Friday, May 22, 2020

Wait for It

Rules in our society, usually, are put in place for the greater good, but too many people could care less about the greater good. They care only about themselves. These are the people I see routinely ignoring social distancing.

During the first days of confinement, police came to a neighbor’s house when several vehicles were spotted outside. Just about every day since then, several vehicles and individuals have been visiting the same residence.

As I walked around the block late one night last week, another neighbor had several people gathered around a campfire on their front lawn. I drive by parks and see groups of people playing soccer.

In grocery stores, some people respect the recommended two metre distancing and others could care less.

Idiots don’t care who they may or may not put at risk.


I have always been infuriated by people who don’t respect the rules that good people follow.

Dogs are supposed to be kept on a leash. Our dogs are always on leashes. We have asked local police to tell delinquent neighbors to keep their dogs on leashes, but the police have done nothing. The rules are in place for the greater good. Stupid people ignore the rules and the police don’t enforce them. Good people pay the price. Now we have to avoid certain streets when we walk our dogs.

I don’t know where the police are during this pandemic.

These ignorant people who break the rules deserve to get sick. The only problem is that their ignorance puts so many other people at risk, including the incredibly selfless individuals who have been risking their lives every day in our health care institutions.

All of us should be doing what we can to reduce the risk of infection facing dedicated doctors, nurses, paramedics and hospital support staff. They should be able to spend more time with their families. They trust us to do our best to respect the rules in order to help reduce the number of cases they have to treat, which, in turn, helps reduce their probability of infection.

In our household, we are doing everything we can to keep ourselves safe, which helps to keep others safe.

Rules are for the good of good people, but bad people ignore the rules, which makes life bad for too many good people.

Victims of crime are a perfect example; victims of crimes have fewer rights than the criminals who commit them.

We went to a hardware store yesterday to buy a mower. There, too, most people are not social distancing. I do a lot of glaring at people who do not keep their distance. While the rest of society works to flatten it, stupid people seem determined to fatten the curve.

I am not the least bit convinced politicians are making the right decisions with regard to public health by re-opening stores, day camps and schools. I understand they have the economy to think about, but one epidemiologist I saw interviewed, pointed out that never in the history of humankind has there been a pandemic that did not have a second wave.

Wait for it.


Friday, May 1, 2020

Stupid and Dangerous

It makes no sense to me.

That elementary schools are reopening in Quebec and the Deux Montagnes commuter train to Montreal is being stopped to build the REM during a pandemic, makes no sense to me.

The government says it doesn’t want gatherings; both of those realities represent gatherings, which represent the very real possibility of bumping up the infection rate.

A child can bring COVID from home, easily give it to classmates, or teachers, who take it home to their parents and siblings, or spouses.  Why risk exposing more people, some of whom will, inevitably, be among the most vulnerable?

On Thursday, Quebec had 944 new cases. Today, Quebec reported the highest single day death total in the province at 163. So far, 2,022 lives have been lost in Quebec due to COVID-19. Why risk any more, why risk even one more?


What is the rush? Why not give social distancing and home confinement more time?

Commuters who can no longer take the Deux-Montagnes train must now take buses, instead. People returning to work will be crowded into buses, just as they are on metros. Why is that suddenly a safe option?

Is it about the economy?

Can someone explain this to me so that it makes sense? 

Right now, two words come to mind – stupid and dangerous – not necessarily in that order.