Our undeclared war on COVID-19
An official declaration would have changed how we respond and react to the pandemic
The First World War lasted roughly four years, the Second World War, six. We are now in the second year of The War on COVID-19.
Oh, wait; this isn’t a war, right? War hasn’t been declared on the pandemic, has it?
The answers are “Yes” to the former, and to the latter, “No … but it probably should have been.”
My late mother spent the Second World War in Coventry, England. As a hub of manufacturing, it was one of the most bombed of British cities. She would tell tales of bomb shelters. Tales of one home being decimated by the Germans while its neighbour just down the way remained untouched, unaffected. Of classmates never to be seen again. Of the hardships of rationing. Of having to take in boarders to make ends meet. And of the endless sacrifices expected and dutifully made by citizens. Things as simple as blackouts so as not to allow the enemy easy targets.
Very early into this pandemic it occurred to me that a declaration of war should have been made. If it had, certain protocols would have kicked in. Expectations would have been inculcated into the minds and behaviour of Canadians. Sacrifices, the smallest of sacrifices, would have been made from a patriotic perspective. Things like wearing masks and socially distancing. Instead many people have been, as my mom would have put it, “faffing about with their endless whingeing.”
Additionally, the various levels of government would have been officially and consistently called to more concerted action. Shutting down airports, preventing unnecessary travel back and forth to popular U.S. destinations, preventing foreigners from entering Canada, or insisting that they be isolated, quarantined and tested. Enacting stayat-home and lockdown initiatives. Enhanced contact tracing. In wartime, equivalent measures would have gone into effect much more stridently, and with greater adherence by the public.
Anyone who strives to communicate effectively understands that framing a conversation, a dialogue, a negotiation, an argument is a vital component of “winning” such engagements. I believe that the formality of announcing a national intent via a parliamentary (or congressional elsewhere) act would have resulted in us being in an entirely different place than where we currently find ourselves. Instead, entering into our second year of this viral conflagration, in certain quarters, it’s still not being taken seriously enough. No matter the mounting casualty numbers.
After the Second World War, Britain slowly rebuilt itself. Countless hardships decimated countless lives. Many elements of society were never the same. Rebuilding came with costs; in 2006, Britain finally paid off its war debt to the U.S. But because we have not labelled our travails against COVID-19 as a war, some have been resistant to see the pandemic as anything more than an annoyance. An inconvenience. Others have regarded it primarily as something that will cost them their livelihood, and therefore are entitled to rail against the various governments that were doing their best to fight a war the likes of which nobody had fought previously. It’s a shame when there’s as much resistance to the policies put into place to win a war as there are to the enemy itself.
Clearly, at this point in the process, we’re not going to actually declare war on COVID-19. But moving forward, I have a simple question: What have we learned? In wartime, information is vital, the bounties of hard-fought intelligence and espionage priceless. Strategies are created, initiatives are put into play, everything reviewed once the dust clears, to inform new strategies, new initiatives, everything utilized toward the ultimate goal: victory. Flying by the seat of your pants is no way to win a war. Can we enter into the next phase of our ongoing battles against COVID-19 with a more informed, more salient, more decisive set of plans? Here’s to hoping that some wartime pluck will help us reshape our efforts when we’re next attacked by so insidious an adversary.