Juno News - November 29, 2020


Enforcing nonsensical coronavirus rules


Episode Stats

Length

4 minutes

Words per Minute

193.29004

Word Count

893

Sentence Count

47


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Let's unpack some coronavirus restrictions in Canada looking from the vantage point of
00:00:10.560 proportionality and enforcement. What do I mean? Well, let's unpack two very different examples.
00:00:17.400 So here's a rule that's in place in many jurisdictions in Canada that I imagine the
00:00:22.240 overwhelming vast majority of people support practically 100 percent, which is in many long
00:00:28.080 term care facilities in Canada. If you would like to visit a loved one, you first must get a coronavirus
00:00:34.400 test to prove that you are negative. Okay, let's unpack that for a minute. We know that the majority
00:00:40.240 of coronavirus deaths in Canada have been in people over 80 in long term care facilities. They are the
00:00:46.400 high risk people here. They are the individuals dying. And then when it comes to getting a test,
00:00:51.360 well, it's really no sweat off your back. It's a mild inconvenience. The lines are pretty much under
00:00:55.680 control now. What does it really take? 30 minutes, door to door, you're not going to lose your job
00:01:00.560 going to get a coronavirus test. So I hope we can all agree that passes the smell test. Although I
00:01:06.160 have heard, here's an interesting note, that actually not all the places are asking for proof
00:01:11.520 that you cut the test and were negative. I mean, you go, you get the test, you get the report back,
00:01:16.320 but then some people just show up and they say, all right, I tested negative and they let you in.
00:01:20.800 You don't have to show it. So, okay, enforcement actually kind of lacks on what I would say is
00:01:26.160 almost the most important coronavirus restriction in the entire country. All right, let's take a look
00:01:32.640 at another rule now, because there are a bunch of restrictions that are flip-flopping a lot,
00:01:37.120 going on and off, places opening and closing, like gyms, for instance. And the fact that you can even
00:01:41.840 turn them on, turn them off, open them, close them, limit the size, tells you that it's not like
00:01:45.680 the authorities have determined. Those are the places where definitely people are getting, you
00:01:50.480 know, the deadly spread. They cannot ever under any circumstances open. It shows that they're
00:01:54.480 just not sure. They're kind of closing them out of an abundance of caution. Restaurants, similar
00:02:00.160 situation. The data suggests, well, not that many cases of spread in restaurants and even the cases
00:02:06.800 that they do cite. Medical officers have clarified that those cases also involve the staff who are hanging
00:02:13.120 out together in close quarters before it opens or after the restaurant has closed. They're sitting
00:02:18.400 in the chairs in the back room together having a staff meal, an experience that's more like an
00:02:23.040 intimate gathering among friends. It's not really something specific to the restaurant gathering.
00:02:28.720 One thing that should always be repeated, the COVID Alert app, that federal app,
00:02:32.800 it is only triggered by people being within six feet of each other for 15 minutes or more,
00:02:38.960 telling you that sort of these, these fleeting passing by interactions with strangers are not
00:02:44.240 things that people generally have to be concerned about, but more on restaurants then. So it's
00:02:49.440 generally, I think, divided in a lot of people's opinions as to whether or not the restaurants should
00:02:53.440 be closed or they should be open, whether indoor dining without masks is a, is a risky experience.
00:02:58.400 And even if the restaurants were open, there would be many people in Canada who opted not to go for
00:03:03.280 them. But restaurants are saying, let us open, let us just prove that we can do this responsibly,
00:03:07.280 safely. And in many jurisdictions, particularly in Toronto, the authorities have said absolutely no.
00:03:13.680 Well, I'm sure you know that the owner of one barbecue shop in the West End of Toronto said,
00:03:18.160 well, screw it. I don't accept your reasoning and I'm doing it anyway. Now, just to repeat,
00:03:24.480 there are thought, the authorities are not actually saying the problem with indoor dining is
00:03:28.800 you may specifically go and get it and seriously, and you're going to die. But more they say, well,
00:03:33.520 if people get it in restaurants, which is a maybe, those people maybe will spread it to other people
00:03:38.640 who will maybe get it seriously and then maybe be in hospitalizations. So this is a few parts removed.
00:03:43.600 It's, it's very different than the long-term care scenario restriction that we just discussed.
00:03:49.120 So what do they do when this guy decides, you know what, I'm opening my barbecue restaurant anyway?
00:03:53.680 Well, they could have just said, look, buddy, please don't do this. And there's a rule against it.
00:03:57.440 So here's your $120 fine or $300 fine or whatever. No, what actually happened is they brought in the
00:04:04.080 cavalry, almost literally, they brought in horses to break up the crowd. There were at some point
00:04:09.440 about 50 officers there until the owner, as I'm sure many people saw in video, was led away in
00:04:15.440 handcuffs. So let's step back for a moment, look at these two rules. And as I said, the one about getting
00:04:21.280 the test before you go in the long-term care facility isn't even necessarily enforced. And you
00:04:27.760 start to wonder, do we have some of these things just a little bit, dare I say, dare I humbly suggest,
00:04:34.480 just a little bit out of proportion.