Does a drive-by Mother’s Day parade have the potential to spread COVID-19?
How many new cases will pop up after the province relaxes the rules limiting gatherings?
Weighing the risk of virus transmission versus economic or mental well-being for any action from a drive-by birthday parade to a provincial decision to relax controls is part of life for the next couple of years, the region’s medical officer of health said Wednesday.
Dr. Charles Gardner said there are both pros and cons to the parade trend that sees groups of people in their cars driving by someone’s house for a birthday surprise, or by the hospital to say thanks to front-line workers.
“I can certainly see that people are looking for ways to socialize and looking for ways to be connected and meeting our very basic need to be in touch with those we love,” said Gardner. “I can see why people want to do this.”
However, he says there can be issues beyond the traffic it would create.
“People can’t be congregating out of their vehicles or within two metres of other people or in crowds of more than five people,” Gardner said. “Congregating out of the vehicle, before and after, could be an issue.”
If infection control measures are observed, Gardner said it’s possible a drive-by parade could be a safe activity, and it would likely go far for the mental health of the person getting the parade and the people giving it.
Gardner has spoken recently about the toll the control measures and isolation can take on people’s mental health and well-being. He says he’s concerned not only about those in seniors homes, but also those who live alone.
He has encouraged exercise and getting outdoors so long as people are maintaining proper physical distancing and handwashing.
“I believe it’s inevitable that we will have to do some relaxing (of control measures) because there’s a cost to us all in having these controls in place,” said Gardner. “There are economic costs, and costs to our mental health and well-being and quality of life.”
And yet, in Simcoe-Muskoka region today there were 16 new cases reported by the health unit, including five related to a long-term care outbreak. There were two deaths also reported today, both residents at long-term care homes in Simcoe-Muskoka.
There are three new cases reported in Collingwood, though there had been no new cases confirmed since April 29.
Ontario reported 412 new lab-confirmed cases today and 68 deaths.
“The curve is not going up, but it’s also not going down in any kind of steady way, so we need to continue with the controls,” said Gardner.
The province of Ontario has released a framework, but not a timeline, for relaxing public health measures in place. As for when it will be safe to do so, Gardner said without a vaccine and mass vaccination, it’s never totally safe.
“The relaxation of these controls is not without risk,” he said. “We continue to have community transmission … (the province) will need to be cautious about what they relax and how they do it.”
Gardner added there will have to be monitoring to catch “failures” in infection control, and a mechanism in place to reapply controls should there be a surge.
