Editor:
The recent headline (“Coast COVID-19 cases outpacing neighbouring regions”) was disappointing but not surprising.
COVID is spread by two types of carriers: (a) those who, despite following the rules to the best of their abilities (including those who can’t fully comply), transmit and (b) those who do not follow the rules and transmit.
My two weekly forays into enclosed public spaces: Gibsons post office – a woman exits, with junk mail, sans mask; the couple behind, having openly lamented their masklessness, wait until I’m out of sight to enter, sans mask. An online order pickup – a man exits sans mask; the woman after me, a vocal day-one anti-masker enters, sans mask. Two trips, four infractions.
COVID, transmissability, case rates, ICU loading, deferred surgeries, government health orders – these are facts. One can argue the merits of policy and question vaccine safety, but facts remain facts. Perhaps there are compassion-deserving souls so extremely compromised they cannot wear a mask for even a 60-second errand. But for right now, the number of people who need to enter a public space without a mask, because they are either anti-maskers or just lazy, has to be zero. These people need something from the rest of us, and it’s not compassion. “Be calm, be kind, be safe” is not a “fact”; it’s an important meme, COVIDwise and otherwise, but it’s not a reason to overlook non-compliance, nor is it a free pass for the obstinate. COVID can only be stopped if we all commit – everyone must do their small part, there is no room for interpretation, and diligence is critical. Please put on your mask in public places. Or else send someone else into the fray to fetch your muffin.
Alan Donenfeld, Gibsons
