Editor's Note:
Michael Bociurkiw is a global affairs analyst and former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Follow him on Twitter at @WorldAffairsPro.
The opinions expressed in this text are yours.
See more articles like this at cnne.com/opinion
(CNN) -
It seems like a very long time since the state last lectured Canadians on sexual behavior.
Just as people were heading to the Labor Day long weekend to have fun, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Director of Public Health, warned her fellow citizens to wear a mask while having sex and to avoid kissing people to avoid transmitting a covid-19 infection.
Tam, who is also part of an International Oversight Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that "sex can be complicated" during the pandemic and that reducing the risk of contagion during sexual activity depends "exclusively on each person".
The stern warning was repeated again Tuesday by Dr. Tam, amid reports of people holding large gatherings.
'What we don't want is for this virus to enter an environment where there is a high degree of transmission, sometimes called mega-propagation events.
They are closed and crowded places where people gather, they are not taking into account public health measures or where we have to help them adjust their protocols for better management, "she said.
"The hardest part is the private get-togethers, the family events, where we have to make sure we support the people in this country so they know what to do to minimize risk."
His warnings come as Canadians begin sending their children back to school and prepare for a further reopening of the economy.
With fears of a spike in the numbers, the daily case count in British Columbia rose to 121 on Friday from 80 in early June.
Canadian officials are increasing the pressure and warning of rollbacks in vacancies if people don't follow the rules.
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Coordinated, forceful and direct public health messages and parental-like warnings are in stark contrast to the United States, where per capita COVID-19 cases are more than five times higher than in Canada.
Perhaps aware of the need to speak directly to young Canadians, as pandemic fatigue sets in and a more arrogant attitude takes hold, Tam did not beat around the bush, even if it meant breaking our national taboos.
In fact, it was exactly the kind of clear and direct public health message that is absent in the US, and that has helped flatten the curve north of the border.
“We need to improve risk communication here in the United States.
We know that this virus affects every facet of our lives, from what happens in the bedroom to the kitchen table and our social gatherings, ”says Dr. Syra Madad, Senior Director of Special Pathogens in the Department of Health and Hospitals of New York".
"If you treat this as a taboo subject or preach abstinence, that is not going to work," he says.
Great contrasts of figures
As of Labor Day Monday, the US had the highest number of cases and deaths in the world (more than 6.3 million and nearly 190,000 respectively).
And, in terms of the average statistic of new infections per day, the country is in worse shape now than it was on Memorial Day weekend, when there were at least 20,000 new cases per day compared to more than 50,000 cases. new on friday.
Currently, new infections are trending upward in 14 states, 14 were stable, and 23 report miniscule counts (including the District of Columbia).
Compare that to Canada, where the daily COVID-19 case count is less than a quarter of what it was at its peak on May 3 (1,571 vs. 247 as of Monday).
This is not to say that we did not have our blind spots: neglect in long-term care homes, especially in Quebec, where more than half of all deaths occurred in such facilities, was considered a national disgrace and prompted an investigation. forensic.
There were also outbreaks on farms in southwestern Ontario (near Michigan), where migrant farm workers are employed and work and live in close proximity.
Why Canada
There are a number of theories as to why Canada has managed to flatten the COVID-19 curve much better than the United States.
One is that Canadians, who entered the Confederacy with the motto "peace, order, and good governance," are much more obedient than our neighbors to the south with their attachment to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." even if that means potentially killing others.
refusing to wear masks in the name of freedom.
“Many Canadians are followers of the rules.
If you are at the bank and there are three ATMs open, everyone lines up behind an ATM and waits for their turn.
We are very, for the most part, rule followers, especially in Ottawa, ”Sarah Chown, managing partner of the Metropolitan Brasserie in Ottawa and local president of the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, told me.
It can also be argued that the federal and provincial governments allowed Canadians to abide by quarantines and stay home by offering generous, unprecedented financial aid up front, including up to C $ 2,000 a month for Canadians out of work, as well. like more time to pay taxes and mortgage deferrals, seniors' allowances, and business wage subsidies - all a far cry from the limited amounts offered south of the border.
Even the media received a donation of C $ 30 million from Ottawa in the form of a waiver of broadcasting fees.
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In all, the measures in the wake of COVID-19 helped drive the federal deficit to C $ 343.2 billion this year, and federal debt past the $ 1 trillion mark for the first time, former federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said. , in July.
And all that in addition to free public health care, including free tests.
“If compliance means personal or business bankruptcy, people will ignore orders like closings.
I suspect that this is part of the history of the American covid-19 in certain regions, ”Canadian political analyst Yaroslav Baran told me.
From the beginning, Canada's federal and provincial leaders prioritized science over politics and twists, raising awareness of the importance of wearing face masks, maintaining physical detachment and proper hand hygiene, and promising to support testing and widespread contact tracing backed with a free covid-19 app.
Even the recently concluded federal Conservative Party leadership race took place primarily online, after lasting much longer than anticipated.
And with a possible federal election on the horizon, Elections Canada is preparing for an increase in demand for mail-in ballots, all without controversy.
A key but painful measure to stop the possible spread of contagions from the United States, the border has been closed to all but essential travel since March 22.
The shutdown lasted until September 21, but pressure is expected from the Trump administration, which is trying to project a return to normalcy: opening the border before the November elections.
Political romances
Unlike the US, where political division and legislative stalemate have become commonplace during the pandemic, some unusual political "romances" have emerged here in Canada, none more prominent than that among Ontario's prime minister. , Doug Ford of the Conservative Party and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland of the ruling Federal Liberal Party.
By referring to his federal colleague in such enthusiastic terms as "amazing," Ford seems to take every opportunity to praise his newfound bonhomie.
Through televised daily briefings, often simulcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's national news channel, the pandemic has also transformed hitherto unknown provincial health officials into celebrities in their own right, with Dr. Bonnie Henry in British Columbia, winning international notoriety awards with a flattering profile in The New York Times and a fan club on social media.
And throughout all of this, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stood front and center, filling the airwaves during the early months of the pandemic with daily reports in a comforting tone of voice, assuring Canadians that " we are in this together ”, and that the government will be there for them, especially in terms of financial aid.
Between friends
It has been said that Canada has had no closer friend and ally than the United States.
That sentiment was summed up in 1976 with a bicentennial gift book called "Between Friends."
It was an eloquent recognition of how much we have in common, including the longest defenseless border in the world.
Here on Vancouver Island, we breathe in the same wildfire haze, share the stewardship of the same endangered marine mammals, and gaze at the same stars and airplane contrails as our neighbors in northwestern Washington State.
Even the Stars and Stripes has pride of place in many places alongside the Maple Leaf.
But since the United States is the number one Covid-19 hot spot in the world, I can't recall a time when we were so grateful to be apart.
The United States - speaking with friends - act together so that we can put an end to this distancing generated by covid-19.
Canadacovid-19