When Premier Ford released his list of “essential workplaces” on Tuesday, it’s clear that preventing the spread of COVID-19 wasn’t top of mind.

Around the world countries are declaring lockdowns, ordering their citizens to stay home, save for buying food or visiting a doctor or hospital. Many, like France Spain and India, are enforcing these lockdowns with sizable fines to ensure compliance and they’re employing the police or military to do so.

In Ontario, a lockdown was declared on Tuesday, and a list of essential businesses released. Many expected essential services to include hospitals, food services, pharmacies, police and postal workers.

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But Ontario’s list of essential workplaces includes 74 types of business, with language around what constitutes an essential business vague at best. Take for example: “Businesses providing staffing services, including temporary help.” That’s thousands of employees right there.

Or this: “Businesses that extract, manufacture, process and distribute goods, products, equipment and materials, including businesses that manufacture inputs to other manufacturers (e.g. primary metal/steel, blow molding, component manufacturers, chemicals, etc. that feed the end-product manufacturer).” That leaves the door wide open to just about any manufacturing firm in the province.

The only ones not making the list of essential businesses include teachers, arts-related venues, cinemas, galleries, and sports facilities.

So are we pandering to business — or trying to save Ontarians?

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Then on Wednesday, all of Toronto’s playgrounds, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, dog parks and outdoor gardens were closed. The Toronto District School Board also closed all if its playgrounds and amenities until further notice. Toronto announced as well that any violators would face prosecution.

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As it stands, tens of thousands of Ontario employees are allowed to go to work — given they fall under the category of essential businesses — but the rest of the population must stay home, save for a walk now and then.

So as a large chunk of Ontario citizens essentially hole up and self-isolate to prevent the spread of the virus, there will be thousands of Ontarians going about their daily lives as if nothing is happening and spreading COVID-19 at work. Many of them will also be bringing the virus home to their families.

It’s already happening in New York City, which has a similar list of essential workplaces to Ontario’s. Its rate of coronavirus infections is doubling every three days. Three hundred and eighty-five people have died so far and the peak of infections is still weeks away.

A lockdown this is not. It’s window-dressing, giving Ontarians a false sense of security at a time when we should all be doing our part to halt the spread of this virus. As a health reporter for the better part of 20 years, I’m well-acquainted with how politicized health care has become. But in the midst of a pandemic, there’s no time for laying the groundwork for the next election. We all need to self-isolate and save lives.