A year after the World Health Organization declared the spread of COVID-19 a global pandemic, and roughly half a year since the onset of a second wave, we are being asked to remain vigilant in anticipation of a third wave. While the vaccine-versus-variant race is on, and help is on its way, we are encouraged not to let up now.
Population density clearly plays a major role in the spread of any infectious disease. So does the level of public vigilance. That the US death rate is approximately twice Canada’s tells the tale. Here in the Pontiac, where we have both a small population dispersed across a large area and a high degree of precaution, we are twice blessed and have the low case numbers to show for it.
The success in the Pontiac is . . .
in no small measure attributable to the people who have been keeping essential services functioning throughout the pandemic – from health care workers to delivery truck drivers, from gas station operators to all manner of retailers, among many, many others.
Among them there are none more deserving of our respect and gratitude than those who keep the grocery stores open so that we can all have food to eat – the shelf stockers, floor washers, cash register operators and the greeters who wipe down the grocery cart handles and politely but firmly remind us to wear our masks and sanitize our hands. While some might be tempted to call them heroes, most grocery store workers would probably say they are just doing their job, doing what has to be done, yes, aware of the risks, but being careful.
Behind the scenes are the managers who run their operations with discipline, courage and grace in the face of much more than their usual load of stresses. We understand, and many of us share their fear, that the disease might one day visit our places of business from sources unknown and beyond our control, despite our best efforts.
Many across the Pontiac are similarly doing their part to help us all get through this very strange time, this newspaper included. Just as shopkeepers wash down the handles of shopping carts, wear masks and remind us to do the same, we have a job to do that is also intended to help keep people safe. Our job is to help the public stay abreast of changes in the course of the pandemic that could impinge on their own well-being.
When a case of COVID-19 emerges in a public place where there could conceivably have been a risk of further exposure, the public has a need to know the identity of that place. This is the reason we reported last week that there was a case at the elementary school in Shawville, and one the week before at a grocery store, also in Shawville. While respecting the privacy of the individuals who had tested positive, we felt it was our responsibility to let the public know the identity of the public places where those individuals had routinely been present.
As a result, people who may recently have been in either location were equipped to take whatever action, if any, they felt might be warranted. Some might be unconcerned about the news, while others might choose to stay out of circulation for a few days, or pay particular attention to any COVID-like symptoms they experience. Anyone providing care for a person of frail health might choose to be especially vigilant in the precautions they take, while people with frail health themselves might want to know that they may recently have been in the same air space as someone who has come down with COVID-19.
Knowing that you have access to the information you need to navigate your way through this pandemic is fundamental to the ability to feel calm in the face of a very challenging situation. Whether and how someone might use the information we publish is entirely up to them. It is merely for us to report the facts of the matter, to the best of our ability, so people can make their own informed decisions.
If we did any less, if we withheld information that the public has a right to know, if anybody got sick because they were not aware of relevant facts that we knew but chose not to share, that would be a failure we would hope to be called on.
Charles Dickson
