Through all of this, let’s stay human
Yesterday at a large grocery store I watched as every second customer seemed to be leaving with armfuls of toilet paper. They even walked a little fast, or was it my imagination?
Were they rushing home to, as they say, “self-isolate”?
Were they understandably being cautious, or being fearful?
We need to strike a balance between these two. We need first to obtain correct information about COVID-19 through official sources, then to assess our own risks according to age, health, location and lifestyle.
We need to understand that by choosing fear, we are putting ourselves at greater risk by stressing our immune systems.
By choosing caution, we allow ourselves to rationally make the best decisions for ourselves, our loved ones and all others.
While recent letters point to the greater fatalities in suicides, alcoholism and influenza, to name a few, we need to remember one of the greatest undocumented diseases in the world today: the disease of loneliness.
The car club guys meeting for coffee; the women in craft circles; the men playing pool at the seniors’ centre; the rec centre regulars; those singing or dancing or reading or eating together: all benefit greatly from the social bond.
At a time when social media allows us more contact with others than ever before, ironically, we have never been lonelier.
For some people, “self-isolation” means withdrawal, emptiness and depression.
We need to find ways to stay in touch, to feel valued, to help and be helped.
We need to remember to be human.
Rolfe McCooey
Victoria
Small businesses — how will they survive?
We have all known a major earthquake would hit this region one day. Risk mitigation measures are either already in place or are attracting considerable public and private investment every day.
Suddenly we are being hit by a slow motion magnitude 9 earthquake — the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leaving aside important actions the Capital Regional District has taken to assure continuity of services and the health and safety of staff, Times Colonist publisher Dave Obee writes: “It is possible that the economic impact of COVID-19 will last for many months after the health dangers have passed.” I agree.
With the cascade of announcements relating to the pandemic, Obee’s two calls this weekend for action on the economic impact of all of this on Greater Victoria are as timely as they are well argued.
Is there a region-wide plan for economic recovery? Is there even a region-wide discussion underway to design options to mitigate the considerable negative impact of this crisis on the way we all earn our living? If so, where and how is that being managed?
Who is advocating for the region with provincial and federal officials?
Regional economic drivers, including tourism, the cruise-ship industry in particular, manufacturing and the high-tech sectors, will be subject to significant intervention by both federal and provincial authorities in due course.
Other sectors of the economy will, no doubt, receive less attention from “senior” governments. Small businesses throughout the region, perhaps particularly in retail trades and hospitality, as Obee pointed out, require special attention.
“If this downturn lasts more than a few weeks some of them will be in serious trouble, and some of them might not survive.”
These businesses are the core of every main street in the region. To whom do they turn for assistance — 13 municipalities? Or is this a moment requiring a broader and common view of what is to be done? While options available to local government might be limited, we surely must use those we have.
Let us all hope discussions on this subject are underway, even as the ground continues to shake beneath our feet.
John Treleaven
Sidney
Many questions about COVID-19
My education and academic degrees have done nothing to prevent weird, upsetting, unsettling thoughts from filling my mind. Even with the decision to “self isolate” along with my wife, although we show no symptoms, I am not at ease.
The news that I follow hourly is not uplifting and I can only envision weeks of being at home away from the dangers of the outside world.
The walk around the block I just finished on this beautiful sunny day upset me because I passed a woman who smilingly said hello and I wished that I had not seen her and she had not opened her mouth to speak.
“We were closer than five feet, so what did I breathe in?” I thought as we passed.
My wife (supposedly in “self isolation”) decided to visit her 97-year-old mother in a local care home. How close should I get to her?
The rational mind has no power over fear. After contact with anyone, no matter how low the odds of catching the virus, there is always a chance (ie., greater than 0%), so worry sets in.
I have always considered myself able to cope with life/death uncertainty, but I realize I have fallen into a morass of anxiety that is not logical or explained by reason. Now I can more easily understand why people are panic buying and emptying store shelves.
I worry for others, and I will cope, but I wonder. Is it the will to live, or the fear of dying that I face?
Larry Licht
Victoria
Basic measures to survive COVID-19
School closings, sports event cancellations, food hoarding. We live in a new coronavirus-induced world. Yet some personal health facts remain unchanged.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. offer good advice for preventing community spread and personal infection: apply social distancing, sanitize surfaces, wash your hands, don’t touch your face. But, there’s more.
Does anyone wonder why uncounted numbers of infected people develop no symptoms and only 20% of symptomatic people require hospitalization? It’s because they have an effective immune system able to fight off the virus.
But the CDC does not talk about that, perhaps for fear of offending powerful animal food industries.
Fortunately, good advice on boosting our immune system is readily available on the internet from trusted sources such as WebMD and Healthline. And the advice is always the same:
Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits and leafy greens.
Refrain from dairy, other fatty animal products and sugar-laden foods.
Maintain daily exercise of 30 to 60 minutes.
Minimize your stress level and get adequate sleep.
Did I mention that this advice works great for all other nasty bugs as well?
Victor Tarrek
Victoria
Snowbirds will come back as well
As I was watching the return of robins, my wife pointed out to me that there will also be a million or so snowbirds returning.
Ken Weatherill
North Saanich
Spreading the virus in airport crowds
Having arrived home from Europe on Sunday and placed myself in self-quarantine, I must express my concern about what is a really lax self-isolation regime, with no means of enforcement.
After arriving in Vancouver, we transferred to the Victoria flight and were at times, of necessity, close to many people in the airport.
Then we were on a small plane where, getting on and off and in the terminal, “social distancing” was not in place.
Thus, although we are now apart from the world, any damage has been done. If we have the virus, we were given ample opportunity to spread it.
We will obey the rules, but it is too late now for the health authorities to gain any real benefit from a formal quarantine of us.
However, if we had been quarantined immediately on leaving the plane in Vancouver, before immigration processing, as was done with cruise-ship evacuees, the health authorities would have negated any opportunity to spread the virus among a large population of travellers.
Harsh measures are required. Will they be taken before it is too late?
Roger Love
Victoria
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