COVID overkill imperils our hospitality, humanity

Perhaps Stephen Mcneil and Dr. Robert Strang are shooting for the elusive “zero COVID” target.

Nova Scotia's autocratic premier deserves a lump of coal for singling out and penalizing the hundreds of dining establishments in HRM. Forced closures (except for take-out service) from Nov. 26 to Jan. 11 ensure these establishments will face, at best, severe financial hardship and, at worst, bankruptcy.

Equally important, thousands of servers, bartenders and kitchen staff were laid off during this typically lucrative seven-week period and are likely struggling to pay their rent. Meanwhile, restaurants and pubs in other parts of our province (outside HRM) continue on, with business as usual.

Thanks to the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entering Nova Scotia, the spread of COVID-19 is well under control everywhere in

Nova Scotia. The relatively few active cases are isolating at home and recovering; there have been few hospitalized COVID patients, and the last Covid-related death was four months ago — unfortunately a Cape Breton man in his 80s — on Aug. 23. All things considered, we are not exactly in a crisis.

Perhaps Stephen Mcneil and Dr. Robert Strang are shooting for the elusive “zero COVID” target. But as long as planes continue to land at Halifax Stanfield and cars continue to cross the border into Nova Scotia (with the loosely enforced 14-day selfisolation being on the honour system), we will continue to see new COVID cases for the foreseeable future.

Aside from the unnecessary shutdown of HRM'S hospitality industry, what are the real costs of Mcneil's and Strang's restrictions? Seniors in long-term care facilities who couldn't visit with their families at Christmas. Nova Scotians turning against fellow citizens by using the “snitch line” to report family gatherings attended by more people than the arbitrary number set by Dr. Strang. Spiking suicide rates and a skyrocketing mental health crisis.

Children who are afraid to go outside and play for fear they will “catch” COVID and die. These things did not have to happen to control the spread of COVID in our province.

In his accurate, fact-based Dec. 21 letter, “Better balance needed,” Doug Appt correctly stated that “Given that the recovery rate (of COVID-19) is reported to be 99 per cent, and the elderly with compromised health status aren't usually the folks hanging out in pubs and restaurants, who is the victim here?”

Wikipedia states that the infection fatality rate of COVID-19 (the proportion of deaths among all infected individuals) is between 0.5 per cent and one per cent (5 to 10 people per thousand infected individuals). The segment of our population that is most vulnerable to this virus (people aged 70-plus with a compromised immune system or underlying respiratory disease) are being very cautious and are staying home until vaccinations become available.

So why were HRM dining establishments singled out and why were Mcneil and Strang allowed to get away with such a punitive measure? Since the premier didn't see fit to hold any legislative sessions during the last 10 months of his rule, one can only think he has forgotten we live in a democracy. State of emergency or not, he should not be allowed to play dictator.

Hopefully our next premier will remember that he is democratically elected to work in the best interests of all Nova Scotians — and not to become a “my way or the highway” autocrat.