Province's new COVID-19 response framework offers more clarity, Sudbury business owners say

People have been forced to adjust quickly to respond to the pandemic, and now that includes adapting to the Ontario government's controversial new colour-coded COVID-19 response framework.

On Thursday, a Toronto Star report suggested the Ford government ignored advice from public health officials when creating the new framework. Ford later denied the newspaper's claims at a media briefing on Thursday afternoon. Some have also criticized the new system, saying it isn't strict enough.

The new response system is categorized into five colour-coded levels, which the province says will help to rank health units based on local case numbers and trends.

But what do Sudbury businesses make of the new framework?

Emma Quinn-Giroux, who co-owns Collective Haus, a Sudbury salon and barber shop, says the new guidelines offer more clarity and are an improvement to the province's previous three-stage approach.

"I feel like there was too much of an umbrella, with the phases before, as opposed to our new colour code. I'm actually really liking how they've broken it down," she said.

"This is the most clear that they've been since ... March."

We can't keep on opening up and closing up... it's destroying families. Tony Monteleone, owner of the Coulson Night Club and Diamonds strip club

While the new system is welcome for Quinn-Giroux, she said she's nervous for the months and weeks to come as cases continue to rise across the province. Enforcement, she said, remainsthe province's biggest challenge.

"I feel like we're being asked very easy things as a society to do,"she said. "I love doing hair, I don't want to go into shutdown again."

Tony Monteleone, owner of the Coulson Night Club and the adjoining Diamonds strip club, says he hopes the framework will help keep businesses open as Ontarians continue to struggle to pay the bills amid the pandemic. Andhe hopes it will be the last time he has to re-open for, at least, a little while.

Monteleonemade the decision to re-open the strip club Wednesday, after several weeks of closure due to COVID-19restrictions.

"We can't keep on opening up and closing up," he said. "It's destroying families. People have ... bills to pay and mouths to feed. Financially, it's not good and health-wise it's not good either."

He said he hopes the province will stick to its new plan and that people in the north makean effort to abide by the health units' recommendations.

"Just do what is asked of you," Monteleone said.