I am, I must confess, just a little bit nervous when I hear
or read about the possibility that some of the COVID-19 restrictions/limitations
will be reduced or even done away with. I understand that for some, these
limitations have been almost impossible to live with, that individuals and
families have suffered real hardships during the month or so of reduced social
contact. For families that have mortgages, car payments and student loans to
pay off, the anxiety as to how they could financially survive must have been
almost all-consuming. I am not at all sure if a sudden reduction of limitations
will do much to ease their worries. It will help but it might take months
before the economy will get back to anything like normal.
It is much easier for people like me to argue that the
restrictions around personal contact and travel should be maintained for a bit
longer. I have lost very little in the last few weeks. I go out a lot less than
normal, I miss my 7-8 hours a week of volunteer time and I would much prefer to
go shopping every 4-5 days rather than once every two weeks. But I have talked
to my neighbours more than I ever have, I have spoken on the phone more than
normal and I have seen my son more frequently than in other months. My pension cheque
comes in like clockwork; I have not bothered to look at my few investments -
there seems no point. Other than not buying a new bicycle, I have not lacked
for anything. The one area that has impacted me the most - the closure of farmers'
markets for craftspeople, is a concern in terms of income and in finding other
ways of dealing with my being a bit of a work alcoholic. But that too is quite
manageable.
Yesterday, a neighbour argued that on Vancouver Island - all
of the restrictions are unnecessary as there are only (relatively) a small
number of people who have developed the disease. He was right, there have been
only 94 confirmed cases (58 recovered), three deaths and as of the last report
- no new cases this weekend. It sounds very positive and on the surface of it -
life should get back to normal as soon as possible. But.....
It has been suggested by public health officials and others
with expertise in community disease management, that if places like BC have
managed to "flatten" the curve avoiding hospital over-crowding and
the depletion of resources, it is because we have been successful at limiting
the spread of the virus. There is no cure, there is nothing that we can do to
stop it spreading except to not inhale/ingest the contaminated breath of other
people. It is true that the risk of becoming infected on Vancouver Island during
the course of daily events is extremely unlikely. It is even less likely for
those of us who live north of the Malahat.
However, for those of us who have compromised lungs or hearts - we need
to remain vigilant. Sounding rather selfish - as much as I want people working and
investing in their lives, as much as I want my grandchildren to be able to play
with their friends and get back to school - I do not want to get sick because
we all relaxed too soon.
I would be far more comfortable with restrictions being
reduced if someone could guarantee that no one would visit the island or that
no one from the island would visit anywhere else and then comeback.
Stop the ferries and close the airports. Vancouver Island
could be COVID-19 free in a few weeks. But we can't do that, nor can we assume
that people will be careful, that all people will continue to limit contact,
wash hands and to monitor their health perhaps more closely than normal.
I can trust myself to be careful - but as much as it saddens
me to say so - I am not sure if I can trust someone else, someone who I have
never met, someone who may not look or feel sick, but someone who might be
spreading, inadvertently, the virus to me or those I care about.
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