The number of new Covid-19 cases continues to drop for most parts of the country. There are some exceptions to this trend however, and those exceptions cannot be ignored. Many counties in Eastern Ontario and a couple of cities in Quebec have now made the wearing of masks mandatory in enclosed public places such as restaurants, stores, and shopping centers.
Let’s face it. A second wave of the virus leading to another lock down would be detrimental to the economy. Many Canadian businesses have already shut their doors permanently and I suspect there will be more to come, even without a second wave. Government spending to combat the effects the lock down has had simply cannot continue into the end of the year, or perhaps longer. Canada is already experiencing record unemployment levels.
I’ve often said that the second wave in Canada would be more of a ripple, but that prediction was based on the general public being smart about this situation. Looking back now, I may have been to generous. There is a general relaxation in our precautions, and I’ve caught myself included in that statement more than once. Quebec and Ontario accounted for about 90% of covid cases in the country, and while they have both been able to dramatically reduce the spread, hotspots continue to pop up, particularly in densely populated areas such as Toronto and Montreal.
While I was not able to find any data on influenza deaths in Canada, I can use US statistics to demonstrate the severity of covid-19. In 2019, US deaths from Influenza were somewhere between 24 000 and 62 000. To date, US deaths from Covid-19 have already reached over 130 000. If that isn’t proof enough that we are not dealing with a simple flu, then please stop reading now and feel free to join an anti-mask rally, the bigger the better.
This isn’t something we can learn to live with like the seasonal flu. It is far more contagous and much more deadly. Denial of these facts could cost you or your loved ones their lives. This virus needs to be wiped out either by vaccine or a complete lock down of society. The only way around this is to continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and VERY frequent hand washing. Personally, I carry a mask and hand sanitizer in my pocket as EDC now. If you are like many preppers and wear cargo pants or shorts as part of the prepper “uniform”, then you would be wise to do the same.
Right now, we as a society still have a chance to beat this thing, but we can’t let our guard down yet.