Rebel News Podcast - Coronavirus brings out the worst in people — especially governments

00:00:00.000 Hello, Rebels. You're listening to a free audio-only recording of the Ezra Levent Show.

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00:01:13.000 When it comes to dealing with the global pandemic, COVID-19,

00:01:32.900 the Trudeau Liberals are sure talking tough, but do their actions back up their words?

00:01:38.800 It's Tuesday, March 17, 2020, and you're watching The Ezra Levent Show.

00:01:47.240 Why should others go to jail when you're a biggest carbon consumer I know?

00:01:51.120 There's 8,500 customers here, and you won't give them an answer.

00:01:55.200 The only thing I have to say to the government about why I'm publishing it

00:01:58.820 is because it's my bloody right to do so.

00:02:01.040 Is it just me, folks, or does a pandemic bring out the very worst in people,

00:02:11.720 and in particular, the worst in certain governments and so-called leaders?

00:02:17.440 And with COVID-19, oh my goodness, where does one even begin

00:02:22.060 in trying to take inventory of the good, the bad, and the outrageous?

00:02:26.700 After all, this story literally changes by the hour,

00:02:30.380 and today can never hope to dream what tomorrow may bring.

00:02:34.880 For starters, let's begin with the inexplicable rush on toilet paper.

00:02:40.380 Now, if the coronavirus led to explosive diarrhea,

00:02:44.380 I would understand the need to bulk up on the old Charmin Ultrasoft,

00:02:49.200 but diarrhea is not a symptom,

00:02:51.340 so why the panic to have at least six months' worth of toilet paper on hand?

00:02:57.600 My theory, it's all psychological.

00:03:00.620 Look, one of the things that separates us from the denizens of the animal kingdom,

00:03:06.020 in addition to opposable thumbs, big brains, and the ability to create fire,

00:03:11.480 is the fact that we don't tend to do our business on the jungle or forest floor.

00:03:17.160 Hygiene is synonymous with civilization. 0.72

00:03:19.820 And I think the idea of running out of toilet paper

00:03:23.220 brings us that much closer to Magilla Gorilla territory.

00:03:36.480 Yikes.

00:03:37.560 You know, folks, as much as I loved the 70s,

00:03:40.260 sometimes that decade was cheesier than a bucket full of Bulgarian feta.

00:03:45.660 Still, as much as the manufacturers of toilet paper are enjoying a bonanza,

00:03:51.460 or is that a bum-nanza,

00:03:53.460 alas, the same cannot be said for the people who brew a certain brand of cerveza from Mexico.

00:04:00.360 It's beyond mind-numbing to me that the sale of Corona Extra is tanking these days.

00:04:06.620 I mean, really?

00:04:08.240 Maybe just because this lager shares the first six letters of a virus?

00:04:13.800 Oh, give your head a shake, people.

00:04:15.500 But then again, I best not get too sanctimonious here.

00:04:19.300 I mean, thank goodness the name of this bug isn't Molson's Stock Ale Virus,

00:04:24.160 because then I might have to switch to another brand myself.

00:04:28.240 But you have to feel for those people who are being charged and convicted

00:04:32.880 based not on science, but on word association.

00:04:37.540 Back in January, I visited Wuhan Noodle in Markham, Ontario,

00:04:41.340 which has the unfortunate luck to be named after the epicentre of the virus.

00:04:47.120 Unfortunately, the unfortunate coincidence led people to staying away from Wuhan Noodle

00:04:53.920 and even bombarding it with prank phone calls.

00:04:57.560 As you can imagine, having the name Wuhan,

00:05:01.680 well, there's a connection these days with the coronavirus

00:05:06.040 that has come out of Wuhan province, China.

00:05:10.140 And tell me, Mr. Feng, how has that affected your business?

00:05:15.400 Like maybe like five or six days ago,

00:05:18.120 and some people just calling us like,

00:05:20.820 Did you like sell the bad soup?

