Wednesday May 6, 2020 ~ VICTORIA
Analysis by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Today people across British Columbia — indeed across Canada — are poised to hear what Premier John Horgan has to say about the first steps out of what is effectively a total lockdown in BC due to the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike other provinces and jurisdictions, a number of industries or sectors were still allowed to operate amidst a broad field of Provincial Health Officer’s orders — such as construction, automobile repair, and even the schools to some extent — so local economies could still function while lifestyles and livelihoods were on some sort of life-support.
The goal of functionality at this stage has been essentially three-fold: to be at top operating capacity in the hospitals and health care sector, to support essential workers and their families, and to keep the rest of us out of the way at home in self-isolation.
Sucked into a fulcrum of unexpected intense duties have been the frontline workers in grocery, food service (now aka take-out), and a wide range of delivery streams (including direct-to-door within communities as well as truckers). It’s like the rest of us stepped back and those left standing were thrust forward (though let’s not forget the many things we probably still take for granted such as the water keeps running, the lights are still on, our Internet bandwidth is sailing smooth, and we are safe in our communities).
Meanwhile we have learned to distance ourselves in grocery stores on shopping trips that we plan like military operations. We’ve picked up a stronger beat and skill-set with the use of Internet and remote technologies as ways to stay in touch with friends and family and to keep business rolling. We’ve also rediscovered the joys of our own homes, backyards and truest circle of friends.
We’ve had time to ponder, readjust and plan. Most of us are itching to get out from behind the gate, but maybe not as fast as you might think. It’s easy to understand how many people are spooked at the idea of picking up the COVID-19 virus no matter how well protected we may seem to be. The crawl back out of the COVID-19 foxhole will, overall, be slow.
These conditions of social, economic and psychological strain are what need to be eased up, and Horgan knows that. That’s why much of BC will pause at 3 pm today to listen to what is hopefully a formula of life-forward that most of us can live with — a bit of breathing room as the storm of living some kind of life during an infectious pandemic continues.
The main things that will allow a return to life as it was before 2020 are a vaccine against COVID-19 and/or a set of effective treatments, as well as a better understanding of whether there actually is any natural immunity once a person has had the infection (whether full-blown, mild, or asymptomatic).
Other than that, we hobble forward in a slow-to-function patchwork of physical distancing, rethinking every move and action of personal, social, and business life. And we hope that our Premier gets it right at this first juncture in a summer where the weather is turning lovely but the danger of a second wave of viral infection is truly lurking everywhere.
Yes, the conditions of pandemic response have been largely under the direction of Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry under the purview of BC Health Minister Adrian Dix. But the buck stops with the Premier, and his assessment of what BC should look like, feel like, and move forward as.
Businesses, personal relationships, education trajectories – indeed, life in general — has been warped and thwarted by COVID-19 and our socioeconomic response to it. It’s just a natural urge to be wanting to let up the restrictions — just a bit at least, for the sheer need to let off some pressure in all sectors.
Doing it by the science and on good public health advice is now, fortunately, a given expectation in BC. Where political leadership comes in is in understanding how the people will respond, sorting out their needs from their wants, and delivering that news with a dash of hope along with the obvious need for a measure of sobriety.
==== Where to hear the announcement: Check out the live broadcast/livestream at 3 pm (Pacific) today Wednesday May 6 on the BC Government’s Facebook page and Twitter stream, and on YouTube:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCProvincialGovernment/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovNews?s=20
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProvinceofBC
==== About the writer: West Shore Voice News editor and publisher Mary Brooke has been writing about John Horgan’s politics in the west shore since 2007. She covers local, regional, BC and national news through the lens of the South Vancouver Island lifestyle and its business perspectives, as well as keeping a close eye on education. Mary holds a B.Sc. in nutrition science and a Certificate in Public Relations. Ms Brooke will deliver her annual talk on journalism as a career soon online (missing that in person at Royal Bay Secondary this year due to COVID).
