Two Months

Thursday January 14th 2021

We are two months into our five month sentence. Our crime you might ask. Simply wanting to live a life of discovery. It all was working so great until a little virus call COVID-19 came along. Little did we know how it was going to change our lives, as well as the lives of so many people that we know. And actually the five month sentence that I speak of, will just be our time away from our coach (home). The past ten months have seemed like we were all under house arrest, not being able to go places, visit people, friends, and family, enjoy the attraction that this great and beautiful country offers us, or just our regular lifestyle that includes five months of vacation time in the warm southern climate. So we are paying the price for a crime that we really did not do … just saying.

And as devastating as it has been to have our lives as a whole uprooted in this way, it has been the same for most people. Well that is not totally true, it has only been that way for 52% of Ontario’s population. You see the other 48% of Ontario’s population decided that the guidelines did not apply to them, so they decided over the holidays to have get togethers and gatherings. And I can not even start to tell you how much that annoys us, as we have not seen some of our family for over a year and the most recent would have be before the start of the second wave in September of last year. So as of 12:01 this morning we have a stay at home order for the province, so lets just look at the reason for this.

Our Premier Doug Ford was forced because of rising infections of the virus to start locking down the hot spot areas of the province, Toronto and Peel being the first two areas to have restrictions applied to their businesses’, with restrictions which were eventually followed by closures. So what would any one in a restricted area do? You guessed it they load the family in the car and drive to an unrestricted area for a family outing and a day of shopping, I mean what could go wrong? You see the restriction on business in the hot spots just moved the problem somewhere else, why you might ask? First you must understand that most business owners followed the guidelines, added what ever they were asked to to make their location safe, but still Premier Ford felt that restricting their operation would help. But in fact it made it much worse, because the problem was not the business it was the patron of the business’s, so what happened the virus moved to other areas such as York, Hamilton, Halton, and Niagara. Then those areas had restriction so people just drove further away from their areas spreading the virus even further.

So so far we know that business’s were not the spreaders, it was the people that were spreading the virus, because they were not abiding by the guidelines behind closed doors. So too late in December Premier Ford put the whole province into restrictions, so right up till boxing day every one just carried on spreading the virus, now in hind site would it have helped to implement the restrictions sooner? We can debate that till the cows come home. But what it proved to me was until we restrict the movement of the spreaders of the virus we are gaining nothing.

So now Ontario has declared a state of emergency, but other that issuing the stay at home order that we pretty much know 48% of the people won’t think applies to them anyway. So we just watch as the case count rises, because a bunch of people don’t think they need to conform!

So here is my opinion (I am fully aware that any damn fool can have an opinion, but because its my blog I get to tell you mine) as to what should be happening.

Immediately the big box stores (Walmart, Costco, and the like) need to be restricted! Groceries and medical only! Everything else is coordained or blocked off, nothing for sale, bare essentials only. Entrance restricted to one person per family, this is a pandemic not a family outing! Hours reduced to allow the store staff to restock shelves when the isles are free of customers as opposed to being mobbed by shoppers.

Next the restriction of travel, shut down the airports, the land borders are already closed, if your travelling be prepared to be stopped and have your purpose of travel to be questioned. No one wants a police state but I personally don’t want to catch COVID-19 either, so for someone who has been following the guidelines, I have no issue with them finally being enforced. In fact I take exception to them not being enforced, I also take exception to people that don’t wear their mask properly, like seriously it needs to cover your nose as well.

And I do sympathies with all the small business owners who feel they are getting the raw end of the stick because they are, the virus is not spreading in the little shops and restaurants, in fact they are probably cleaner than most of our homes and kitchens, but they are an easier target than the actual problem people themselves.

Remember when the original state of emergency was declared last March? The streets and roads were almost empty, now it looks like a normal day on the highway. Just look at the families lined up to get into Walmart, you didn’t see that last March. and we wonder why the case numbers grow, now were acting like its an injustice to be asked to comply, like get over yourselves. And if you don’t want people calling you out on not following the guidelines than quit posting and bragging about your gatherings. You are just not that special that you don’t need to follow the guidelines or now the orders.

So three month from now we will be moving back to our home (coach), I suspect spring 2021 will be much tougher than spring 2020 was, and everyone thought that was tough. But look at the cases, look at the deaths, look at all the small businesses that have failed, and remember its not because of the Premiers orders, no its because 48% of the people didn’t think they should follow the guidelines, they are the ones that forced the small businesses in to closing, because they were too good for the guidelines.

As for what we are up to, Miss Laurie is working fulltime to avoid the lockdown boredom and I’m staring to get a little bored, I have read a couple of dozen books, now I’m starting to mess around in the kitchen. And we watch everyday as Facebook and Amazon photos remind us of what happened on this day a number of years ago. The snow has been a good topic to complain or wine about, although the white Christmas was nice to see, just as a little reminder of what we are missing every winter, but I’m pretty sure a photo would work just about as well. I have had time to work on the blog, learn to work with the cameras more, fly the drone when weather permits.

So here is how you decide if your trip is essential, if it doesn’t need to happen then it is not essential, or if you need to ask if its essential, than most likely it is not. We have endured 10 months of house arrest, I’m pretty sure we can endure another six or what ever it takes to get the vaccine out there into the arms of the population.

At least that my view from the drivers seat!