It’s scary enough out there without misinformation, conflicting advice, changing directions and policy disagreements muddying the waters in the returning wave of COVID-19, Don Martin writes.
Paramedics administer nasal swabs at a drive through, pop-up COVID-19 test centre outside the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, in Ottawa, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin TangOTTAWA -- It’s scary enough out there without misinformation, conflicting advice, changing directions and policy disagreements muddying the waters in the returning wave of COVID-19.
The provinces have the power to order a renewed lockdown but some are resisting calls from the cities to shutter retail and hospitality sectors again until there’s evidence it’s an essential step.The cities, which are in the best position to monitor the pandemic’s impact, say it’s damned essential, yet powerless to act on their own.
They argue the stress on mental health, the impact of elective surgery cancellations and the cost of ignoring of other health problems are just not worth engaging a lockdown when cases will rise again as soon as they release the brake. Meanwhile testing, at least in the hardest-hit provinces, is a mess that often defies coherent explanation.
Meanwhile, with labs overwhelmed, results are being delayed, giving the virus a head start to spread. Not that it really matters because, incredibly, epicentres like Toronto and Ottawa no longer have the resources to contact trace the virus anyway. To be fair, we’re dealing with a pandemic which varies wildly from hot-to-not zones across the country, so there’s no one-size-fit for coronavirus communications.
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