Just how many people do you think have been infected by COVID-19 in Squamish?
Is it 1, 4, 16, or 64?
We may never know because of a dumb and dangerous policy by BC Ministry of Health of not informing communities about individual cases, supposedly because of the panic and fear this will unleash into our neighbourhoods.
The lack of a specific number has lulled many into a false sense of security.
I recently saw an elderly woman at a local store nonchalantly telling about a dozen people that the coronavirus was “no big deal” and it was just another version of the flu.
Her indifference is not uncommon, and yet people are not entirely to blame for thinking of a killer virus as just another variation of a flu we get every year.
It’s still a ‘No Big Deal’ for people because the provincial and the federal governments have decided they won’t divulge information about community-specific cases.
Apparently, the government doesn’t want to create panic.
Well, during an outbreak there is no such thing as an overreaction. If anything, there is only under-reaction and its terrifying consequences, as any Italian would tell you.
Not giving us a complete picture will have consequences for those of us living in the Sea to Sky. Take a look at the numbers and you will realise the stakes are much higher for us.
The province has so far declared 348 cases, out of which the majority, 200 cases, are in the Vancouver Coastal Health. BC now has more cases of COVID-19 than Ontario, and we are about one-third of the population.
And these are just the confirmed cases. We all know there are many more people in the community who may have the virus but haven’t been tested. And even if they test positive, the community will never know.
The country that has best handled the health crisis has a policy that is sharply at odds with the one we have. I’m talking about Singapore, where the details about new infections are released quickly online, which allows others to protect themselves. In fact, Singapore lists every new case that is confirmed, along with where the person got the virus and on which date.
Once a neighborhood understands they have confirmed cases, they behave very differently. The free flow of information has enabled that country to respond rapidly which has helped them ‘flatten the curve’.
We need the province to follow that policy here and start telling us how many cases are there in Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and other communities.
Knowing how many cases are within our community will greatly increase awareness, especially among those who still think this is just another flu that will pass.
I urge the province to reverse this policy and share information with us daily on the number of cases in our community.
I also call upon the citizens to write to the council, the MLA, and the MP so we can change this deeply flawed and dangerous policy that is placing our families and our communities at risk from a virus that is wreaking havoc upon us in darkness.
Corinne Lonsdale says
Ryan is so right! Knowledge is power. We need to know where the virus is in order to better protect ourselves as well as to help those infected or in quarantine. This is not their fault …this virus does not pick and choose; everyone is susceptible.
Bob says
Definitely Ryan.”flattening the curve” can only be derived from laying low, very low, regardless of what the provincial government suggests. We are already 2 weeks behind the curve in Squamish, the provinces’ biggest drive through.