00:05:24.560 Or do you have like that coronavirus in your menu or something?

00:05:30.220 So they just post on Instagram and said

00:05:33.980 You know, it is people like Mr. Feng, who I really feel for as COVID-19,

00:05:52.100 see us with like very like strange and maybe like afraid of us.

00:05:59.180 You know, it is people like Mr. Feng, who I really feel for as COVID-19 continues to go,

00:06:05.040 well, viral.

00:06:06.620 I ordered the house specialty that night, Wuhan noodles.

00:06:09.920 And let me tell you folks, they were the best noodles I have ever consumed.

00:06:14.980 And last I heard, the community is rallying around Wuhan noodle

00:06:18.480 with many first time customers flocking there

00:06:20.840 who believe it is unfair and downright ridiculous that a business could go belly up

00:06:26.240 simply because of ignorance and perhaps even spite 0.96

00:06:30.240 when it comes to those Lugans making those very unfunny, phony phone calls.

00:06:36.480 I'm really pulling for Mr. Feng to get through this.

00:06:40.040 But what about the role of government here?

00:06:43.300 Are the various governments doing the right thing to stem the virus and to lead by example?

00:06:49.220 I don't think so.

00:06:50.840 For example, while most professional sports leagues voluntarily suspended their seasons

00:06:56.140 a full week ago, it was only on Sunday afternoon

00:06:59.840 that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

00:07:02.140 finally got with the program and closed the casinos it operates.

00:07:07.740 What took them so long?

00:07:09.520 Gee, it couldn't possibly be profits over public safety, could it?

00:07:14.820 Well, that's what it looks like that the OLG was rolling the dice

00:07:19.400 when it came to the health and safety of their patrons and staff members.

00:07:23.820 Then again, disgraced CEO Stephen Rigby needs every dollar he can get, folks.

00:07:29.700 As we reported last week, this CEO has built up, I mean,

00:07:33.820 billed taxpayers for all sorts of outrageous expenditures,

00:07:38.300 the kind of stuff that would make Marie Antoinette blush with embarrassment. 0.98

00:07:42.100 There's that fancy artwork that he rents for his office to the tune of $3,400.

00:07:49.180 And worst of all, how about that $22,000 that was spent to erect a wall

00:07:54.460 so that Rigby wouldn't have to share the kitchenette at OLG's Toronto headquarters

00:08:00.320 with his fellow employees.

00:08:02.400 Can you even believe that?

00:08:03.980 Indeed, how perversely ironic that Rigby actually literally walled himself off

00:08:10.120 from his filthy subordinates, but until 48 hours ago, 0.54

00:08:14.980 had absolutely no problem whatsoever keeping the casino games going 1.00

00:08:19.960 because, hey, gotta squeeze more idiot tax out of the great unwashed masses 0.99

00:08:25.820 to, oh, I don't know, pay for all that rented high-end artwork 1.00

00:08:30.680 gracing Rigby's office, I suppose.

00:08:32.720 The point is, the pro sports leagues and the theatres and the aquariums

00:08:37.260 and the theme parks, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera,

00:08:39.820 these are all private enterprises that chose to shut down on a voluntary basis.

00:08:45.020 They did the right thing on their own accord.

00:08:47.920 But the OLG justifies its state-sanctioned monopoly on gambling

00:08:52.780 based on the absolutely bogus mantra of social responsibility.

00:08:57.820 You see, we just can't possibly trust the sale or wholesaling of such sinful commodities

00:09:05.200 as liquor and lotteries and cannabis to the private sector.

00:09:09.480 They're a bunch of shysters who are only out to make a buck,

00:09:13.020 but government, ah, government.

00:09:15.640 Government is caring.

00:09:17.580 Government has a conscience.

00:09:19.700 Yeah, right, and I'm going to win tonight's Lotto Max jackpot

00:09:23.360 without even buying a ticket.

00:09:25.420 And sadly, while the OLG was eventually shamed

00:09:28.940 into shutting down its blackjack tables and roulette wheels,

00:09:32.880 casinos in other provinces remain open.

