More Lockdowns, More Restrictions
Yesterday was not a great day. I received an update from the Canadian Snowbirds Association which included the following statement:
Earlier this month, Canada and the United States agreed to extend the restriction on non-essential travel at the land border until at least January 21, 2021. With case counts growing in both jurisdictions, it is expected that this closure will extend well beyond January of next year.
Quite the shock.
I expect the border will remain closed for at least another year.
As a consequence, we confirmed our intent to return to our leased house again in October of this year. It seems highly unlikely that we will be back south until possibly the fall of 2022, almost two years from now.
I would never have imagined, back in March of last year, that we would be prevented from returning to the United States in our motorcoach for what looks to be almost three years.
And now, further restrictions are looming. We are already in a lockdown in Ontario. The government has told us that we cannot have friends or family into our homes. We cannot eat out at restaurants. We should not be travelling. The list of restrictions is lengthy and I suspect things might well become worse over the next few weeks.
Could we have curfews?
Our provincial government has back-flipped on the potential for curfews. It all depends now on how the numbers go in Ontario.
Imposing more severe restrictions is likely due to the measures that our next-door province, Quebec, is set to announce later today.
Here is a perspective on the Quebec situation from a visibly angry Montreal lawyer.
I sense he is just as frustrated as I am. And I fear that we will soon be in a similar situation in Ontario. A never-ending series of lockdowns and restrictions.
Thankful that we have a beautiful house for the winter. Uncertain as to our retirement plans over the next few years. It looks as though we may continue to be in some form of house arrest in Ontario for a considerable period of time.
When did this statement come out? If it was December maybe they are talking about extending past January of this year.
Member advisory was sent out yesterday. I am expecting the border will remain closed to non-essential travel for 2021. There is a task force that has been established to determine the process and timing of the border reopening and their report is due in March. I’ve provided a bit of context for that group below. They have already indicated that the border will remain closed to non-essential travel until widespread vaccinations have been implemented. I very much doubt that we will see a return to normal travel this year.
The members of the Wilson Task Force on Public Health and the US-Canadian Border include former Quebec premier Jean Charest; former Washington governor Christine Gregoire; former deputy Canadian prime minister Anne McLellan and former Michigan governor Rick Snyder.
The task force will be staffed by the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center. Christopher Sands, director of the institute, said in a press release, “The problem of how to reopen the US-Canadian border is both technical and political. Technically, how can health screening be incorporated into the existing inspections conducted at the land, air, and maritime borders without undue delays to efficient supply chains and the traveling public? And politically, how can the United States and Canada restore public confidence in the shared border so that they will resume cross border activities and be reassured that pandemic risks are being managed cooperatively and safely by both countries?”
Sorry to hear that Richard. We miss you guys down here. Maybe a coach transport is in your future.