So, how are you managing to handle the COVID-19 pandemic so far?
I would be less than honest if I said I wasn’t getting tired of it, missing more contact with family and friends, and somewhat concerned about what life is going to be like moving forward.
I am not a fan of big government. Never have been. I believe we should control our own lives as much as possible, take responsibility for our own actions, and provide help and understanding to those who cannot help themselves.
Of course, government has a role to play, ensuring our safety, protecting our economy, and fostering a fair society through health care, education, and equality of opportunity. But it is not, in my view, the role of government to be unnecessarily intrusive in our daily lives.
Therefore, when something comes along like a serious recession or the current pandemic, when government and regulators inevitably must play a larger role for the common good, I get nervous. I also watch them like a hawk and believe strongly that these are times for more accountability and oversight, not less.
Coming from that perspective, during these unusual circumstances, I understand the frustration of those people who balk at being told what to do, how to manage their lives, when they can go out, and who they can see.
They believe they should be free to make their own decisions. They resent what they view as government interference and a dilution of their “rights”.
I understand this, but I cannot, on balance, agree with it.
Yes, I am wary about giving government too much power and adamant that it should not be abused when required and that it should be taken back when no longer necessary. This doesn’t always happen. Certainly, we have seen signs of abuse of power and ducking accountability during this current crisis.
But we are in the midst of a pandemic, a potentially deadly disease, prevalent over our entire country and much of the world. It is real. It is not pretend. It is dangerous and it cannot be ignored.
That Canada has, to date, been fortunate in the level of infections and deaths in relation to COVID-19, especially when compared to its next-door neighbour, is not an accident. It is the result of generally sound strategies, largely based on science, and effective co-operation between all three levels of government in this country. That some of these measures are restrictive cannot be helped.
I, for one, do not like wearing a mask. I am mildly claustrophobic, and I find it confining. As well, I find it a little unsettling to be in a bank and seeing someone wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a black mask. I confess to checking out their hands to make sure they have no weapon! Had that been a year ago, I would have been on the floor and the police would have been all over the place!
But I do not find that being required to wear a mask in public establishments or when I am close to other people outside of my immediate circle to be an infringement of my civil rights. A necessary evil perhaps, but necessary all the same.
I wear the mask, not because I like it, but rather because it is the right thing to do for myself and for others. It is unsettling to see people fighting over this and really upsetting when it results in destructive civil disobedience and violence.
As for social distancing, I am actually beginning to like it! It sort of comes naturally to step a few feet away from people I do not know, especially when I am walking. It’s not a big deal. At times, I have to turn up my hearing aids when someone is speaking to me from six feet away, but I can do that!
What I fail to understand is people who crowd parks and beaches with no attention to masks or social distancing. Whatever point they are trying to make is not worth it. As things begin to open up, there is a way to go to parks and beaches and even restaurants and bars in a manner that respects COVID-19 restrictions.
People who flout these rules and just do what they want are only asking for what they really don’t want, and what our struggling economy cannot endure, and that is another lockdown.
Perhaps the toughest decisions governments are going to have to make are still ahead, particularly around when and how schools will open for our young people. There are no easy answers here, and I do not blame officials and politicians for taking their time in an effort to get it right.
Clearly things have to change in this regard, for the foreseeable future. In order to ensure social distancing, teachers should be happy that they will inevitably get the smaller class sizes they have been asking for and there may well be more opportunities for teaching jobs. On the other hand, the pandemic experience has demonstrated that there is an effective role for some online educational experiences and credit courses.
My guess is that we are going to see in the near-term a hybrid solution where schools will open for face-to-face (or mask-to-mask) teaching, with smaller classes and fewer hours. It may be necessary for teachers to have rotating sessions on the same lesson. Remaining required learning time will be spent at home, hopefully online with qualified teachers. But while at home, children need care.
While it has been important during this pandemic to be financially helpful to those who lost jobs and income, it is also my view that there has not been enough emphasis on encouraging people to return safely to work and stimulate the economy.
Many parents who have jobs or can find work (and there are jobs out there) cannot access them if they have to look after children when they cannot be at school. It’s a big deal.
Subsidies to working parents for in-home child-care not only gets these moms and dads back in the workforce but it also provides opportunities for child-care workers. A win-win situation and certainly better, in my view, than paying people to stay home.