00:09:36.020 How is that possibly justified based on the science

00:09:39.700 that is being proclaimed by the medical experts

00:09:42.600 when it comes to COVID-19?

00:09:45.360 All of which brings us to the gateways of our country, our airports.

00:09:49.460 Yesterday, Trudeau announced new measures to close off the country from visitors.

00:09:54.840 Well, not really.

00:09:56.420 There are plenty of exemptions, such as permanent Canadian residents,

00:10:00.100 the immediate family members of Canadian citizens,

00:10:03.060 diplomats, air crews, and U.S. citizens.

00:10:06.340 They can continue to fly into Canada easy-peasy.

00:10:10.020 And there is one huge exemption that was never discussed by the Prime Minister,

00:10:15.120 nor have any of the trained SEALs in the media party even asked about it.

00:10:21.600 What about those illegal migrants entering Canada

00:10:24.340 at illegal border crossings such as Roxham Road?

00:10:28.320 Okay, in fairness, as our own Kian Bexty found out last week,

00:10:32.620 law enforcement is clamping down on some illegal activity at Roxham Road,

00:10:38.380 such as illegal parking by a Canadian citizen.

00:10:42.540 Check it out.

00:10:43.660 Mr. Bexty, here's a ticket for your parking.

00:10:49.400 Do you have evidence that I was parking?

00:10:51.020 Do you have evidence that I was parked illegally?

00:10:53.080 Or are you just saying that?

00:10:54.500 Yes, we have it.

00:10:55.660 So here's the ticket.

00:10:56.980 You have 30 days to pay it.

00:10:58.400 Well, I'm not going to be paying it.

00:10:59.880 I'm going to take it to court.

00:11:00.900 So I'll see you there, hopefully.

00:11:02.220 In fact, you have 30 days to contest or pay it.

00:11:05.740 Okay.

00:11:06.020 Everything is right on the ticket.

00:11:08.540 Do you know what's something I was meaning to say?

00:11:10.920 Right behind us is a border crossing.

00:11:14.460 It's New York, actually.

00:11:16.340 And a bunch of illegal immigrants come in right behind us.

00:11:19.040 Yes.

00:11:19.620 They illegally cross the border and then they come into this country. 0.99

00:11:22.780 Mm-hmm.

00:11:23.080 So instead of pulling over reporters, you might consider doing that, arresting the illegal immigrants. 1.00

00:11:29.540 That's the RCMP job.

00:11:31.200 Do you think they're doing a good job?

00:11:32.640 Yes, pretty good job.

00:11:33.420 You think they're doing a great job?

00:11:34.540 Yes, a good job.

00:11:35.800 So here's your document.

00:11:37.520 You can't park on this road.

00:11:38.960 Do you have evidence that I was parking on this road?

00:11:40.720 Or did you?

00:11:41.420 Yes, the officer of the RCMP.

00:11:42.320 Sorry?

00:11:43.600 The officer of the RCMP had the evidence.

00:11:46.700 They have the evidence?

00:11:48.280 Yes.

00:11:48.660 And you've seen it?

00:11:49.660 You will be in court if you contest the tickets.

00:11:52.160 I most certainly will be in court.

00:11:54.340 You haven't seen it, but you're giving me a ticket.

00:11:56.660 You have no evidence whatsoever, and you're trusting the people that are bag-checking illegal immigrants. 1.00

00:12:01.440 So you can go?

00:12:02.780 Yeah, I certainly will.

00:12:03.780 You have 30 days to pay it all. 1.00

00:12:04.700 You're pathetic. 1.00

00:12:05.560 Unbelievable. 1.00

00:12:08.560 And you know something?

00:12:10.440 Kian is heading back to Roxham Road just to find out what the hell is going on there.

00:12:17.520 You know, even if you were an avowed open borders person like our Prime Minister Justin,

00:12:23.020 hashtag welcome to Canada Trudeau, surely in the here and now, there should at least be

00:12:29.180 some temporary fencing erected just to hit the pause button on all this illegal migration.

