours on the water can contribute to the spread of COVID-19, while some doctors told CTV News Toronto that people who don’t enjoy relatively low-risk outdoor activities could send them in where the risk is transfer is actually higher. .

It’s very frustrating, especially since we don’t see any reason for it. It’s a safe outdoor activity, said Ray Kautsky from his boat docked at the Outer Harbor Marina. He said he intended to remove it a long time ago, but provincial rules are holding him back.

When I leave the dock and go on a boat trip, I won’t be around anyone except my family who are on the boat with me, he said.

The province is deeply in the throes of a third wave of COVID-19 spread, with hospitals across the province transferring patients to remote regions to create space in the hot spots, many of which are in the Greater Toronto Area.

Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Doug Ford imposed these restrictions, banning children from playgrounds, and empowering the police to arbitrarily prevent civilians from asking if they were following COVID-19 restrictions. Scientists panned the movements at the time.

The restrictions on the playground were lifted the next day, as were the police, and days later, while in self-isolation after a COVID-19 contact of his own, Ford apologized.

But the other restrictions remained. The provincial order requires a person not to use outdoor recreational facilities, including baseball diamonds, soccer fields, frisbee golf venues, tennis, platform tennis, table tennis and pickle ball courts, basketball courts, BMX parks, and skate parks.

Marinas are allowed to operate watercraft, but pleasure boating is not allowed.

Lift them all up, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a member of the COVID-19 Science Table. The science is pretty clear: the risk of COVID-19 transmission in outdoor environments is extremely rare. Not zero, but a tiny, tiny fraction of what the risk is in indoor locations. “

He stressed the importance of socially distancing yourself and wearing a mask when outside to avoid crowds.

Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease specialist at Trillium Health Partners, said the reason is that the distances between people are often greater, movement in the air can often move and spread virus particles, and compared to indoors, it is much safer.

The problem is, if you close these things, you drive these people in. You may feel better, but the risk of transmission is much higher now, he said.

He said his patients are largely people who get sick in indoor settings such as factories or warehouses. Many live in high-density towers where they may not have a balcony or be in close contact with other family members.

Restrictions on outdoor activities hurt the poorest the poorest, said Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician and health-care activist.

I hope there is a consideration for people who live in a dense environment as they may not have a backyard. We must remember that it does not affect all people equally, he said.

Sylvia Jones, the county’s attorney general, told CP24 Friday morning when asked about restrictions on golf that it is important to talk about outdoor activities in general that they are excellent and good for our mental health.

There are a number of conversations going on, and I hope I have news to share in the next few days or weeks, she said.