Observations from Just Outside the Pandemic #4

It is all too easy to rant about the sheer dumb and irresponsible behaviour of some people such as a few church ministers in the USA who have continued to preach to large groups of people saying that if you truly believe in Jesus, then you won't get sick from COVID-19 or the doctors who continue to order and self prescribe anti-malaria medication because they think it will help them (and thereby potentially depriving this medication from people who have malaria). It is equally as easy to publically fume about the greedy, immoral people who develop scams to prey upon individuals who are, at the best of times, at risk of being taken in by telephone scams and who now because they are isolated, are even more vulnerable. There are almost no words to describe the despicableness of returning travellers lying to border or security agents about whether or not they have any symptoms.

One could also talk, in glowing terms, about the thousands of people who have continued to work because what they do is critical to a community's capacity to function. Long distant truck drivers, medical professionals, personal care aids going into people's homes and of course, all of those workers in grocery stores who are keeping us fed are working long hours and at least some of them are, unfortunately, getting paid just above minimum wage.

So many people have been put in precarious positions because their place of employment has been shut down. Whether one works for a national transportation carrier, in the manufacturing sector or in an office - your income has been reduced. The government's plans to supplement people's income can only be a band-aid for people's real living costs. Owners of small business- some of whom have spent a lifetime creating that company must be in tears over the losses they are experiencing. Hopefully,  the government's plans to support those businesses will alleviate some of the stresses.

It is less clear what self-employed people are going to do, of how they are going to financially stay alive when they may not fall into a specific category making them eligible for support. Musicians who are just starting their careers and who have planed perhaps to spend the summer travelling across Canada to play in various folk festivals will have lost those gigs and will have no potential to replace that income. University students who regardless of whether or not they get a credit, not only have lost at least part of their learning experience for this year, but they face the very real possibility that they will not have the opportunity to work for part if not all of the summer. There are hundreds and hundreds of small crafters who make some or in many cases all of their income from selling at local markets. Many of them have, in the past, been so far off of the grid that the government does not know they exist. Many of them will have no income this spring and there is no back-up plan.

 It has already felt like it has been a long spring - there is no doubt that as the weather gets better - it is going to feel even longer as many of us do our best to ensure that the virus does not spread to ourselves or to those we know. I am hoping that someone far wiser or more creative than I will find ways that people like me can be more supportive of some of the folks who are struggling.