Vital updates:

• Today marks Niagara’s transition to Stage 2 of the provincial re-opening framework. Details of what Stage 2 entails can be found here. Details of which businesses may re-open can be found here. Guidance documents for preventing COVID-19 in the workplace can be found here.
• Physical distancing and personal protection are the key to a successful transition to Stage 2 and beyond. Do not open your business if you cannot give each customer and member of staff two metres of distance. Masks should be worn when physical distancing is difficult. Regular cleaning and disinfecting should be practiced. Businesses should keep a log with the contact information of people who have visited their premises. In the event of a case being discovered, public health authorities will need this information to perform contact tracing.
• Today, the Ontario government released its safety plan for the resumption of class for the 2020-21 school year, outlining scenarios for how students, teachers and staff can safely return to classrooms in September. While the decision to return to the normal school day routine will continue to be based on medical advice, boards and schools are being asked to plan for alternative scenarios that may need to be implemented in September depending on the province’s COVID-19 situation.

Reading recommendations:

• How 2020 Remapped Your Worlds, Laura Bliss & Jessica Lee Martin, Bloomberg
• How Data Became One of the Most Powerful Tools to Fight an Epidemic, Steven Johnson, The New York Times
• There’s No Going Back to ‘Normal,’ Ekemini Uwan, The Atlantic
• Newcomers are on the fault lines of Canada’s social safety nets and food systems, Jennifer Brady & Patty Williams, The Conversation
• Covid-19: what kind of face mask gives the best protection against coronavirus? Hannah Devlin, The Guardian