PANDEMIC SCARS

I’d like to express my thanks and appreciation to Dr.

Julie Curwin for her wellresearched and well-written Feb. 26 opinion piece (in The Chronicle Herald).

I had not heard of the

“Great Barrington Declaration,” although I know there are many censored physicians and epidemiologists who have a lot of concerns around the health effects the COVID lockdowns are having on our communities. Their concerns have been squashed with a capital “S,” all in the name of keeping everyone compliant and safe!

I agree with Dr. Curwin and have personal experience of the devastating loss lockdowns have had on people. My mother was a vibrant 97-year-old in March 2020 and died in April 2021 as a result of being “locked up” in a for-profit residential care facility. Despite my pleas, I was repeatedly told the lockdowns were necessary and would end soon. Guess not. I had never felt so helpless and desperate. These events have left me and others with emotional scars that will remain throughout our lives.

Most of us have experienced loss, feel regret and have personal angst about the future after two years of pandemic living. There are divided opinions among neighbours, friends and family members that may never resolve, distrust of government and exposure of huge fissures in our health-care system.

But the worst is the devastating effect these things are having on our children. My biggest fear is that they now know adults they once trusted and relied on have no idea how to proceed without bullying, coercion and outright lying. How will they survive without the moral and ethical compass provided by elders who once lived their lives guided by truth and justice?