Editor:
Recently a small number of friends, who normally meet at McDonald’s for coffee following Aquafit classes, elected instead to gather in the Tim Hortons parking lot due to the coronavirus pandemic. This approach was chosen because it would conform to social-distancing health guidelines while allowing the friends to renew and continue a close relationship that matters greatly to them.
Each of the five persons participating in the noon hour came via their own car and then practised recommended social distancing and did not participate in conventional handshakes or sharing of food or drink. Essentially, all the friends were being very careful to follow good health practices.
Unbeknownst to the group, a young woman surreptitiously took a video of the small gathering and then posted it on Facebook with the comment, “Correct me if I am wrong, but are the insides of restaurants not closed to prevent this?”
Well, this is in fact a note of correction to that person. The group of five elderly men included two in their sixties, two in their eighties, and one in his nineties. As do so many people in communities around the world, they need not only to safeguard their physical welfare, but also to maintain their very important mental health that is severely threatened by the social isolation that the Corona Crisis has created.
As one of our group has said, “Restaurants are closed to prevent patrons from entering enclosed areas. No mention was made [by the critic] that we were some distance apart.”
Evidently, the Facebook posting resulted in hundreds of comments both for and against our “Social Distancing Coffee Party.” We would like those who have noted this issue to know the true facts and safeguards at play in our gathering and also for the complainant to rethink her approach that was so blatantly judgmental.
Garfield Pennington, Roberts Creek
Pat McGilvery, Sechelt