One thing that is becoming clear to me is that while the economy is slowly being reopened and while we are going through phases of returning to a near-normal life, we are certainly not yet out of the woods. We are still a long way from an effective COVID-19 vaccine, and we do not yet know what escalating effect the virus will have as the necessary process of opening up continues.
That is why it is important to stay vigilant, patient, and compliant with reasonable, science-based requirements. There are still tough and challenging times ahead.
Stay Calm and Carry On is a well-used maxim from World War Two. It is also appropriate now. Like then, we will get through this. Let’s not use the pandemic to tear the place apart while we are waiting.
Hugh Mackenzie
Image: Gerd Altmann / Pixabay
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Paul Whillans says
What remains a continued source of frustration for me, is that this could have been effectively over by now with better government management. Without a doubt we would still have to live with Covid through rigorous testing and immediate tracing of new cases. But all businesses could have been open (probably not large sporting event or concerts) and truly citizens would feel safe enough to carry on life….thus supporting the economy.
But little to no effort has been spent enforcing the known best practices and guidelines (e.g. you absolutely never allow travel from a hot spot to an area not infected…..you always wait until that hot spot is under control). Indeed, the absolute wrong message has been sent when the Prime Minister and Premier casually head off to their second home or have Mother’s Day celebrations, opening the door for the “looking for loopholes” mentality we have today.
Early evidence suggests that Covid antibodies degrade with time. It looks like if you get Covid this may buy you (only) 6 months of immunity. (Of note: it is too early to recognize this as “fact”; but it suggests that we need to think of Covid in terms of an exceedingly deadly seasonal flu). Thus true herd immunity may not be even possible.
It is then in my opinion absolutely critical that we nip this “my freedom” vs your life nonsense in the bud. It is also absolutely critical that we start seeing some proactive and responsible leadership which is focused on keeping us safe. It will never be too late to get it right.
Michele & Jim Collins says
Agreed fully! Good words for all Hugh!
Craig Nakamoto says
I completely agree with you Hugh. Only last night I watched several large families enter the establishment where my daughter works and openly ignore the clearly posted rules. My daughter and the other staff member politely asked them to wear masks and they also pointed out that only two members per family should be in the store at the same time. They all reluctantly put their masks on but then started asking for samples. My daughter decided to stop giving out samples because there were too many people in the store and they were removing their masks. Several of the customers got angry and were very impolite. I listened to them after they exited the store and they continued to complain about ‘poor customer service’ as they walked down the sidewalk. What are these people thinking? What happened to common courtesy and respect?
Don McCormick says
I find your column somewhat refreshing however I would like to underscore that the emphasis on personal freedoms over communal interests is what has gotten the US into the deplorable state it is currently in. It has been the willingness to comply with the advice of the medical professionals, even though it has resulted in the curtailment of some of our personal liberties, that has resulted in Canada being in an infinitely better position than the US during this pandemic. It is this willingness to put communal interests above personal liberties in situations like we are currently experiencing that, in part, defines us as Canadians and it is something of which, as a Canadian, I am very very proud.
wendy J brown says
Im hopeing this is the key to the problem . https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53469839
Rob Millman says
Hugh, as your favourite whipping boy has consistently been the federal deficit, and attendant debt; have you, perchance, examined day care costs vs. CERB? In-home daycare is not readily available, as the numbers of allowed spaces are significantly curtailed. That being said, institutional daycare, I believe, is subject to the strictures of the back-to-school initiative.
I agree that the total economic cost (as defined by the NDP) is preferable under your scenario (as the improvement to GDP would be included); but what about the dollar-for-dollar cost?
Anna-Lise Kear says
Amen, Hugh. Your balanced emphasis on the common good and our interdependence on one another is essential. Again, there is more than adequate anecdotal evidence that there is no such thing as “common sense”. One suggestion is to make it “cool” to wear masks and physically distance by having key music icons, etc. wear masks, write songs/jingles that are persuasive in nature. The old balance of carrot/stick to encourage the safest behaviour.
As a retired nurse, it is easy for me to be masked. In hospital/community, when patient dressings are changed, often patients themselves were asked to wear a mask at the time. I am hopeful wearing masks will become as natural as buckling up in the car. My hope is also that life lessons about our interdependence on one another will be learned, because then we can communally celebrate our achievements. It is upsetting to see any violence associated with mask-wearing. Clearly, this is also a test of our adaptability to long term goals and outcomes.
We will also need to mourn an to remember, as a country and community, the lost lives, of all ages and all walks of life.
Thanks for listening.