Canada has done reasonably well by global standards, but there have been many missed opportunities to do better. What's worse, it is my belief that we are not preparing properly for a probable second wave.
Here is letter I am about to sent to various MP's and MPP's. I am writing to express concern about Canada’s preparedness for a second wave of Covid-19. Another countrywide lockdown can be avoided. We have already mortgaged the future of the next 3 generations, and we need not, indeed must not, make that worse. Abstract: Another countrywide lockdown can be avoided. We know that wearing masks is essential to controlling the spread of the virus.
Detailed Discussion: If you are working on these concerns as expressed below, that is good news, but then my primary concern becomes one about communications. There appears to be a lack of Federal leadership other than your readiness to throw money at the issue. I agree that each province needs to apply approaches specific to the situation in their province, but that process should not be leaderless. There are fundamental elements of the response that should apply consistently across provinces. There has been and continues to be confusion because of provincial differences and even regional differences within provinces. A major factor in support of the consistency across all provinces is that Canadians will want to have Canadian vacations more than any time in the past. We should be doing everything possible to support and grow this trend. That will put billions of dollars into the Canadian tourist industry that could otherwise go elsewhere. A culture of vacationing in Canada could last for decades. A confusing mix of approaches and cross provincial border travel restrictions could waste this opportunity. Here are the key issues that require strong leadership at all levels of government: Medical and Scientific Advice
We know that wearing masks is essential to controlling the spread of the virus.
We know that robust contact tracing is essential to controlling the spread of the virus.
We know that robust testing is essential to controlling the spread of the virus. This applies both to identifying those currently with Covid-19 and those with antibodies who have had Covid-19.
We know that travellers are a significant factor in the spread of Covid-19.
In all of the above, we need strong leadership at all levels of government, especially at the Federal level. We need best practices for Canada applied in a way that takes into account regional and local nuances. Let’s at least all start from the same playbook. If lockdown conditions arise, any lockdowns should be applied locally and regionally as testing indicates. If we do all of the above, Canada should NOT need another national lockdown. By-the-way, we are already seeing that there could be long lasting mental and physical health consequences to lockdowns. This will only be magnified by further lockdowns. We have not even begun to calculate the long term costs associated with these negative health outcomes. If lockdown conditions arise, have you considered the approach advocated by Uri Alon, Professor and Systems Biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science? If we have to have another Canada-wide lockdown and associated financial bailouts, confidence in federal and provincial governments will drop dramatically. On the other hand, strong coordinated leadership will save lives, save huge costs, and probably save your governments. From a concerned citizen, Julian Sale
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