North Grenville, as your Mayor, I have been grappling with setting the right tone when it comes to the Stay at Home orders for the next 26 days. There is no doubt that we need to take the threat of COVID-19 very seriously. But staying at home doesn’t mean abandoning your local economy. In fact, North Grenville has been able to protect itself from a COVID surge because we are a relatively self sufficient community, with access to many restaurants, clothing, catering, hardware, grocery, pet store, boutiques, and other local establishments, as well as services (think dentists, physio, pharmacies, vets, car dealerships, home repair and on it goes!). And these businesses have been there for our community in these long months of COVID, adapting their services and stores, and it is now time that we step up for them.
Staying at home doesn’t mean you cannot purchase something from a local business that you consider essential for the well-being of you and your family, and pick it up safely using curbside or delivery options (if the business isn’t open to the public).
Staying at home doesn’t mean total isolation. It means practicing good judgement, always following public health guidelines when it comes to face coverings, social distancing, and limiting social contact outside of your immediate family.
Staying at home does mean doing EVERYTHING in your power to avoid even short trips to the hot spots all around us, including the City of Ottawa, and all communities in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. We are fortunate to have low COVID 19 in North Grenville. We have an incredible community and an impressive array of local businesses that have worked so hard to serve their customers during unprecedented times. It is now time for us to rally and fully give them the support they deserve to get through another COVID disruption.
With proper adherence to public health guidelines, there are many safe ways to get what you need right here at home, and I strongly encourage you to do everything you can, each and every day, to do so. The only way through is together, North Grenville. Let’s do this and have each other’s backs, and especially the backs of our local businesses.
