Home Health Letter: Pandemic Questions with No Answers

Letter: Pandemic Questions with No Answers

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Are you fed up with this pandemic? Are you fed up with having to wear a mask when you go out into a store? Are you confused with some of the instructions in terms of stay home/lockdown / essential travel etc?.

It is quite possible that we will not get Covid 19 under control fully until we all go into what is a complete, full and total lockdown as other countries have done. It seems to me that the provincial government wants to have its cake and eat it too.

In the meantime we go out for our groceries and other essentials as we have done before. There really doesn’t seem to be much in the way of change. We create these so-called bubbles which in many cases are simply for the sake of social convenience. Are we really refraining from going into friends houses? I’m sure that many are, but wonder if there are some who are not.

Are we also refraining being close to anybody outside our immediate household? I mean, do folk get it, or do they not?…or do they for some odd reason ignore it all?

Perhaps this lock down presents an opportunity to consider what and who really matter to us. One thing I have found is that I am reflecting upon whether or not we need to buy half the stuff that we actually do and whether or not we need to eat out as much as we have been doing.

Then there is of course the whole group of people who refuse to wear masks, who for some convoluted reasoning feel that this is an affront to their personal liberties. …or is it an opportunity to show their otherwise hidden, somewhat rebellious side? or simply laziness? or again, are they unaware of what community transmission actually means?

I do realize that there are people who for medical reasons have problems with masks, but in reality that is a very small percentage.

We will get vaccinated, despite the shrill criticisms and unhelpful comments from some areas. Our medium and long term supply of vaccines look solid. Unfortunately what we are seeing now is regrettable vaccine nationalism. I’m all for sharing, but the EU’s attitude is unacceptable.

In the meantime, are we really looking after each other in this difficult time? Are we keeping in touch? Are we making phone calls? Are we reaching out to folks who may be shut in and unable to get out for one reason or another?

Are we emailing friends who we used to see and socialize with on a regular basis? Who actually do we really want to keep in touch with, we might want to ask ourselves. Do we really care, or are we simply ensconced our own little world ? Have we just retreated to Netflix and CBC Gem?…

…So, has the pandemic brought out the best in some of us, or the worst in some of us?….just asking.

Phil Cottrel

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