Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Dave Obee: Heart flag a reminder of what is left to be done

Our heart flag , a symbol of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, is back. The window-friendly full-page flag is on page A15 and A16 of Friday’s Times Colonist. We published the flag several times last year, and we still see some in use.
Times Colonist Heart Flag

Dave ObeeOur heart flag, a symbol of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, is back. The window-friendly full-page flag is on page A15 and A16 of Friday’s Times Colonist.

We published the flag several times last year, and we still see some in use. But honestly, they are showing fatigue — which is fitting, in a way, because many of us are feeling fatigue from the pandemic.

Remember: The end is in sight. We are close to winning the fight of our lives. Most of us will be vaccinated by the end of the year. We are getting through this, together.

But it is too early to let our guard down. We must stay the course and follow health protocols for the good of everyone around us. We know it is hard to keep that resolve after 11 months of restrictions, but we have to. We have to.

We hope the flag in today’s edition will refresh your window and help to refresh the commitment of everyone who sees it. We need to keep working to our goal of beating the virus and getting our lives back to normal.

The heart flag was introduced last March to thank health-care workers. While that goal is still important, the flag has come to mean more than that: It is a valuable symbol of our collective dedication to get through this. It is a reminder of our determination.

The flag is on both sides of the page by design. We did not want light through a window highlighting lettering or photos. That would work against the flag’s message.

Let’s hope that within a few months, we will be able to publish a new flag design, one that celebrates our success in knocking down this pandemic.

For now, please post today’s heart flag with pride, and show that yes, we really are all in this together. Let’s let everyone know that they are not alone in this fight.

Thank you.

Dave Obee

Editor and Publisher