If you live in a locked down zone, stay out of Guelph for non-essential reasons … and finding your favourite soap isn’t essential. That’s the message coming from Mayor Cam Guthrie.
“I’m hearing a lot of concern … about people leaving the lockdown zones where they live and they’re coming to Guelph because we’re not locked down, for non-essential travel, for non-essential products or services,” he said in a video posted to Twitter. “I’m getting calls from tons of stores, the malls in town saying it’s happening all the time.”
The province moved Peel and Toronto into lockdown on Nov. 23 – a designation set to last at least 28 days – in an effort to stem the rising number of COVID-19 cases. As a result, most stores are limited to curbside pick-up and delivery sales. In-person shopping is only allowed at grocery, hardware, liquor and wine stores, as well as pharmacies, capped at 50 per cent capacity.
Located about an hour’s drive away, Guelph is in an orange zone, which allows all stores to remain open, though open fitting rooms must not be side-by-side, music volumes are restricted so as not to interfere with normal conversation, and patrons at malls must be screened before entry. Sitting down in restaurants is also allowed.
Guthrie said one of the emails he’s received mentioned someone who travelled to Guelph to find their “favourite soap” – something he strongly discourages
“It doesn’t show any respect to the guidelines and respect to the individuals that you’re interacting with here in our city,” the mayor said.
“The public guidelines are pretty simple. We all know them by now,” he added. “Please follow them.”
SERIOUSLY FOLKS! If you’re from a locked down zone in Ontario and deciding to travel to #Guelph for non-essential goods and services, STOP. My patience is wearing thin. Follow the public health guidelines and stop putting everyone at risk. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/nWQU04fyeT
— Mayor Cam Guthrie (@CamGuthrie) November 25, 2020
Those guidelines include limits to the size of gatherings, face coverings, physical distancing, cancellation of non-essential travel from high-transmission areas, and more. Recently, Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, suggested people “not go into any home that is not your own and do not have anyone in your home who does not already live there.”
“We’re all in this together,” added Guthrie. “We got to pull through, but it takes personal responsibility on everyone to make it happen.”
