Difficult to Tell There Is A Stay-At-Home Order Looking At Victoria Beach in Cobourg

Looking over some areas locally on Sunday, May 16, 2021 you wouldn’t know there was a Provincewide Stay-At-Home Order.

The Stay-at-Home order is in place until June 2, 2021, as the province continues to deal with the impacts of COVID-19.

But along the boardwalk in Cobourg and on Victoria Beach you wouldn’t know there was any kind of Province wide lockdown.

In fact, some people were having picnics, while others relaxed and enjoyed the sun laying on the beach.

On April 8, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., a Stay-at-Home order came into effect for all of Ontario.

This means people should only go out for necessities, such as:
the grocery store or pharmacy
health care services (including going to medical appointments or getting vaccinated)
outdoor exercise or walking pets in your community
work that cannot be done remotely
child care or school
Businesses must ensure that all employees work from home if they can.

Requirement to remain in residence

(1) Every individual shall remain at the residence at which they are currently residing at all times unless leaving their residence is necessary for one or more of the following purposes:

Work, school and child care

Working or volunteering where the nature of the work or volunteering requires the individual to leave their residence, including when the individual’s employer has determined that the nature of the individual’s work requires attendance at the workplace.

Attending school or a post-secondary institution.

Attending, obtaining or providing child care.

Receiving or providing training or educational services.

Obtaining goods and services

Obtaining food, beverages and personal care items.

Obtaining goods or services that are necessary for the health or safety of an individual, including vaccinations, other health care services and medications.

Obtaining goods, obtaining services, or performing such activities as are necessary for landscaping, gardening and the safe operation, maintenance and sanitation of households, businesses, means of transportation or other places.

Purchasing or picking up goods through an alternative method of sale, such as curbside pickup, from a business or place that is permitted to provide the alternative method of sale.

Attending an appointment at a business or place that is permitted to be open by appointment only.

Obtaining services from a financial institution or cheque cashing service.

Obtaining government services, social services and supports, mental health support services or addictions support services.

Assisting others

Delivering goods or providing care or other support or assistance to an individual who requires support or assistance, or receiving such support or assistance, including,

i. providing care for an individual in a congregate care setting, and

ii. accompanying an individual who requires assistance leaving their residence for any purpose permitted under this Order.

13. Taking a child to the child’s parent or guardian or to the parent or guardian’s residence.
14. Taking a member of the individual’s household to any place the member of the household is permitted to go under this Order.

Health, safety and legal purposes

Doing anything that is necessary to respond to or avoid an imminent risk to the health or safety of an individual, including,

i. protecting oneself or others from domestic violence,

ii. leaving or assisting someone in leaving unsafe living conditions, and

iii. seeking emergency assistance.

16. Exercising, including,

i. walking or moving around outdoors using an assistive mobility device, or

ii. using an outdoor recreational amenity that is permitted to be open.

Attending a place as required by law or in relation to the administration of justice.

Exercising an Aboriginal or treaty right as recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

Multiple residences and moving

Travelling to another residence of the individual if,

i. the individual intends to be at the residence for less than 24 hours and is attending for one of the purposes set out in this Order, or

ii. the individual intends to reside at the residence for at least 14 days.

Travelling between the homes of parents, guardians or caregivers, if the individual is under their care.

Making arrangements to purchase or sell a residence or to begin or end a residential lease.

Moving residences.

Travel

Travelling to an airport, bus station or train station for the purpose of travelling to a destination that is outside of the Province.

Gatherings

Attending a gathering for the purpose of a wedding, a funeral or a religious service, rite or ceremony that is permitted by law or making necessary arrangements for the purpose of such a gathering.

If the individual lives alone, gathering with the members of a single household.

Animals

Obtaining goods or services that are necessary for the health or safety of an animal, including obtaining veterinary services.

Obtaining animal food or supplies.

Doing anything that is necessary to respond to or avoid an imminent risk to the health or safety of an animal, including protecting an animal from suffering abuse.

Walking or otherwise exercising an animal.

(2) Despite subsection (1), no person shall attend a business or place that is required by law to be closed, except to the extent that temporary access to the closed business or place is permitted by law.

(3) This Order does not apply to individuals who are homeless.

(4) If this Order allows an individual to leave their residence to go to a place, it also authorizes them to return to their residence from that place.

(5) The requirement in subsection (1) to remain at an individual’s residence does not prevent the individual from accessing outdoor parts of their residence, such as a backyard, or accessing indoor or outdoor common areas of the communal residences in which they reside that are open, including lobbies.

(6) For greater certainty, nothing in this Order permits a business or place to be open if it is required by law to be closed.

(7) For greater certainty, nothing in this Order permits an individual to gather with other individuals if the gathering is not permitted by law.

(8) For greater certainty, individuals may only attend an outdoor organized public event or social gathering for a purpose set out in subsection (1) if the event or gathering is permitted by law.