Peterborough County warden J. Murray Jones says his emails over the past week included a few from people who don’t see the need to stay away from cottages, and some even suggesting they will withhold taxes if they can’t use their lakeside retreats.

“I had a few emails from people, and they were all over the place,” he said.

Some liked the stance the county was taking, calling on cottagers to stay in their principal residences while they wait for the COVID-19 crisis to pass. Others didn’t like the suggestion that they keep away.

“There were various attitudes about it,” Jones said. But after asking around on Monday, he said a lot seemed to defy the idea of staying away. “If I had to take a guess, I’d say there were way more who decided to come to the cottage than we realize.”

Heading into the weekend, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sent a warning to those inclined to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic at their cottages.

Ford said he’d been getting a “tremendous” number of calls from municipal leaders and residents in cottage country concerned too many people are arriving and placing strains on supermarkets, stores and hospitals not equipped to handle the influx at this time of year.

“If you have a cottage, they’re just asking you, please, don’t come up to the cottage because of what’s happening,” the premier told reporters.

His remarks echoed appeals recently seen on social media from those who fear not only bare supermarket shelves but increased spread of the new coronavirus. Half of Ontario’s confirmed cases are from the Greater Toronto Area, where the bug is now increasingly circulating in the community.

“The hospitals, they don’t have the capacity we do in urban settings,” Ford said.

The premier is expected to extend the province’s State of Emergency order, taking it through to May 12 — a few days ahead of the May long weekend, traditionally when many flock to the lakes and open cottages for the summer season.

Jones says a few cottagers reached out to the county saying they don’t think their tax dollars are being respected if they can’t use their properties now.

“I have to tell them it’s different right now. We’re way above that. We’d love to welcome you with open arms like we always do, but right now it’s about stopping the virus. It’s about saving lives.”

Jones had the opportunity this past weekend to explain that to a few people, and after a while some started to see it from his perspective.

“They are our life blood, but they need to stay away.”

Currently, he’s looking ahead to the May long weekend, hoping and praying the worst of this crisis is behind us and it will be safe to have cottagers back.

“Maybe we’ll see a bit of a break by then … Hopefully the door will open for us, but if we don’t do this now, then we’re just delaying the inevitable.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

If we’re going to be in this together, he says, we need to be apart right now.

Correction - April 15, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said over half of Ontario's confirmed cases of COVID-19 are from Toronto.