Details On The Mask Mandate & Border COVID Test Repeals in Ontario, Plus Rotaryfest's Return To Normal!!

Today's SMS post has turned out to be way less directly musical than I expected (we'll make up for that shortly), but we do have lots of big and encouraging news regarding the roll-back of restrictions to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that have affected the concert experience, both from events scheduled and hypothetical. Here's what you should know!

As our Ontario readers will likely be aware, the provincial mask mandate has been lifted in most settings as of today, and regarding SMS-covered topics, this means that concert attendees and performers do not have to wear a face mask to enter nightclubs and concert venues for the first time since before the first pandemic lockdown began in March 2020. This doesn't necessarily mean that some venue staff won't encourage mask wearing still or ask that paid employees continue masking up for the time being, let alone a potential return of the mandate if COVID-19 cases go haywire again, but be observant about any recommendations, whether you'd prefer to wear a mask or not. Visit SooToday's article about the mandate lifting for further details. Could the end of the indoor capacity limits and mask mandate (let alone the winter season) lead to more concerts? Time will tell, but things have been slowly creeping upwards, so we'll see how things go!

For some more encouraging news regarding concerts, the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie have announced that Rotaryfest will return to a normal in-person format at Clergue Park in July! As outlined in this SooToday article, the Soo's summer festival will hopefully kick off on Thursday, July 14th, and they are planning to have a full festival that weekend like what we saw in the 2010s, including live bands, ribs, vendors, the community parade, and the Take Your Pick Draw (for what it's worth, the press release did not say anything about the midway). This year's Rotaryfest will actually coincide with the 100th anniversary of Sault Ste. Marie's first community night parade in 1922, so this would be a fitting return date! Due to pandemic restrictions, 2020's Rotaryfest was held entirely virtually, complete with an online concert, while a condensed music stage and rib sales were held at the former Lowe's Plaza parking lot last year, with a drive-in format in place.

As per this Sault Star article by Brian Kelly, Rotaryfest organizers are working on a plan B in case restored COVID-19 restrictions mean that they have to scale back the festival from what they're hoping to put on, but fingers crossed that nothing screwy happens to throw another spanner in the works! Given that the main music stage at Clergue Park will (hopefully) be dusted off for the first time in three years, organizers are looking for musicians interested in performing there in July, so if you want in, e-mail rotarymusicssm@gmail.com to get an application form! The deadline to apply is Sunday, April 17th, and visit the festival website for more details! In case you're wondering, none of the above sources said anything public about the return of the original indie/folk-centric Stage 2, which was also held at Clergue Park from 2015-2019 near the Art Gallery of Algoma.

For reference, note that the pandemic-altered Rotaryfests folded in covers-only acts you'd tend to see on Stage 1 with original acts more amenable to Stage 2 in the same lineup, so the possibility exists that this could recur, just on the main stage. Everything sounds encouraging for Rotaryfest to get back to normal-ish in a big way this summer, so whether you're interested in the bands or everything else, visit the above links for what we currently now about the festival's 2022 installment!

Finally for today, let's keep the pandemic optimism going with a big note for readers who want to cross the border, as Canada is planning to lift the pre-entry COVID testing requirement for travellers returning home on Friday, April 1st! As noted in this CTV News article, fully vaccinated Canadian travellers returning to the country from an international trip will not have to get a negative COVID-19 test (PCD, rapid antigen, or otherwise) before arriving at the border, but customs agents do reserve the right to administer random mandatory PCR tests as a response to new COVID variants. If that occurs, you don't have to isolate while waiting for your results. Travellers without two COVID shots will still have to isolate upon re-entry and be tested as required, while you will still have to enter in your estimated return to Canada with the ArriveCAN mobile application.

As far as the SMS goes, this news will be extremely welcomed for concert goers who want to cross the border to see concerts, particularly at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, where Black Label Society will finally have their long delayed local concert on May 6th. Now that there's no COVID test requirement starting next month, will we see a strong contingent of vaccinated Sault Ontario metalheads there? It will be very interesting to see how things go for cross-border travel this spring, but visit the above links for complete details on all of the COVID restriction news, mercifully all good here, and stay tuned for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!