It was a jarring number from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health on Saturday: 30 new cases of COVID-19 had been diagnosed. As of Monday, 176 cases in the province, and two people had died from the virus.
But what was startling from the 30 new cases reported Saturday is that 18 contracted the disease at a snowmobile rally in Christopher Lake on March 14.
It was a reminder of the importance of social distancing, and why we’ve had events cancelled in recent weeks.
This is not a rebuke of those who organized or attended the rally. When that rally began, there were two cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Saskatchewan. And we had yet to see the widespread postponement or cancellation of events. Crowds of up to 250 people were still allowed.
Social distancing was something we were talking about, but it wasn’t in our vocabulary like it is now.
We were starting to see events rescheduled for later in the year, or called off entirely. By the time March 14 rolled around, junior hockey playoffs had been called off. Most sporting events in Saskatchewan were done. The Juno Awards, which were slated for March 15, had been cancelled.
March 16 saw classes suspended for the rest of the school year in Saskatchewan, and municipalities, including the City of Estevan, were closing non-essential facilities.
When you look back on things, it’s hard to believe that on the weekend of March 7 and 8, we were cheering as Telemiracle had one of its best years ever, raising more than $5.5 million for the medical needs of Saskatchewan people.
That seems like months ago, not weeks ago.
The revelation of the positive tests at the snowmobile rally in Christopher Lake should silence any criticism of decisions to postpone or cancel events in the past three weeks, and offer a reminder as to why we need to keep crowds small.
Maybe you don’t like the 10-person limit in one room. Maybe it’s going to interfere with your Easter dinner plans. And you might not be happy to have all these restrictions in place for foreign travel, although we can at least travel to some provinces outside of Saskatchewan without a self-isolation period of 14 days.
All of these rules and restrictions are in place for a reason. It’s for the sake of people around us.
As of Sunday night, we had yet to have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Estevan. That doesn’t mean the disease isn’t here already. Many people who contract the ailment show little or no symptoms of it.
And we can’t just think of ourselves. We have to be selfless and remember those around us. You have a great immune system? Great. Others do not. Some are immuno-compromised and have to be shut in for an indefinite period of time; others are going to be more susceptible to COVID-19 than others due to age or other health issues.
Many of us dismissed it initially by saying “It’s a fever” or “It’s a flu.” If that was the case, we wouldn’t need to take the measures we’re taking. And if it was just a fever or flu, we wouldn’t have these businesses shutting down, or altering their hours and services.
We don’t have to be paranoid, but we do have to exercise common sense.
And so while self-isolation and social distancing might seem like clichéd terms even at this point, they still have to be heeded, especially for the sake of those around us.