00:12:36.380 But no, to do that might be interpreted as racist.

00:12:41.920 No, I'm not kidding, folks.

00:12:43.040 As I mentioned in this space yesterday, the Trudeau Liberals have invested some $2.6 million

00:12:49.000 in taxpayer funds to, quote,

00:12:51.540 I'm not making that up.

00:13:01.000 You see, even at a time of a global pandemic, virtue signaling by our feminist Prime Minister 0.99

00:13:06.700 remains paramount.

00:13:08.460 Oh, sure, you might get the virus, but don't you dare call it Wuhan flu, even though Wuhan

00:13:15.620 is undeniably the epicenter for this crisis. 0.99

00:13:19.240 All of which makes me wonder, can I call out bullshite without being labeled a racist 0.99

00:13:25.240 or a bigot or a culturally insensitive troll? 0.99

00:13:28.200 For example, check out this tweet I happened upon recently.

00:13:31.960 Now, folks, I wish this pic was photoshopped, but it isn't.

00:13:36.240 As you can see, four men in India have actually immersed themselves in cow manure.

00:13:42.940 That's right.

00:13:43.480 They evidently believe they can attain immunity from the COVID-19 virus by taking a bath in

00:13:49.680 feces, even if that means contracting, oh, I don't know, E. coli in the process.

00:13:56.640 Yeah, I know what you're thinking right now, folks.

00:13:59.600 You just want to go into the kitchen and boil yourselves, don't you?

00:14:04.340 But under the Trudeau anti-racism policy as it pertains to the coronavirus, 0.99

00:14:08.440 if I were to call this out for what it truly is, namely a disgusting, filthy, superstitious 1.00

00:14:15.080 exercise that will only likely help spread other diseases, does that make me a racist? 0.95

00:14:21.480 Does that make me anti-Hindu?

00:14:24.320 You know, I think it would, actually, at least in the eyes of the liberals, because while they

00:14:29.720 say they are serious about stemming the spread of COVID-19, their actions tell another story

00:14:36.660 that when it comes to a global pandemic, it is political correctness, not public safety,

00:14:43.540 that remains paramount.

00:14:45.940 And I just wonder how many more will get infected or even die because of this sort of feel-good

00:14:53.420 virtue signaling.

00:14:59.720 When it comes to the COVID-19 virus, the big question, I think, is this.

00:15:13.040 Are the various measures being enacted prudent or is it something of an overreaction?

00:15:21.740 And to help put this into perspective is Edmonton Sun columnist Lauren Gunter,

00:15:27.340 who has just written a column entitled, Using Common Sense During the COVID-19 Panic.

00:15:35.400 Welcome to the Ezra Levent Show, Lauren.

00:15:38.140 Thank you very much, David.

00:15:39.760 Fantastic.

00:15:40.880 Now, I guess that is the key question.

00:15:43.720 When it comes to the common sense as it pertains to COVID-19, I think you play your hand very

00:15:52.320 early in the column, Lauren.

00:15:53.440 You say, frankly, I think the media coverage, financial collapse, and border closures are

00:15:59.860 overkill.

00:16:00.660 What makes you say that, Lauren?

00:16:03.140 Well, this is not the world's most pernicious virus.

00:16:09.040 This isn't the worst pathogen in the world.

00:16:11.860 But you would get the impression sometimes from watching media coverage of it that a single

00:16:17.140 droplet of COVID-19 is enough to kill you, so you must avoid, you know, go cocoon in your

00:16:24.360 house.

00:16:25.300 My wife and I are currently self-isolating.

00:16:29.160 We've been asked to self-isolate by the government, not specifically, but generally because we were

00:16:33.960 away in California visiting some relatives when the announcements were made that you should

00:16:39.700 self-isolate when you come back.

00:16:41.060 And so, you know, we're not interested in helping to stress out the hospitals or health

00:16:48.300 care workers by making more people ill.

