A Minor Rant (Observations) From Just Outside the Pandemic #9 + addendum

It takes a fair bit of self-control not to brag about the fact that B.C. appears to be flattening the curve. The most recent statistics suggest that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the number of hospitalizations in BC are either remaining constant or decreasing. There was even a brief mention in this morning's CBC on-line news about the possibility that some restrictions may get lifted, perhaps in specific areas, sometime in the foreseeable future. It will take a lot of self-control for the citizens of B.C. to continue to practice social distancing etc. until that future arrives. It was therefore very disappointing to read that Friday's ferries to the Southern Gulf Islands and other tourist destinations were full.

What part of the message are these travellers not getting?

I understand that they may have a cottage/second house on the Sunshine Coast or on one of the islands such as Salt Spring or Galliano. I get that they pay taxes and therefore have the right to be there and to use the services that area has available. I also can understand their logic that says that because they are not sick right now, because they are going to stay in our car all of the way to their destination (people are now allowed to stay in the cars while the ferry is in transit) and because they will not leave their property while they are visiting - what harm could they do?

A year from now, hopefully, things will be almost normal. We will be then able to sit down and analyze what strategies were the most useful to manage the outbreak. It may turn out that places such as New York City which has experienced hospital overcrowding and numerous deaths, will, in the long run, make a better and a more sustainable recovery whereas BC because fewer of us got sick, there will be ongoing outbreaks. But at this particular point, it would appear that maintaining social distancing, avoiding going out when we do not need to and washing our hands is the best way to contain it. It would appear that for many Canadians, while we are not that worried about getting sick, we are worried about other people getting sick. We listen to the experts and follow their suggestions to protect other people.

So for the folks in the lower mainland of BC, or for those folks in western Alberta who go to the mountains for their get-a-ways or those in Ontario who vacation in the Muskokas or the Halliburton Highlands - please stay at home. This not the time to exert your privileged position of own vacation property. This is about you accepting responsibility for the well being of others.

addendum : CBC has corrected its statements - the ferries were only half full (and there were few ferries running than normal. I still ask the question - why were most of the people on the ferry?

Observations From Just Outside the Pandemic #8

Our political system is far from perfect. This should not surprise us. We all accept that no one person is perfect. Why we expect that 300 plus people sitting in a room to be collectively faultless when there is ample evidence to the contrary continues to boggle my mind.

Canadian politicians have generally been playing nice with each other. There has been little, if any, criticism of what the various levels of government have been trying to do. That friendliness may begin to erode when people start to argue about who is responsible for dealing with the debt that has been accumulated. However, in the meantime - especially when compared to some of the squabblings to the south of us - it has been delightful to see them all working together, sharing resources and information. They have even praised each other on national television!

I have been less impressed with other members of our society. Especially those who criticize the government for not being better prepared. No government in the world was ready to deal with a pandemic. I am not sure why anyone would expect that the Canadian government's crystal ball would have or could have been better than anyone else'. Yes, it would have been nice if in some huge warehouse, somewhere in Canada, the government has stockpiled hundreds of extra ventilators and thousands and thousands of masks and gowns etc. It certainly would have made life much easier and safer for folks like nurses and care aids.

 It would have been nice if the medical "experts" who are suggesting that the government erred in not having that supply available, had made such a warehouse a priority in their funding request. The fact is that every year professionals demand that the government address a myriad of issues - all of which are critically important to at least one group of people. Someone needs to decide which issue gets funding. Not enough medical experts said that a warehouse filled to the rafters with medical supplies to combat a pandemic was a priority. Why those experts thought that the government could make that decision when they could not decide how or what to prioritize remains a mystery to me.

We all knew that a pandemic was possible, perhaps even likely at some point. No one was prepared for it to happen in the spring of 2020. Not even the doctors.

In the upcoming months, other people will get on the bandwagon, pointing out all of the things the present government and all proceeding governments should have done so that we would have been more comfortable during these challenging times, so that there would have been fewer deaths, so that our economy would not have been so weakened. And in many cases, those pundits or experts will be right. In a perfect world, led by perfect leaders and supported by perfect experts all decisions will be the right ones. But that is not the world I live in. I make mistakes and I, therefore, am obliged to accept that others are allowed to make them too.

We must acknowledge that we could have, and in fact, that we need to do a better job at preparing for an unknown future. But we need to do it in such a way that allows us to collectively grow as opposed to finding fault with a handful of sadly imperfect people.

Observations From Just Outside the Pandemic #7 +addendum

There are different types of isolation. There is the kind that many of us are imposing upon ourselves so that we can prevent the spread of the virus; a relatively small number of people in Canada are isolated because they were told to. In both cases, most of us, I hope, are continuing to reach out to those that we know and/or love. However, at the same time, we are being ever more isolated by the lack of information from reliable media sources as to what is happening in the rest of the world.

If one looks at the easily accessible and normally reputable media sites, much of the news is about how Canada is dealing with the COVID -19 virus. There are always a few items about how other western countries are doing including at least one or two items about our neighbours to the south and a few about how the European countries are coping.  There is, however almost no news - at least on the websites, as to how other countries, particularly African countries or those parts of the Indian sub-continent are doing.

I am sure that the population density of India is equal to, if not greater than China's. There are 1.3 billion people living in India. While that country has the capacity to provide comprehensive medical services, the sheer size and density of the population would mean that a pandemic would be hard to control.  They have not been isolated from the rest of the world.  Surely how India or Pakistan is coping is something we all should know about.

Within the continent of Africa, there are some countries who, long before COVID-19, struggled to provide the most basic level of service to their citizens. The near 300 years of constant interference, manipulation and domination by European countries supporting their capitalist enterprises have robbed some of the African countries of their most valued positions including people and natural resources.  Many of those countries do not have the resources to fight a pandemic. Certainly, in comparison to the USA, they do not have the financial resources to compete on the open market for protective equipment for their medical staff. What is happening in Africa? Are the people overwhelmed by the virus? Or has it not spread as fast? I think we, in the west, need to know.

I appreciate the fact that even in a rich country like Canada there is a limit to the resources available to gather information. I also recognize that people have a finite ability to absorb information or even to be interested in learning about anything a few miles outside their front door. It becomes increasingly difficult for us to be concerned about someone halfway around the world when our well being is at risk. But it would seem to me that if Canada survives this pandemic, it will because we have accepted that we have a responsibility to not only ensure our own health, but also the health of our neighbours. 

We need to extend the definition of what a neighbour just a little bit further.

addendum : a few days later, CBC did publish a story about Africa and the Covid-19 virus. Too brief and only ones - but it was there.