Ford Now Says 'Yes, You Will Be' Able To Go Outside On May 24 Weekend
As the Victoria Day weekend draws nearer, many Ontarians continue to wonder if they will be able to spend any of it outdoors. While the province has recently been warning residents to practice social distancing to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 in Ontario, Ford gave some good news on Tuesday afternoon. In a press conference, Ford stated that residents will be able to go outside by Victoria Day.
Recently, park amenities and beaches have been closed and residents have been asked to only leave their homes for essential trips. However, it seems that some good news may be on the horizon.
In a press conference on Tuesday, a reporter asked Ford if those who live in the city will get a chance to go outside this Victoria Day weekend.
"Thousands of people who live in apartments all across the province ... they are being told stay inside, you cannot go to a park ... how is that fair, premier, and will we all get to go outside as well during the May 24 long weekend?" asked the reporter.
Ford responded with a simple, but confident, "Yes, you will be."
"We'll have some good announcements moving forward this week," Ford continues.
However, exactly what will remain open and closed still remains unclear.
While Ford states that there may be some hope for Ontarians when it comes to Victoria Day weekend, that doesn’t mean the province will fully reopen.
In an earlier press conference, the premier stated that re-opening the province by May 24 was “absolutely not going to happen.”
However, as more cases of COVID-19 continue to recover each day, it seems that we are on the right path to slowly returning back to normal.
Earlier this week, a small list of businesses were able to reopen, as long as they followed proper safety protocol.
Ford has also recently told businesses to"get ready" for the reopening of the province, which is supposed to be happening sooner than we expect.
The premier has hinted at good news for cottagers this week, saying that if Ontarians continue to do their part, they could get the all-clear to head up north for the May long weekend.
"We're continuing to do to the right thing and make sure that we social distance and self-isolate when we can... By May 24, hopefully, the numbers are going to continue coming down," said Ford on Monday.
However, he did say that it's important to be a responsible visitor in Ontario's smaller cities. He urges cottage-goers to "bring their own food, don't go to the stores, and stay at their cottage."
As for those who will be in Toronto and the GTA on Victoria Day weekend, you can expect to see police patrolling popular outdoor hotspots, as already they have been in recent weeks.