00:16:52.280 We're not ill and we're not showing any symptoms ourselves at the moment.

00:16:56.300 We have no reason to believe that we have the virus, no way of being tested.

00:17:01.240 But at the same time, too, if we did pick up the virus while we were away, I mean, the infection

00:17:07.120 right where we were in California is the same as it is in Edmonton.

00:17:11.720 So there's no reason to think that we are more infectious than the people who stayed behind in

00:17:18.660 Edmonton while we went away.

00:17:20.500 But we don't want to be responsible for infecting anyone else.

00:17:25.040 So, you know, the prudent thing is that this infection takes about five days to manifest itself

00:17:31.460 in most people.

00:17:32.360 You get your first symptoms after five days, but 99 percent of people have shown symptoms

00:17:38.880 within 14 days.

00:17:40.540 That's why the 14 day self-isolation.

00:17:43.180 So, you know, we have a friend who's been very helpful about bringing us groceries and

00:17:49.280 leaving them on the doorstep.

00:17:51.520 We had a lot of food in the freezer to begin with as a sort of hangover from a couple of big

00:17:58.880 batches of chili and soup that I've made.

00:18:01.120 So, you know, other than being bored with our menu, I don't think we're going to have any

00:18:06.020 problems that way.

00:18:07.700 But but nonetheless, you know, do I think this is this is necessary?

00:18:12.900 No.

00:18:13.160 And the whole impression that's left behind that that COVID-19 is somehow this horrible,

00:18:20.840 deadly virus is largely overplayed.

00:18:24.740 Is it more deadly than the seasonal flu?

00:18:27.640 Yes.

00:18:28.180 But I say that only on a case by case basis.

00:18:31.120 You are about 10 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than you are if you get the flu.

00:18:38.120 But so far, even as of this morning, as of the morning of St. Patrick's Day, we still

00:18:44.000 had fewer than 200000 people in the world who had who had contracted COVID-19.

00:18:51.240 And most of those, about half of those are still the original outbreak in China.

00:18:59.400 Worldwide, they're going to be a billion people with the flu.

00:19:02.620 So, you know, many, many times more dead from influenza than from COVID-19.

00:19:08.040 Well, first of all, Lauren, I want to say you've some really good friends.

00:19:11.700 I can't think of one friend in my roster that's going to put a bag of groceries on my porch.

00:19:16.340 But secondly, you do make a very profound case for your point of view in the column,

00:19:21.340 Lauren, when you use the numbers.

00:19:23.400 And I'll read verbatim.

00:19:24.920 At present, over 400 Canadians out of 36 million have COVID-19 and four people have died.

00:19:31.480 So far this winter, there have been nearly 50,000 confirmed cases of the flu in Canada.

00:19:38.120 More than 3,000 have died.

00:19:41.600 Here's my question, Lauren.

00:19:43.040 All these people that are stocking up on toilet paper and pouring Purell over every pore of their body

00:19:51.360 and staying at home and using Lysol wipes to clean surfaces.

00:19:58.700 I'm just wondering how many of them got their flu shot months ago when we were supposed to.

00:20:05.980 And by the way, I asked this question with great trepidation, Lauren,

00:20:10.000 because I know the anti-vaxxers are going to send me so much hate mail just for bringing this up.

00:20:16.040 But I'm curious, what are your thoughts on this?

00:20:18.340 You know, as I said, on a case-by-case basis, COVID-19 is deadlier than the flu.

00:20:25.000 But the flu, because it will infect far more people, will create so many more deaths.

00:20:32.060 And yet only about 40% of Canadians will bother to get the flu vaccine.

00:20:37.180 So that makes me wonder when a COVID-19 or COVID-anything,

00:20:42.840 SARS, for instance, back in 2003 was COVID-02 because it was first identified in 2002.

00:20:50.220 This is COVID-19 because it was first identified in 2019.

00:20:54.180 There will be a COVID-2020.

