National Post (National Edition)
When can we change the channel?
WE CAN ROLL OUT A VACCINE REALLY QUICKLY IF WE WANT TO. BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE DON’T KNOW UNLESS WE TAKE THE TIME, WHAT THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS PROFILE OF THAT VACCINE WILL BE. AND YOU REALLY CAN’T RUSH THAT. — ALISON THOMPSON
For weeks, the TV appointment time has been 11 a.m. EDT and 2 p.m. when a parade of government leaders, medical officials and other pandemic players have held briefings on the impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian public, what they are doing about it, and what Canadians must do to “plank,” “crush” or “flatten” the curve. We’ve heard of the heroic measures and risks take by our health-care workers, and the scourge of the long-term care sector. It’s been necessary. Until it’s not.
Canadians may soon want to tune into another channel.
Less than a month ago, just over four in 10 (44 per cent) said governments should keep the country locked down until we have a medical solution — like a vaccine — for the virus.
But others felt differently — more (46 per cent) thought we should lock it all up until the health-care system could manage the virus, and others felt we should start loosening things up (seven per cent) or we should just open everything back up regardless of risk (three per cent). Added up, that’s a majority (56 per cent) who have set the condition that will require a response: when it’s under control in the healthcare system, let’s move things forward.
So, who’s got the plan and when do we start to hear about it? Is it a collaborative effort with a coalition of health, private sector and government types, or is it a federal edict or is it up to each province depending on the circumstance?
For example, in British Columbia, 4,703 acute-care beds are empty and available for potential COVID-19 patients, a 58.1 per cent occupancy rate across their hospital system, and surgeries are beginning again. Is it time there? Should they become Canada’s Beta and borrow ideas from California or Hong Kong and others who are developing new engagement rules?
Even U.S. President Donald Trump’s threephase reopening guidelines to the governors, as capricious as they may appear, will at least give some grist for the mill in forming a Made in Canada set of protocols.
And, rightly or wrongly, there’s an expectation among the public as to when the current guidance for distancing and isolation will end: half (the mean) of Canadians land on June 30, 2020, as the ribbon-cutting moment based on what they see, read and hear.
What are their expectations after that? Well, once the outbreak of cases is under control, they think the following should be rolling out: getting together with friends and family (78 per cent), going to work in an office (67 per cent), going to the mall (66 per cent), sending kids to school (63 per cent), organized personal sports for kids (53 per cent), going to the movies (50 per cent) — but not so much for going to business conferences (45 per cent), or going to events such as professional sports, concerts and the like (38 per cent).
The only missing ingredient is the how: Is everyone required to wear a mask? Is there going to be a health passport of sorts? Will restaurants and other service areas have seats two metres apart and only allow 50 per cent capacity? Will workplaces appoint a “COVID” officer to oversee safe practice protocols? Will parts of the food chain have backup if workers have to be quarantined? Will everyone have their temperature taken as a stamp of approval to enter a retail establishment? And so on.
These are all legitimate questions that are soon going to be upon the leadership of this country, so it would be best to start putting forward the coalition that will take up the challenge to start articulating the roadmap for integrating health and economic prosperity.
To that end, a new channel and players will be expected soon for new appointment viewing.
Veteran pollster John Wright is a partner of DART Insight and Communications and leads the DART & maru/Blue survey research team. Polling results are posted at www.dartincom.ca/polls and via daily COVID-19 and daily Canadian behaviour tracking via https://marureports.com/