Wait and see is not the right approach.
I write in response to an article in The Telegram July 28: “N.L. tops Atlantic Canada in active cases. N.S. will be first to make masks mandatory, despite having lowest numbers.”
In this article, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang presents the logic of the mandatory mask policy. He explains “the move is a precaution against a second wave of COVID-19 as the province continues to relax restrictions.
“It is the best chance to keep our communities and the economy as open as possible as we move into the fall,” Also, N.L.’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fritzgerald explains this province''s position on mandatory masks. “Should our epidemiology change, or our prevalence change, that is something certainly that we would have to consider,” she said.
I agree with Strang, and our government should follow Nova Scotia’s lead. With stakes so high, it is wise to err on the side of caution.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, we find ourselves in a relatively envious position so far. We benefited from the great sacrifice made by citizens, solid leadership by government and our healthcare professionals, and, to me, a fair amount of good luck. However this battle is far from over and we should not wait for our situation to worsen to implement safeguards. We must be proactive.
I fail to see the logic in our position. We should be taking these actions now to ensure our epidemiology and prevalence don’t change, rather than wait until our situation worsens. Doing the latter seems analogous to waiting to see flames before extinguishing the source of smoke. By waiting, we are accepting the risk the virus could evade detection and spread, without the safeguard of masks in public.
The logistics of implementing this policy after the fact should also be a concern. Considering the time to identify a change in epidemiology, the time required for government to deliberate and decide, the time to disseminate information, and finally have public action, there could be a lag of weeks from when the virus is present in our communities to the point masks are required. This would present the virus with a golden opportunity to spread, unimpeded.
It would be ill advised for our province to continue this wait-and-see approach.
Areas of the world suffering the harshest sting of the virus had leaders living several months in denial. They resisted guidance by the international scientific community, instead embracing a fool-hearted fairy tale in which everything works itself out and the virus magically disappears. These leaders are now forced to confront reality and their citizens and economies are bearing the cost of naivete.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, we find ourselves in a relatively envious position so far. We benefited from the great sacrifice made by citizens, solid leadership by government and our healthcare professionals, and, to me, a fair amount of good luck. However this battle is far from over and we should not wait for our situation to worsen to implement safeguards. We must be proactive.
Statues are erected to commemorate achievements of wartime leaders. But the greatest leaders are the ones who take action to avoid conflict before it begins.
I encourage Andrew Furey, soon-to-be 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, to act in the best interests of our health and financial well-being. On your first days in office, show your heart, leadership and foresight. Act boldly and make masks mandatory.
Jason Mercer,
St. John's
