As much as I support the wearing of masks in public and vaccinations, I can't see the government putting restriction back in place to protect the vulnerable. The government has made it very clear that we have to learn how to live with Covid. It's been 2 years and most people are feed up with Covid and want to get out and enjoy there freedom again. I believe if you feel uncomfortable in public spaces as we do, wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep up on your vaccinations.
Restrictions do not just reduce vulnerable people's risk, they also reduce everyone's risk. We are entering a stage where COVID's main effect is not death, but rather illness and debilitation. People who get COVID may not die, but they do get sick, lose time from work, and many suffer long term effects that change their lives.
My biggest concerns lie in the health care systems. COVID being over would be amazing, surgeries and cancer treatments could get back to normal, ICU beds would be available, and life for people with nonCOVID health conditions/emergencies could expect the treatment we had pre-COVID.
At risk people are still dying, and healthy people are ending up in hospital and ICU, and with the limited dta we are getting, they are needing hospital care at increasing rates.
Seatbelt laws went into effect because too many people were getting injured or dying. So, now every time I get in a car, I have to put on an uncomfortable restraint, and if I do not, I can get a large fine. We all quibbled about it (those of us old enough to remember), but it is accepted by all now. This is just one instance of regulation put in place to protect us from ourselves. Sticking with cars, you need a valid license, and a car that is subject to safety inspections, must obey traffic signs/signals, even if they are inconvenient. But we accept they are for the safety of everyone, and obey. And still, cars are a leading cause of preventable death, and disability.
Health inspections of food plants through to restaurants. Building inspections for electrical and structural safety. Occupancy limits on facilities. MMR vaccine requirements to attend public schools. Our society is full of rules that are designed to protect us from us, and from each other.
There is no reason why masks or mandatory vaccines should not become part of that structure. One guy puts a bomb in his shoe, and we all take off our shoes in airports. One group of terrorists use boxcutters to hijack and weaponize planes, and I can't take a keychain penknife with a 1" blade on a plane, let alone nail clippers. Again, all accepted limitations.
But masks and vaccines got weaponized by certain political factions, and suddenly "our freedoms are in peril". Doesn't matter that our healthcare systems are pushed beyond where they should collapse and only through the heroic efforts of our HCW's who are burning out now. Doesn't matter that patients are sent to other provinces, or worse, Cancer patients have treatments delayed catastrophically because beds are full.
We all know this, and many people agree that we should be cautious, and feel that just a little caution might go a long way to fixing the issue. But that vocal minority whips up rhetoric to make that group in the middle sympathetic to their politically motivated cause. And the pandemic effects continue, not just un-abated, but now enhanced to where a much less virulent strain is actually causing an increase in hospitalizations. Places like New Zealand had almost no cases, dozens a day until they reopened to the world at the start of this year, and now, 10,000 cases a day. Thankfully, due to vaccines and therapeutics, 627 total deaths, one third of our provinces total with 5 times our population. We did a great job off the hop here, closing borders and mitigating, like NZ did, but we opened up too much and too soon, with deadly results.
I know regulations are going to be hard politically to bring back (unless we see a new variant), but I wish there could be some "Anti persecution" laws put in place to defend people and businesses that choose to offer safe services. We need to let reasonable people be free to protect themselves and their community without fear of attack. Make vaccine/mask protesters face hate crime charges, which is exactly what they are. Attacking people based on their beliefs. Go have your convoys, boycott business, have COVID parties to reach herd immunity. But leave people who disagree alone to live their lives and do business peacefully.
That's all..
