The latest round of public health orders surrounding COVID-19 seem to be focused around what is cheapest, rather than what has the highest risk.
The most aggressive rules surround private gatherings - which, naturally, have no real cost to implement. While some might argue that the rules are a bit too stringent - why is one person going over to a different household fine while a couple is suddenly too risky? - it鈥檚 understandable, with a huge spike in infections and deaths, to limit traffic.
However, the most expensive restrictions, those on retail businesses, are 小蓝视频 delayed as long as possible, and until they are more convenient - traffic tends to taper off significantly after Christmas, apart from Boxing Day sales. Having them come into effect Christmas Day means that while Christmas gatherings might be cancelled, Christmas shopping won鈥檛 be. I understand completely why retailers wouldn鈥檛 want a restriction this week, stores were already packed this past weekend and will be packed again this weekend, losing this weekend is losing a lot of revenue. It鈥檚 especially busy in Yorkton, as it is a hub where the surrounding area shops, including plenty of traffic crossing provincial borders. That also happens to be a major risk factor, outside traffic gives a virus a chance to hitch a ride. If you're going to restrict something, it makes more sense to restrict a more heavily populated area.
Basically, there鈥檚 a much bigger risk going to a store this weekend than there is with a couple going over to another couple鈥檚 house, and yet only one of those isn鈥檛 allowed under the order.
Another issue is there鈥檚 nothing in the order about a transition to strictly online education, even though schools have a large number of people in a compressed space for an extended period of time - the easiest way for a virus to spread. It could be argued that this is partially because there鈥檚 no real need for it just yet, school is about to be let out for Christmas break and there will not be any students anyway, but it鈥檚 still something families will need to know as soon as possible, so they can arrange for care and online learning for their kids. Giving parents a heads up right now if online-only education is even 小蓝视频 considered is vital, parents should know exactly what is going to happen with their kids鈥� education at the earliest opportunity. Of course, going to online-only education is, again, expensive, as people need to pay for child care and take time off work. That explains delaying it.
The need for new rules is definitely necessary, the transmission rates in this wave are significantly higher than during the big shutdown in March, and now deaths are mentioned in reports regularly.
The Facebook-educated, dim-bulb conspiracy theorists will claim that there is no real virus or that it鈥檚 not fatal - it is, undoubtedly, as there is a higher than average death rate in Canada this year, meaning there is something there killing people, and the number of deaths over the average south of the border roughly aligns with their reported number of deaths from COVID-19 as well. They will spout baseless conspiracies, which are all profoundly stupid - masks are bad for 鈥榗ontrolling people鈥� because they are the bane of facial recognition software, there鈥檚 no need to have some sort of tracking microchip when they鈥檙e carrying a cell phone 24/7 connected to social media so they can get the latest conspiracy theory to spread around to their equally thick-headed friends. They鈥檙e a major part of why Canada is tightening restrictions while folks in New Zealand can do whatever they want. They are the most dangerous factor in this entire pandemic, and always will be.
But one wonders how dangerous it鈥檚 going to be to try to preserve the busiest shopping weekend of the year, even if there鈥檚 a limit to what you can do with that shopping.
