By Pepper Parr
May 24th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
There were two scenes that I came across as I drove from Milton to Hamilton this morning to get some work done at the office. Both seemed to me to be a message – word that all was far from lost.
We are in a pickle, for certain, and we need to have our wits about us as we take care of ourselves and those close to us.
We also need leaders who have it within them to make the hard unpopular decisions to get us through this pandemic.
The scientists think they know what to do; the politicians need only to hear what the scientists are saying and then take the appropriate action. The solution seems to be to take every step possible to ensure that the virus does not spread through the community any further. We aren’t doing that as well as we need to – there are still too many new infections being reported.
Plants floating in a pond on Watson Road South in Puslinch Township, Wellington County.
If we don’t keep our distance from others the lockdown we are in will get tighter.
The words of a child.
The Regional Medical Officer of Health (MoH) issued a Class Order. She wasn’t asking us to do what she believed was right and she wasn’t telling us to do what she believed was right – she was ordering us to do what she believed is right.
The Medical Officer of Health has a tremendous amount of power. Her words need to be taken very seriously.
I saw those plants in that pond and the child’s painting in front of a Canadian flag as signs that we can and will get through this.
Just follow the instructions and don’t be stupid.
The people who learned that they had been infected last week were people who picked up the virus from someone they may not have even known.
On Mother’s Day, May 10th, the Premier had his daughters over to the house for the first time since the lock down. He certainly wasn’t setting a good example; if he can do that then everyone can.
The virus is understood to take 14 days to spread once you have been infected. Today is the 24th – will the number of infections show a spike when the MoH reports on Monday? – they did when the last results were reported on Thursday of last week.
Class Order issued by the Medical Officer of Health
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
