Hey guys! Last word on the subject... I haven't been logging on to TERB for a while because I thought it was clear that our reopening isn't imminent, so I'm surprised that this thread is still as busy as it is.
It's important to emphasize that all reopening decisions across the world are based on health factors, but also based on economic and political factors. Of course that's true of sex work as well, and the only point of this thread was to explain where we would position ourselves in that framework, and why. The Ontario government will decide when Stage 2 is viable/necessary, and we will move in concert with the province's recommendations. The province will determine the criteria for that decision, not Allegra or any other groups in the sex industry. I think a lot of people misunderstood our intentions, and assumed that our announcement meant we would be reopening quickly; that was never the intent of this thread.
Clearly the province needs to make a lot of progress before Stage 2 is a reality, and once it is, we'll start opening things up, slowly and carefully. The single biggest factor in reducing spread will be limiting the number of clients that any given SP sees in a day, to avoid superspreader situations, so that will be our main focus. Additionally, now that the province is allowing testing for non-symptomatic individuals, we may choose to recommend that SPs be tested at some undetermined frequency prior to and/or during their return to providing services. No firm plan is currently in place, but we will monitor the situation closely. This is an ever-changing situation, and the range of safety protocols that we will or will not use will adapt as new information and options become available.
I assumed it would go without saying, but none of the SPs or clients who choose to delay their return beyond Stage 2 will be expected to or pressured to expedite things. We have a number of SPs on our roster with chronic health conditions who have already stated that Stage 2 is too early for their comfort, and others who cohabitate with vulnerable persons, and their decision to wait will be respected. Their position with our collective will not be at risk, and they'll simply remain listed as OFF until they choose to return.
Finally, my initial prediction for Ontario Stage 2 was three to eight weeks from May 14, when I first posted this thread. It now looks likely to be at the far end of that range, perhaps longer; if Stage 2 gets pushed back because of recent events and upticks in the number of cases, then our reopening will be pushed back as well.
Stay safe, get outside, enjoy the warm weather (at a distance), and I'll log back in again in a few weeks.
Cheers,
Nikki