00:20:55.920 There will be a COVID-2021.

00:20:57.720 You know, this happens.

00:21:01.280 It's not as aggressive in terms of the number of people it will infect as the flu is.

00:21:07.920 But it is deadlier to the people who get it.

00:21:10.640 And still, only we know the flu is bad, but still only 40% of us will get the flu vaccine.

00:21:17.400 When a COVID vaccine is developed in the next year or two, what percentage of people will go out and get it despite the response of this?

00:21:27.880 You know, so I think politicians have been criticized for being slow on the uptake with this.

00:21:35.760 Doug Ford, the Ontario premier, declared a state of emergency this morning.

00:21:42.100 You know, I think we're going to get a state of emergency in nearly every province.

00:21:46.180 The federal government yesterday, the prime minister, basically declared a state of emergency,

00:21:51.120 closed all the borders to everyone except returning Canadians and Americans. 0.62

00:21:57.320 I think we're going to end up with a closure to Americans as well at some point.

00:22:01.840 Those are political responses.

00:22:03.520 Despite what the prime minister says about using only the best science to make his decisions,

00:22:10.060 they're like his decisions on climate change.

00:22:12.220 Oh, I'm only going to use the best science.

00:22:15.480 But he only uses the science that confirms his own beliefs.

00:22:20.400 So I don't think the politicians have been too slow off the mark.

00:22:24.900 I think what has happened is we've had an overreaction to the likelihood of people getting this virus.

00:22:32.800 I spent a lot of time in the last 24 hours since I wrote that column that you're mentioning,

00:22:38.440 trying to figure out why Italy is having so much of a problem.

00:22:42.340 And there are there are as near as I can tell three reasons.

00:22:45.760 A, Italy has the second oldest population in the world after Japan.

00:22:50.620 About 30 percent of Italians are 60 or over.

00:22:53.760 And this virus doesn't necessarily affect people more who are old, but it does kill more people who are old.

00:23:04.220 Italy also has a higher percentage of smokers than most Western countries.

00:23:11.200 About 28 percent of Italians smoke.

00:23:13.620 And smokers are more at risk from COVID-19 than non-smokers.

00:23:18.860 In Canada, only about 19 percent of our adult population smokes, as opposed to almost 30 percent in Italy.

00:23:28.480 And we still have a much younger population in Italy.

00:23:32.000 We have about 18 percent over 60, about 15 percent over age 65.

00:23:37.420 So that makes it less likely that Canadians will experience the same level of infection

00:23:45.600 and the same level of serious symptoms that the Italians have.

00:23:51.400 And the Italians were also renowned for ignoring the advice on social distancing. 0.70

00:23:59.260 I think Canadians have been far more compliant.

00:24:01.140 I mean, look at me.

00:24:02.840 I am one of the biggest anti-government skeptics around.

00:24:06.800 And yet, you know, my wife and I are self-isolating because we were asked to.

00:24:11.740 We think it's it's the socially conscious thing to do.

00:24:15.400 We don't want to infect anybody else.

00:24:18.920 And despite the fact, as I said earlier, that we don't believe we're infected, we're just isolating for two weeks,

00:24:27.080 having friends and relatives help us out with with things, with with errands and tasks like grocery shopping.

00:24:35.060 Until all of this calms down, it's probably just the sensible thing to do.

00:24:40.420 But here's the thing.

00:24:42.000 I mean, as you state, far more victims by the flu.

00:24:45.280 There'll be far more deaths of Canadians by traffic accidents, for example.

00:24:49.920 But I'm just wondering when it comes to the medical experts who are consulting with government,

00:24:55.820 is there maybe something that isn't being, you know, transparently disclosed in terms of the potential for what this virus can do?

00:25:07.600 Because, Lauren, I'll tell you, I feel like I'm living in a post-apocalypse movie.

00:25:14.700 When I when I drove down to work today, the roads felt like a Sunday, not a Tuesday.

