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Pandemic needs to be taken more seriously

Having people from the U.S. or Alberta travelling around B.C. is a health risk
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What is wrong with people? COVID-19 will become part of history and will become part of the topics in school Social Studies courses. It is not the end of the world and COVID-19 will eventually disappear. So why not just stay home? Admit it, summer of 2020 is a write-off for vacation travel. Look forward to summer of 2021.

As people cannot travel anymore to far away places, they are booking campsites and hotels in other cities within B.C. Now is time to spend quality time with family. Parents, get to know your kids, and kids get to know your parents. This is not happening.

Play some volleyball, or badminton in the back yard. Go for family bike rides. Take a walking hike. If you have a boat, then take a ride on the ocean or lake. Stay home and spend your family time right at home in the Cowichan Valley.

Just two weeks ago, a health care worker on the Southern Island became infected with COVID-19 and, upon checking and reviewing her movements with the health authority, it was found the health care worker got the virus while out shopping at the mall from someone not knowing they have the virus.

Next door in Alberta, the COVID cases are three times higher than in B.C., and now we have people from Alberta travelling around in B.C. and visiting Vancouver Island. On June 27, I was buying vehicle gas and there was a truck from Alberta behind me. I wrote to Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister, Adrian Dix, asking them to close the B.C.-Alberta border to non-essential travel.

In one ear and out the other. Their attitude is they are bringing tourist dollars to our province. On the weekend of June 27-28, there were also visitors from the United States. U.S. citizens travelling to Alaska are allowed to enter B.C. at the B.C. border. Their trip is to head for Alaska is what they told border officials. That has not been happening. They are taking the ferry to Vancouver Island from the Mainland.

Vancouver Island is not part of their trip when heading to Alaska. How come B.C. Ferries is allowing them to come to the Island? Island merchants have contacted the police about these American tourists and the police have told the merchants it is not their responsibility but with the B.C. health authority. Once again, the attitude of passing the buck. This is not acceptable. COVID has to be taken seriously. A good reason to stay home. You do not want to end up in hospital. Ending up in hospital will result in lying in a bed with a tube inserted down your throat.

Our governments are mainly concerned about getting the economy rolling again at the expense of our health. The only reason the government wants the economy to start rolling again is so they can start collecting taxes again from business. Admit it.

Some businesses are not going to re-open. A business can always start over, from scratch, but not possible with the human body. We only have one life and precautions have to be taken before making the economy number one.

The U.S. started getting the economy rolling again, and 14 states that did are now returning to 100 per cent lockdown because of new COVID-19 cases. Doing the mentioned family activities above is much more fun, which boils down to stay home. Better to be safe than sorry. If you still insist on going on a vacation, ask yourself why every public function in B.C. with more than 50 people has been cancelled until next year.

Joe Sawchuk,

Duncan