After weeks of speculation, Saskatchewan was hit last week by the COVID-19 virus, with our first confirmed and presumed cases.
But the impact extended beyond those who have been diagnosed with or tested for the disease. We’re all now feeling its reach.
Events have been cancelled. While nobody would ever be foolish to say that a hockey game or a community event or a music festival is as important as people’s health, it’s still tough to see those events not happen.
The players who are on the Estevan Bruins deserved better than to have their junior careers end because of COVID-19. Same goes for those who played minor hockey. A lot of young players are likely feeling like they have unfinished business, but they’ll never get a chance to play minor or junior hockey again because they’ve aged out.
Once the National Hockey League, the Canadian Hockey League and other leagues took steps to suspend their campaigns, you knew that Hockey Canada wouldn’t hesitate to pull the plug on the season.
You just thought that they might wait a little longer before changing the status from postponed to cancelled.
We’ve seen the impact on all sorts of events, including the cancellation of a provincial curling event at the Power Dodge Curling Centre that brought 20 teams to the community. The sudden cancellation was a real blow to the rink and the local hospitality sector.
The Estevan Recreational Dance Club’s recital was postponed and the Estevan and District Music Festival was cancelled. The Estevan Farmers’ Appreciation Evening is postponed.
It’s tough to see events dashed. People work tirelessly to make them happen. They have a strong contribution from volunteers; those efforts have gone for naught. And many of these events have a considerable impact on the economy.
At the same time, we have to be smart. We really don’t have a reference book for an outbreak of this magnitude. We can’t sit back and say “Well, 50 years ago, I remember when this happened…”
This is the worst outbreak in our lifetime.
So it’s incumbent on all of us to use common sense. The organizers have to decide whether it’s worth having these events, or if it’s better to postpone or even cancel. Granted, with a limit for the number of people that can attend an event, it makes some decisions easy. But you don’t want to wind up contributing to the spread of a contagious disease because of stubbornness.
Visits to hospitals and other care facilities are now limited to immediate family. The government has decided to end the 2019-20 school year; a day earlier, the government decided classes would remain in session, to the dismay of many in the public.
Regardless of decisions made, we need to respect that decision. Don’t call to complain. The people involved all of these different sectors have more pressing things to do than to take an irate phone call.
Being smart extends to our personal behaviour and decisions. Make sure you turn to the right sources for your information. Don’t just turn to a source because their opinions fit in with your personal worldview. Find the right source, know your facts and know the science and the symptoms associated with COVID-19. This is not the time to write the medical community off as eggheads.
It also means being smart when it comes to your purchases. Don’t be a hoarder. Remember that people have needs, too. Don’t gobble up all of the toilet paper, baby wipes, disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer in the store. Save some for others. And remember that those over 60 are most at risk of suffering an illness.
And don’t forget small and medium-sized businesses, and locally-owned franchises. The coming weeks are going to be particularly hard on them. The hospitality and the retail sectors are going to be really hard hit.
Yes, we have to go about things the right way, but we can’t just shut ourselves off from the rest of the world. So when you make purchases, do it with locally-owned businesses.
The risk of contracting the disease has been low. It won’t remain that way, but by taking the right steps and by being smart, we can keep things from being worse.
