THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

thetelegram.com

ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR A member of the SaltWire Network

TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

HEALTH

Welcome to Level 4Authorities warn against urge to rush as province eases into � rst stage of relaxed health measures

PETER JACKSON

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Monday was the first day of relaxed public health restric-tions in Newfoundland and Labrador for the first time in two months, but don’t think things are going to change much.

You can go to a garden store or walk in a municipal park, but everything else is pretty much business as usual — and that means keeping your dis-tance, washing your hands and staying home for the most part.

Even allowing social gath-erings for up to 10 people is meant for organized events such as funerals, burials and weddings.

“The expansion to 10 peo-ple does not mean people can now host backyard or dinner parties, or large family gath-erings. That time will come, but it is not here yet,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said Monday at the first daily COVID-19 briefing of the week.

There have been no new cases to report for the last three days, and one untrace-able case last week was not enough to derail plans.

“We do feel there has been good control with no trans-mission in that case, which is why we allowed to go ahead with Level 4,” Fitzgerald said.

“I know the restriction of personal freedom we are all experiencing is difficult and staying home, for many of us who have been quite ac-customed to a busy lifestyle, has been quite an adjustment,” Fitzgerald told a lockdown-weary public.

She encouraged everyone to get outside and enjoy them-selves as much as possible, while keeping the standard two-metre distance from oth-ers.

Health Minister Dr. John Haggie echoed the medical officer’s concerns, saying he feels a sense of momentum building when the pace has to remain slow.

“We need always to have in mind there will be a second wave, and the health-care sys-tem has to be in a position to respond to that.”

Haggie said even countries that appeared to be a model of restraint a month ago, such as Singapore, South Korea and Japan, have found themselves in trouble again.

“We need to pace ourselves,

because if we run, we’ll trip.”

BUSINESS ASSISTANCEPremier Dwight Ball wel-comed a new initiative for medium and big businesses announced Monday by the federal government.

The Large Employer Emer-gency Financial Facility offers support for businesses with annual revenues of $300 mil-lion or more. This includes the Business Credit Availabil-ity Program which provides loans and loan guarantees up to $60 million and $80 million respectively.

Ball said more details will be available within the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, applications continue to flow in from non-residents looking for exemp-tions to the ban on entry to the province.

There have been 2,000 requests since the ban was placed last week. To stream-line the process, applicants can now submit requests on-line at gov.nl.ca/covid-19/.

The main category of re-quest is relocation — people needing to come here for a job, people retiring, and students moving back after completing school. The next largest category is people wanting to return to provide care for a loved one.

Responding to ques-tions about a protest on the weekend by fish harvesters unhappy with the way their union is treating them, Haggie said any sort of legal action based on a violation of health measures is up to the police.

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PEOPLE/COVID-19

Oh what a feelingPeople rejoice in reopening of St. John’s parks

BARB SWEET

THE TELEGRAM

Tears ran down Kelly Hickey’s face Monday as she and her beagle Daisy set feet and paws on the gravel paths of Banner-man Park in St. John’s for the first time since March.

“Honestly, as I was on the corner and I saw the chains were gone and people were in the park, I started to cry … it was so hard not having this space,” said Hickey, who welled up again as she de-scribed her relief.

Living downtown, her four-year-old Violet has always played in the park and Hickey was unsure what her reac-tion would be at not being able to use the still forbidden playground equipment when her daughter returns to Ban-nerman.

“As a family you don’t know what is reasonable to ask a four-year-old,” Hickey said, though she noted how adapt-able children are, and they can find a way to run and play without getting close.

When Bannerman and all the other city parks were ordered closed down March 24, it was like a punch in the chest, said Hickey, who the de-spite toughness of restrictions was totally supportive of the actions taken by the provincial and federal governments.

She was not alone in her tears of joy Monday.

Any other spring and a walk in the park would not be news, would not so seem special.

But there was an emotional feeling for many who entered public parks for the first time after some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 crisis shut-tered them with what was — back in March — no idea how long the bleak times would continue to last or how much worse they might get.

But as the province shifted into Alert Level 4 Monday, parks were among the places springing to life and it felt more normal, more hopeful.

People were chilly but cheerful. Dogs were smiling. Joggers sprinted with a boun-cier gate.

Bicycles built for two glided through Bowring Park while toddlers pedalled their tiny two wheelers in Bannerman Park.

The little skater girl statue in Bannerman Park’s The Loop seemed to have a brighter expression after the past lonely months while the Peter Pan statue in Bowring Park continued to play its pan flute silently to a waterfowl-only audience as the duck pond remained closed to the public, cordoned off by snow fencing and no trespassing signs.

Early morning Monday the parks were spotless, park staff putting the fin- ishing

touches on cordoned off areas, like skateboard ramps and play-ground equipment and fenced off picnic tables. Washrooms were open and being cleaned twice a day. (Pools and splash pads, among other sensitive areas, are to remain closed).

There was some confusion as people arrived between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and chains were still on the gates and bar-ricades in the parking lot at Bowring Park, but they were all gone by mid-morning, except the lot nearest the east duck pond.

But the directional signs and social-distancing instruc-tions were all ready to go first thing — narrow paths one way and wider paths with two way traffic six metres apart.

Other parks didn’t have any signs yet and one east-end park confused some play-ground users until staff arrived to cordon off the equipment.

Some park staff remained a bit apprehensive of how much the public would obey the rules as the parks become more crowded, the weather nicer.

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Balloon fun with a twist Kilbride woman spreading the joy with inflatable art. A2

Nobody here but us chickensWest coast woman to give chicken-keeping webinar Wednesday A7

INSIDE$2.25

• Golfers tee o� at Wil-lows• Barriers fall at city parks• Feds unveil help for big biz• Canada hits 5,000 deaths• Masks a must in West WingFor up-to-date information on coronavirus, visit our COVID-19 news centre at saltwire.com

KEY CORONAVIRUS NEWS

Gloria Rodgers was among the happy Bowring Park users, clapping Monday as she returned after a COVID-19 enforced absence. BARB SWEET/THE TELEGRAM

Ed Hartling got in a walk at Bowring Park early Monday morn-ing with his greyhound dogs (from left) Doctor, Deano and Strax. BARB SWEET/THE TELEGRAM