00:25:20.560 I walk into restaurants, I see police caution tape roping off the the tables and chairs, dark theaters, no Leafs, no Raptors, you name it.

00:25:30.520 And I'm just wondering if maybe they are on to something that suggests that this could mutate into a real Spanish flu 1918-1919 kind of epidemic.

00:25:46.460 What are your thoughts?

00:25:47.500 Yeah, I mean, I don't think that's like that.

00:25:50.880 The worst case scenarios and I blame the federal health minister, Patty Haydew, for a lot of this, for saying that, well, we expect that upwards of 70 percent of Canadians could get infected.

00:26:03.360 Well, you know, theoretically, I suppose 70 percent could get infected.

00:26:06.640 But this is a slower moving virus than the seasonal influenza.

00:26:10.580 It is, I think, less likely to spread if we maintain some social distancing.

00:26:18.980 I'm not necessarily against closing down restaurants.

00:26:22.980 You know, I think it's funny that that Doug Ford has closed restaurants except for takeout and delivery.

00:26:29.980 Well, what happens the first time that somebody is working in one of these kitchens in an otherwise closed restaurant is shown to have COVID-19?

00:26:39.360 I mean, when we shut down all of the delivery services and the takeout as well, there gets to be a point where we overreact, where we fear this virus is far more deadly than it is.

00:26:56.440 And social distancing then becomes complete social isolation.

00:27:00.420 And I think that at that point, there's a real problem because where are you going to get your food from if you're not, you know, if you're under 30 and you don't know how to cook, which a lot of millennials don't know how to cook very well, what do you do?

00:27:17.420 You know, you need to be able to get delivery or you need to be able to get takeout.

00:27:23.540 And I fear that the next level of panic on the part of politicians who are really feeding off the public and the public's feeding off of mainstream media, then I really worry, what's the next step?

00:27:39.460 Are we going to shut down completely?

00:27:41.460 We've already nosedived the economy over this virus, which isn't as deadly as Ebola.

00:27:47.220 It's not as deadly as the antivirus.

00:27:48.980 It's not as deadly as SARS.

00:27:51.000 It's not as deadly as an awful lot of it's not as deadly as rabies.

00:27:55.860 Rabies remain still 100 percent fatal if you don't get treatment.

00:28:01.740 So, you know, are we in our modern sanitized world overreacting to this?

00:28:11.240 And I think the answer is yes.

00:28:12.880 Now, can we survive with six to eight weeks of shutting down the NHL, shutting down the NBA, shutting down, shutting down all of the professionals?

00:28:23.380 Shut down the PGA.

00:28:26.100 The PGA is not exactly a contact sport.

00:28:28.540 You know, curling the same way, you know, although it's funny because curling was was offering ads to promote its fan interaction by saying, hey, the fans in curling get a lot closer than in any other sport.

00:28:43.180 Well, that's not really a great social distancing strategy.

00:28:47.420 So, you know, can we get is it OK to do this for five or six weeks, eight weeks at the most and watch as as the infection rates flatten and then decline?

00:28:59.520 OK, fine.

00:29:00.720 But what happens with the next virus that's way more deadly than COVID-19?

00:29:06.560 And what happens then?

00:29:08.360 We need to have a vaccine for COVID infection.

00:29:12.280 One was being developed after the SARS outbreak in 2003, but because there wasn't another SARS outbreak after that and COVID is a SARS family infection, the vaccines research slowed.

00:29:29.240 Get a COVID vaccine and then let people either get vaccinated, get inoculated or not the way they do about the flu.

00:29:37.240 And I think we'll see in certainly in modern Western society, a far slower infection rate next time, far less concern about all of this, maybe more rationality.

00:29:52.040 I think we've overreacted.

00:29:54.200 I'm not recommending that people ignore what health authorities are saying.

00:29:58.540 But, you know, we're still talking about difficult, unlikely that you're going to get infected.

00:30:05.680 The Italian rate is an infection, 460 people infected per million of population.

