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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 4, 20 20 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca insidehalton@metroland.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeavfacebook.com/OakvilleBeavf @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Ryan Maraj CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-845-3824 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Advertising: 289-293-0620 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. Letters to the editor Send letters to insidehalton@metroland.com. All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at insidehalton.com OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM COVID-19 has funda- mentally changed our lives -- from how we practice medicine to how people buy groceries to how we even say hello. People sacrificed every- thing to slow down the spread of a pandemic that crippled other countries. Businesses stopped. Towns shut down. Families isolat- ed. Nursing homes locked down. Hospitals limited visitors. Travel stopped and borders closed. As more information came to light, we under- stood more about the dis- ease itself. We know CO- VID-19 copycats other viral illnesses. We know it can be spread by people who have no symptoms. We know CO- VID-19 hits the most vulner- able among us the hardest. I believe the cracks in our health-care system be- came obvious -- public health, senior care, group homes, marginalized popu- lations, community care and infrastructure. These parts, as I see it, have been ignored for too long and must be fixed by govern- ment before the second wave of the pandemic hits. Though it was hard, shutting down our lives worked. We are alive. Now, we have to figure out our next step, our new normal. Hand hygiene, masks, social distancing. Testing and isolating those who are sick and all their contacts. All these infection control precautions must be woven into the fabric of our every- day lives. We can't go back to the old ways. COVID-19 will be around for many more months. Consider this as a first step: 1. Carry hand sanitizer. Clean your hands carefully and often. 2. Wear a mask every time you go outside. They're hot and uncomfort- able, at first. But if you mask, you protect me, and if I mask, I protect you. 3. Shorten your outdoor activities. Do what you can at home: go to the bath- room, eat. 4. Keep apart two meters from others as much as pos-from others as much as pos-f sible. 5. If you're sick, get test- ed and isolate. Immediately. Call your contacts to do the same. We've already done theWe've already done theW hard thing -- and succeed- ed. Now, we do the next. That's how we move for- ward together. Nadia Alam is a George- town physician and past president of the Ontario Medical Association. Her columns also appear on www.drnadiaalam.com. She can be reached through her website. WHAT COMES NEXT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19? WE MUST REMAIN VIGILANT AS VIRUS ISN'T GOING AWAY ANY TIME SOON, WRITES DR. NADIA ALAM Many businesses in Hal- ton have been impacted by COVID-19. As the province enters its first stage of reopening the economy, employers are making changes to their business to keep cus- tomers and employees safe - and Halton Region is here to help. Our Small Business Centre continues to work with community partners and help local businesses navigate the supports available to them during COVID-19. Our team of ex- pert consultants have pro- vided services by phone, email and video conferenc- ing throughout the pan- demic. Whether it's one-on-one consultations, virtual busi- ness seminars or updates on the latest resources and relief programs, the Small Business Centre is sup- porting local businesses every step of the way. Staying informed on the latest health advice is es- sential to preserve our progress in flattening the curve and keeping our economy on a path of re- covery. To make it easy for businesses to find helpful information and guidance, we have developed a Re- sources for Businesses web page at halton.ca/CO- VID19. The page is a one-stop hub of resources, support and information on re- opening safely, tips to pre- vent COVID-19 in the work- place and industry-specific guidance. It also includes resourc- es from the Ministry of La- bour, Training and Skills Development, including safety guidelines and post- ers. Our medical officer of health has encouraged all employers and employees to review these documents before reopening. Throughout COVID-19, we have all made changes - personally and profession- ally - to protect our com- munity and loved ones. As businesses reopen, we are counting on employers to make changes to keep cus- tomers, employees and res- idents safe. Halton will continue to be here for you - we're all in this together. To connect with a busi- ness consultant and learn more about our Small Business Centre services, visit halton.ca. You can al- so access our Resources for Businesses web page at halton.ca/COVID19. Together, we can keep Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and re- tire. Gary Carr is the region- al chair of Halton Region. To contact him, email gary.carr@halton.ca. SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AS OUR ECONOMY RECOVERS THERE'S MANY WAYS IN WHICH THE REGION IS HELPING TO ENSURE REOPENING IS DONE SAFELY, WRITES GARY CARR GARY CARR Column NADIA ALAM Column "Though it was hard, shutting down our lives worked."