SHORT SHARP SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
Are curfews — the final desperate measure to contain virus — effective?
Putting people under curfew, prohibiting them from leaving their homes without a defensible reason, doesn't do a lot to brighten their sense of solidarity — that “all in this together” spirit, says clinical psychologist Steven Taylor.
While they sang out from balconies and rooftops during Italy's springtime COVID-19 quarantine as a show of national resilience, “I'm not sure that's going to be feasible during the cold winter nights in Quebec,” said Taylor.
Canada's first overnight pandemic curfew, which comes into force in Quebec as of 8 p.m. Saturday, will add yet another level of stress for people already growing weary from the grind of it all, Taylor and other mental health experts say.
“Whenever you do these kinds of things, you want to pick your battles, pick your target, help people understand what you're trying to accomplish, and lay out what that is,” said Brett Thombs, a professor in the faculty of medicine at McGill University, who's struggling to find a rationale for Quebec's 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. check-in.
“It's not clear, to me at least, what shutting down at eight o'clock is going to do.”
Under the new restriction, imposed as COVID-19 saturates the province, residents will be permitted to be outside their property for emergencies and “humanitarian r easons,” to walk their dogs, pick teenagers up from work or fill a prescription from a drugstore. There will be exceptions for people working later shifts, but people will be expected to be in their homes come evening, and remain there until morning. Those who venture out without a sanctioned or valid reason for doing so face fines of up to $6,000.
“We're talking here about saving lives and we're talking about saving our health-care system,” Quebec Premier Francois Legault said during a press conference Wednesday.
The goal isn't to make people's lives more difficult, the government insists, though it certainly will for many, Thombs said. Rather, desperate measures are required to rein in the minority still disobeying the COVID rules, the province said.
Protests are already being planned. Civil liberty worries are mounting. “What's crucial is how the curfew is enforced,” said Michael Bryant, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. Quebec's enforcement history during COVID, according to Bryant, has been “overzealous” and lacking in discretion. He and other civil rights advocates worry the curfew will be enforced in ways that will disproportionately impact racialized communities and the homeless. Residents are being encouraged to carry proof of a valid reason for being outside, like a drugstore receipt.
There are drumbeats Ontario is mulling its own curfews. “We're in a desperate situation, and when you see the modelling, you'll fall out of your chair,” Premier Doug Ford said at a Friday briefing.
IT'S NOT CLEAR, TO ME AT LEAST, WHAT SHUTTING DOWN AT 8 O'CLOCK IS GOING TO DO.
“There will be further measures, because this is getting out of control.”
For Quebec’s 8.6 million citizens affected, the glimmer of positive news about the forced shut-in is that it due to expire Feb. 8. Uncertainty — not knowing what’s coming and how much more of this there’s going to be — is a huge stressor, said Thombs, a psychologist and senior investigator at the Lady David Institute of Medical Research at the Jewish General Hospital. “We always cope with stressors when they’re shorter than longer, and when we have as much information as possible about what’s going to be involved.”
The deadline offers people a sense of predictability, Taylor said: “OK, we’ve just got to get through this four weeks, assuming the lockdown is not extended.” Thombs doesn’t know how much the curfew will change lives, or how much it seems “like yet another unnecessary hassle.”
“What happens after 8? There is a real risk that it will make things more difficult for busy people who can’t get their errands done, such as those working and caring for young children.”
Some say there is a clear public health priority that supersedes almost all else, that the psychological harms of distancing and curfews are minimal to the physical harms of the virus. “Given the rapid spread of the virus, distancing may turn out to be more important in saving lives than vaccines,” said Dr. Allen Frances, professor emeritus at Duke University.
The pandemic restrictions are already affecting different people in different ways, said Thombs, who is leading a review of how COVID-19 and pandemic policies are affecting the human psyche.
Studies show young adults are being deeply affected. Sometimes it’s social processes, their interactions with others. Sometimes it’s loneliness. “Normal development really relies on socialization at that point in their lives,” Thombs said. “Other people are being hammered financially and don’t know if they can support their families.”
But confirmed cases are accumulating at a pace never before seen. Canada saw an increase of 100,000 cases in just over two weeks. It took five months for Canada to hit its first 100,000.
Thombs doesn’ t know that anyone is to blame, “but it does seem like people are really slipping and aren’t being particularly cognizant about following (public health) principles.” The bubbles seem to be expanding. People are being less careful about who they’re seeing and where. Spaces aren’t being respected, Thombs said.
Still, while Legault called the curfew needed shock therapy, “I don’t know that shocking people without a clear purpose of what the shock is trying to stop works,” Thombs said. “What are they targeting here? What are the main sources of transmission? What are they trying to cut down?”
It’s thought curfews work, but there isn’t a lot of compelling data. It’s hard to set up controlled studies, said Taylor, a professor, clinical psychologist and author of The Psychology of Pandemics: Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak of Infectious Disease.
“The rationale is that when people disregard social distancing, they do it at night. So, you lock everyone down. Of course, you’re still putting people in closed spaces. It just happens to be their own homes,” Taylor said.
It’s about trying to balance the containment of infection versus people’s mental well-being. We’ve already seen a rise in anxiety, depression, substance abuse and domestic violence. Taylor said we can expect further instances of that in Quebec.
“This thing has lasted so long,” Taylor said. “People were expecting and hoping in 2021 things would open up.”
The ongoing, and progressively severe restrictions and uncertainties are wearing away at people, he said.
Humans are social animals. When cut off from things we find meaningful and enjoyable it impacts our moods, and with low moods comes irritability.
“If we’re going to have a curfew there needs to be in place, and visibly in place, mental health resources to help people get through this period,” Taylor said.