What's Opening Up in Regent Park During Ontario’s Reopening

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 Regent Park's vaccination clinic played its part in contributing to Ontario’s earlier than expected reopening!


 As the numbers of administered doses rise and COVID cases begin to drop, Ontario begins phase 3 of the reopening plan days earlier than expected. Ontario's chief medical officer of health Kieran Moore says “Over 200,000 (people a day) are coming forward to get immunized.”

Vaccination and pop-up clinics are at the forefront of getting Ontarians vaccinated, and one of the recurring vaccine clinics is located in Regent Park!

The Regent Park Community Centre located on 402 Shuter Street, has been doing pop-up clinics in the neighbourhood for the past few weeks. The pop-up entrance is on the north side of the building and is prioritizing residents and essential workers of Regent Park. There is no registration or identification required however, attendees are encouraged to bring their health cards. The pop-up provides the Moderna vaccine for those over the age of 18 and Pfizer for those aged 12-17 from 8:00 am - 7:00 pm or until the supply runs out.

In addition to the Regent Park Community Centre, the Regent Park Community Health Centre has been running a vaccine clinic at 40 Oak Street in partnership with Fred Victor. Generally, the clinic is open for drop-ins from Mondays to Wednesdays, and offers Pfizer and Moderna. Appointments are encouraged. To book an appointment call 416-642-1359.

According to the City of Toronto’s vaccine database, around half of Regent Park’s population has received both vaccine doses. As of July 15th, 2021 at 8:00 am, 48.5% of Regent Park’s population have completed vaccination and 55.7% of those who are 18+ have completed their vaccination.

The lineups and wait times at the Regent Park pop-up and the vaccine clinic at 40 Oak, as well as many others across the city are becoming shorter by the week as the percentage of those fully vaccinated rises. Now, as a result, the province is undergoing the third and final phase of its reopening plan!

For Regent Park, phase 3 of the reopening plan means:

  • Small businesses along Parliament St will be open

  • Grocery stores will be open with limits

  • Indoor dining in places such as Tim Hortons (a Regent Park favourite), Subway, and Paintbox Bistro will be open with no capacity limits but with physical distancing intact

  • Recreational and fitness facilities such as the community centre and aquatic centre will be open at 50% capacity

  • Gatherings and public events in the community will be allowed with a maximum of 100 people

  • Places of worship like Masjidur Rahmah, Masjid Omar Bin Al-Khattab, and St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church will be open with capacity limits and physical distancing

  • Multi-purpose facilities such as Daniels spectrum will be open with restrictions 

Here is what a Regent Park resident has to say about the reopenings:

“I feel excited to get back to how it used to be and recreate some of the old memories I had before COVID like hanging out inside Tim Hortons, Daniels Spectrum, or the field.”

- Samir Abdella, 17

 

For more information about what is permitted during phase 3 of Ontario’s reopening plan, visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/reopening-ontario

If you are interested in receiving a vaccine, visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ to book an appointment!

 

Written by
Saima Islam

Journalist
FOCUS Media Arts Centre



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