00:30:12.320 In Canada, it's 10 people infected per million of population.

00:30:16.400 Jeez, I know it is really getting hammered, as you said.

00:30:19.540 We're almost out of time.

00:30:20.440 Very quickly.

00:30:21.800 Last exit question.

00:30:23.380 There seems to be, I keep seeing the date of April 5th as to when these closures and suspensions will end.

00:30:32.160 I think it's just some sort of mythical date.

00:30:35.360 And I'm sure it's going to be, at least I feel it's going to be extended.

00:30:39.380 Certainly Donald Trump said the other day that the experts are telling him the new abnormal won't get back to the old normal until maybe July or August.

00:30:48.460 What do you think is going to be the timeline, you know, that month where we look back at the winter, spring of 2020 and go, wow, remember that COVID-19?

00:31:01.060 That was quite a wild time.

00:31:03.000 What do you think, Lauren?

00:31:04.820 I think we're looking at probably early May.

00:31:08.120 That seems to be what a lot of the health experts are sounding out now.

00:31:13.880 If you talk to the real public health authorities, they overreact to just about everything.

00:31:21.040 And they're now starting to talk about July and August, you know, because you have to have two full incubation periods.

00:31:28.280 That's 28 days.

00:31:29.740 Two full incubation periods with no new infection.

00:31:32.700 No, no, no, no, no.

00:31:34.040 You know, you've got to get to the point where there's far fewer infections when people are a little less panicked about all of this.

00:31:42.400 And then you can start to talk about, do you reopen the schools in this school year?

00:31:48.480 You know, you're looking at most universities not reopening until the fall term.

00:31:54.640 Maybe most of the public schools not reopening until September.

00:31:58.880 I do think that that's an overreaction.

00:32:02.000 I do think it's overkill.

00:32:04.060 But, you know, to keep people from panicking and to get the health officials to sign off on this, maybe you're looking at July or August.

00:32:13.080 I'm hopeful we're looking at early June at the latest.

00:32:17.800 But, yeah, the prediction of July to August may not be that far off.

00:32:22.340 Wow.

00:32:22.760 So some tough sledding ahead.

00:32:24.340 Lauren, thank you so much for your insight into this.

00:32:26.540 I heard a dog barking at one point.

00:32:28.260 I hope it's not a rabid dog.

00:32:29.500 I would be devastated, I think, that Lauren Gunter perished through such an inglorious thing as a rabid dog bite.

00:32:37.240 I've had the rabies vaccine as a child.

00:32:39.660 Okay.

00:32:40.920 So stay safe, my friend.

00:32:43.140 And I'm sure we'll be talking about this down the road.

00:32:46.240 It is the number one story in the world after all, isn't it?

00:32:49.700 Absolutely.

00:32:50.520 Thank you, Lauren.

00:32:51.240 And that was Lauren Gunter somewhere in northern Alberta.

00:32:55.920 Keep it here, folks.

00:32:57.040 More of the Ezra Levent show to come right after this.

00:33:08.980 Well, folks, that's the show.

00:33:10.360 And as I mentioned, one aspect of the travelling ban that has not been mentioned by the Trudeau Liberals

00:33:17.660 is what's going on at illegal border crossings such as Roxham Road.

00:33:22.120 In fact, also, as I mentioned, nobody in the media party has the temerity to ask such an impolite question.

00:33:30.380 Except for us, of course, Kian Bextie is going to Roxham Road, and he is going to file a report later on.

00:33:38.900 We are going to bring you the truth as much as the Trudeau Liberals and members of the media party

00:33:44.820 would like to shield you from that truth.

00:33:49.640 Well, that wraps up the show for today.

00:33:51.900 Thanks for bearing with me.

00:33:53.760 Ezra Levent, he's on assignment, but he'll be back in this space hopefully tomorrow.

00:33:58.000 Have a great night and stay safe.

Rebel News Podcast - March 18, 2020

Coronavirus brings out the worst in people — especially governments

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