Remember, COVID the real Grinch stealing Christmas
It's Monday morning on the last full week of school before the holidays. But somehow, the countdown to Christmas has lost a bit of its magic.
Sure, the tree is up, Elf on a Shelf has found a new perch and the radio is blasting carols by our favourite pop stars.
But since Premier François Legault pulled the plug on the possibility of holiday gatherings in red zones last week and imposed new limits on occupancy for stores, we suddenly find ourselves with less to look forward to — and more obstacles to finishing our Christmas preparations, whatever they might now entail.
Legault's initial offer of four days of hoopla from Dec. 24 to 27 in exchange for a week of isolation before and after was always a dicey proposition given Quebec's fragile COVID-19 situation. We're not raging out of control like poor Alberta at the moment, but we've never been able to lower our case count, despite two months of red zone restrictions.
We may be disappointed by the gift Legault dangled and snatched back, but let's face it, it was always too good to be true. We can consider the retracted holiday party offer a present for weary medical workers, instead. That's the consolation prize.
This will be the Christmas of loneliness and lineups — long, chilly lineups, it seems.
If nixing holiday gatherings makes sense, the government's decision to bring back the dreaded Soviet-style bread queues of the spring is questionable.
Although there haven't been any outbreaks from malls, the potential for this to happen during the last-minute holiday shopping frenzy spurred Quebec into pre-emptive action. As of Friday, there are maximum occupancy limits on all stores, from mom-and-pop shops to supermarkets.
At one person per 20 square metres, this won't much hurt the big-surface Costcos and Walmarts, which can still let in hundreds of customers and have the staff to act as gatekeepers. But it's another burden for bou
tiques and retail stores, which might only be able to allow one to two shoppers at a time.
Space for everyone to line up is going to be more problematic in downtown Montreal and on the denser urban commercial strips that are hurting most from COVID-19 shutdowns. These one-size-fits-all measures, which favour the big box stores that have already reaped windfalls from COVID-19, are a bit of a Scrooge move.
As for the supermarket, we're now going to force granny, and everyone else for that matter, to get in line in the dead of winter to buy food. We long ago learned to wear a mask, keep our distance and follow the directional arrows on the floor. I think we've proven that we don't need to queue every time we need a quart of milk.
This poorly conceived decision is not backed up by evidence — and it's going to hit the most vulnerable hardest. Bah humbug.
And now that no one is allowed to gather for Christmas, can we cancel the pointless charade of online classes the last two days before the school break? From what I can tell, the usual end-ofterm festivities have simply been moved up on the calendar. Jolly good. So no one — not teachers, not students and certainly not parents — are going to be in the mood to “learn” from a distance on Dec. 17 and 18. If Quebec doesn't reverse course, can we at least give underappreciated teachers the time as vacation to recognize their extraordinary efforts these past few months?
I know, I know. In the true spirit of the season, I — we — should be counting our blessings, grateful for our health and that of our family members (along with our amazing health workers and our beloved public health system). We should be glad we have a roof over our heads, food to put on the table and presents under the tree. We should be finding ways to share with those who don't.
We are only being asked to sit tight a little longer until a vast military operation is rolled out so we can roll up our sleeves for a vaccine.
We can knock Legault all we want for taking away what he gaveth. Perhaps more consistent messaging should be one of his New Year's resolutions for 2021?
But let's also be charitable and remember that COVID-19 is the real Grinch that stole Christmas.