Personal Responsability

The COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted the global economy and our personal lives in ways that we never would have imagined just a year ago.

The new challenges wrought by the pandemic have made governing an unenviable task. Whether criticized for not reacting enough thereby contributing to the spread or for trying to contain it by isolating, social distancing and forcing citizens to wear masks, it seems like governments find themselves blamed for what they do and what they don’t do.

Canada is no exception.

On January 31st the Canadian government suspended all flights to the Caribbean and Mexico to avoid having Canadians congregate at resort bars, restaurants and crowded beaches. This is in response to the impact of what some call the second wave that is paralyzing the nation’s health system. Many are criticizing this move as another “half measure” as Canadians can still travel to Mexico or the Caribbean via the United States or Central America while Mexico and Caribbean nations are worried about the massive impact that this will have on their tourism industries.

Other restrictions placed by provincial and municipal governments also raise questions. Forcing restaurants to close at 7pm makes little sense. The virus can infect at 5pm as easily as 9pm.

My point is that implementing half measures is very confusing to the average person.

And as most governments implement half measures, the virus continues to spread.

While one can understand the difficult balancing act between managing a healthcare crisis, economic collapse and the removal of personal freedoms, many governments have not shown much ability to back up their messages with logical policies. Rather, they limit the impact of their messages in order to cater to every segment of society, and the results are equally limited.

The Canadian government has also failed with respect to the procurement of vaccines. The Economist Intelligence Unit reports that Canadians will only be vaccinated by mid-2022 – long after many other developed countries. They failed to secure production rights to manufacture vaccines in Canada and are now totally dependent on other manufacturing countries to release ordered product rather than supply their local populations. With many countries are considering vaccine nationalism, the ability of Canada to procure vaccines sooner rather than later may be in doubt.

So, the Canadian government has failed on a number of fronts.

Nevertheless, a government cannot control its citizens’ movements without the cooperation and full commitment of the citizenry, backed by strong sanctions. And there is no way people can avoid contagion if they themselves don’t take steps to avoid the virus.

Some people continue to travel, families and friends gather with one another in private households especially during holidays and a good number go around in public without masks or social distancing. 

Unless governments take more concrete and consistent measures and unless each of us develops a social conscience, the contagion will continue to spread, and the economy will continue to suffer until we are all vaccinated.

What can we as citizens do?

We must realize that each of us can play a role and abide by the advice of health authorities. 

Governments can’t do this alone.

We all must accept the clear and present danger posed by COVID and understand that each of us is a link in the chain of contagion.

No one has the right to subject others to possible illness and death. 

This should be our guiding thought throughout this crisis.

Edición: Laura Espejo