Although COVID-19 certainly isn't gone by any stretch of the imagination, (and let's face it, it isn't going anywhere - like the introduction of diseases such as cancer or AIDS, 2020 was when the coronavirus simply made its "debut" in the Western world) there is most definitely a lot of hoopla and happy faces when it comes to what happened this week in the province of Saskatchewan.
Proof of vaccination cards are no longer required, and as of this past Monday, protective masks are now a thing of the past in most places.
Cue the applause from people like me and normal, everyday joes who simply got tired of having to strap one on every time we ran out for a jug of milk or went to a movie. And yes, cue the applause from the anti-mask, anti-COVID crowd who are now finally finding themselves in the same boat as everyone else.
It's great to be moving forward, with the government and Saskatchewan's top health officials trying to maneuver our province and its population out of this situation in order to propel into the future. There have been a number of starts, stops and pauses before this, but it truly does feel like a giant step forward. Some will disagree with these measures 小蓝视频 introduced now, but hey, it had to be done sometime, and no measure was ever going to please everyone universally. Show me a government decision that 100% of Saskatchewan residents agree with and I'll show you a talking dog.
A few things I certainly won't miss as we start to move progressively forward:
Daily COVID statistics and every big-wig media conglomerate picking the numbers to the bones while trying to make sense of them.
Every Facebook news post I come across that tries to tell the future, spelling a world where COVID spreads to every nook and cranny of our existence.
Rabid anti-COVID, anti-mask, anti-vaccination, anti-EVERYTHING people with all of their toxic, bull-headed, I'm-right-and-everyone-else-on-Earth-is-wrong-and-if-you-try-to-debate-me-on-this-I'll-simply-delete-you antics, spreading their "science" with a helpful article written by "that doctor who knew this was all going to happen from the start but Western medicine head honchos cancelled him!"
What are some things that I actually will miss? Well, I have to say, when all of this bizarre stuff started to go down back in early to mid-2020, I saw an entire part of the province that wouldn't say die and people who weren't going to let a viral pandemic stop them from enjoying their lives and trying to make everyone feel good about themselves and their communities.
What I saw was the spirit of small town Saskatchewan on full display, and I can tell you with the utmost sincerity, it was something that was both moving and inspiring. Everyone eventually knew the seriousness that this thing carried, but on the surface of things, we did our part and pretty much responded with, "Pandemic, schmandemic!"
A few examples include the following events that I bore witness to.
On Sunday morning, May 10, 2020, the calendar told all of us that it was Mother's Day. In response, local resident and health care worker Whittney Greig spearheaded a special event in Outlook that saw an entire cavalcade of decorated vehicles line up for a Mother's Day parade. Long-term care residents at the Pioneer Home, Golden Acres, and Luther Place residences were front and center for the event, and the whole thing made everyone forget about the pandemic for a day. The theme of the day was very simple - it was love, and it was spread all around Outlook.
Another parade was held over in the community of Kenaston just a couple of weeks later on May 27. Staff, faculty and students got together with a number of people from the local business sector and made their way down the streets and neighborhoods of the village, with many people out and about to take in the festivities, waving hello and spreading smiles.
The parade spirit continued (notice a recurring theme here?) in June when schools decided that they were the best way to celebrate graduating classes. Down in the village of Dinsmore, the Grade 12 students exiting Dinsmore Composite School were Cole Buchanan, Will Norris, Jesse Thorpe and Dailey Wollen, and in addition to a parade that saw the students motorcaded around the community to cheers and applause from residents, well-wishers and business owners, teachers found themselves going to each grad's home in order to hold mini ceremonies and present awards and diplomas. Now THAT will make any student feel like a VIP, if you ask me.
Outlook High School got in on the parade action with their graduating class that month as well, with an endless stream of people coming out to congratulate the class, who were all decked out in their evening best outside the school on a sunny Saturday afternoon. After the parade was wrapped up, the grads all sat on bleacher seating that was 小蓝视频 pulled by truck on a flatbed trailer, and they were shown off throughout the town of Outlook. It was a classy affair and I think it made the students feel like a million bucks, something that the world needed at that time.
As fun as all of those parades were, and I really hope they make a return in some form, I have to say that it was the multi-day event in Outlook just last October that really showed me that we're ready to turn the page on this whole COVID affair. There were food trucks galore, outdoor entertainment, an incredible car show, and the attendance of the event also showed that the people were more than willing to come together and enjoy these kind of events. Everybody did their part and masked up when appropriate and it's safe to say that stock in sanitizer went up by the time it was all over, but it was a good indication that people were ready to kick COVID out the door. Apparently, the event was so popular that the second edition of it is set for the last weekend in May in a couple of months.
Nothing happens overnight and there's no switch that tells you that all is safe and COVID is in the past. It's still here, but I like the fact that we've gotten so much closer to that proverbial light at the end of a dark tunnel.
Here's to more community events and to a more enjoyable spring and summer coming ahead.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
