Keeping us in the dark on COVID-19 outbreaks is dangerous
We’re told to do everything we can to avoid exposure to COVID-19, but the very officials advising us how to stay safe are not telling us where the hot spots for the coronavirus actually are.
We learn the number of new cases each day, and know they’re growing in Toronto, Brampton and Ottawa. We can even find out which schools, shelters and long-term-care homes have outbreaks, but not which businesses or workplaces had cases.
This policy of not telling people where the virus is spreading is dangerously ridiculous, makes a joke out of repeated promises of transparency.
Keeping us in the dark about where outbreaks occur puts everyone at greater risk by not providing the information we need to stay safe, and officials at times muddy the water with what appears to be deliberate obfuscation.
Public Health officials in Waterloo Region declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a
“hospitality workplace” after two people tested positive, creating far more questions than they answered.
The business was not named, and honestly, I had no clear idea what a “hospitality workplace” might be in reality — a hotel, restaurant or mall food court perhaps — places I could easily avoid if properly informed.
Maintaining the uselessness of their message, the public health unit disclosed the outbreak was in a “food and beverage services setting,” but not whether it was among staff, customers or both. How does that help people avoid possible exposure? Maybe they’re telling people to stay away from all “hospitality workplaces,” but then they’d need to be a lot clearer on just what they heck they’re talking about.
Officials in Peel Region confirmed they traced more than 60 cases of COVID-19 to a single workplace in Mississauga, but have refused to identify the company, citing privacy concerns.
Brampton has been particularly hard hit, and Mayor Patrick Brown is among those calling on public health officials to be fully transparent about the locations of workplace outbreaks.
There were 180 cases of the coronavirus connected to an industrial bakery in Toronto early in the pandemic, but the public health unit never informed people about the outbreak.
The Toronto Board of Health this week asked the medical officer of health to release data on workplace outbreaks, insisting on “complete transparency if we are to defeat the coronavirus.”
Board chair Joe Cressy summed it up: “We can’t expect people to adjust their behaviour if they don’t know where transmissions are occurring. And we can’t demand stronger workplace safety without the full picture.”
Premier Doug Ford promised the public would learn everything he’s being told about the pandemic, but he is not being transparent about exactly where the virus is spreading most.
Where’s the evidence for closing bars early? There were a handful of bars closed in Toronto for failing to observe social distancing, but are outbreaks connected to bars generally? To other types of businesses? Tell us, and tell us which ones so we can protect ourselves.
Predictably, there was an issue with the spread of COVID-19 in strip clubs, raising the question of why they were allowed to reopen in the first place. The limited reopening of some casinos the same day Ontario reported the highest number of new cases since the pandemic started also calls into question the criteria being used to determine what is safe seven months into the crisis.
It’s time for the political and public health leaders guiding us through this pandemic to demonstrate the frequently promised transparency and tell us where the virus is spreading.