Please Canadian premiers – try harder to address COVID-19!!! Although some of you are doing better than others, each of you could do more. Just follow the evidence! Here’s what I would do to stop COVID in its tracks if I were a premier. (I am using Saskatchewan, where I live, as an example of what not to do.)
One. Implement measures immediately when there are COVID outbreaks. Don’t wait for more people to get sick and some to die. At the same time, don’t ease up on measures until COVID risks are seriously reduced.
The Saskatchewan government was very tardy in instituting mask-wearing and reduced gathering size policies, and is making noises about loosening already lax restrictions rather than tightening them, despite Saskatchewan having the highest per capita COVID rate in the country.
Two. Implement the full range of effective measures.
Even with the threat of the COVID variants, the Saskatchewan government has not shut down bars, restaurants, non-essential shops, etc. And they continue to ignore the role of ventilation in indoor spaces.
Three. Promote an economy that increases people’s quality of life rather than an economy harmful to people.
The Saskatchewan government says it’s keeping non-essential businesses open for the sake of the economy. However, keeping non-essential businesses open puts workers and customers at greater risk for contacting COVID. At the same time, low income workers can’t afford to not work; they need the income for food and shelter.
A better idea: shut down non-essential businesses that can’t keep their workers and customers safe, and subsidize the workers (and possibly the businesses) to help them weather the pandemic. Other jurisdictions that have been more restrictive have suffered fewer per capita COVID-related cases and deaths, and have been able to open up economically more quickly than Saskatchewan.
Four. Test test test! If you only test people with symptoms (or only people with severe symptoms) you miss the information required to know what’s actually going on and to plan accordingly.
Currently Saskatchewan’s testing rate is 493,699 tests/million population, compared to Canada’s national testing rate of 651,581 tests/million population. Another example: Most of Saskatchewan’s rapid tests stayed in their packages until the media revealed their existence. (Rapid tests were supposed to be a game changer and should have been used promptly.)
Five. Contact trace! Conduct both forward contact tracing (who did the COVID positive person come in contact with after being infected?) and backward contact tracing (who did the infected person come in contact with before exhibiting symptoms?).
Rumour has it that Saskatchewan is conducting only forward tracing (and is behind even on that). So, for the most part they don’t actually know what’s causing outbreaks.
Six. Vaccinate. Obviously.
I can’t find enough information to know whether the Saskatchewan government’s vaccination plan is reasonable or not because they don’t provide enough detail. I hope that’s not because they haven’t yet figured out the nuts and bolts. It’s worrisome that after months they’re still struggling to set up an appointment system.
Seven. Ensure that every worker has a safe work environment. (And a safe living environment if they live on site). Make sure that work/living environments are properly ventilated, workers are provided with effective personal protective equipment, high-risk workers are on priority lists for vaccinations, mask wearing and physical distancing are observed, they do not have an over-burdened workload, etc.
I’m having trouble finding out the specifics of Saskatchewan’s situation. I know other jurisdictions have had serious COVID outbreaks where many meat pack plant workers and migrant workers have gotten ill, and some have died. I have read there are concerns about the conditions Saskatchewan healthcare and personal care workers work in.
Eight. Prioritize vulnerable populations such as the elderly, Indigenous peoples, and people with low income. To keep vulnerable populations safe, make sure testing, treatment, and preventive measures are easily accessible to them, and ensure they receive the resources and services necessary to meet their needs.
The Saskatchewan government has a terrible record in its treatment of vulnerable populations, e.g. from refusing to fund a homeless shelter that ran out of funding to years of ignoring reports describing bad conditions for the elderly in long-term care homes.
Nine. Communicate clearly, transparently, and truthfully. I’ve deleted the examples I had written up as they would make this a very long posting so I will just say that the Saskatchewan government gets a D minus on communication.
I encourage everyone to hold their premier accountable for their words and actions. Inform yourself, think critically, propose constructive suggestions. And please, all of you reading this, stay healthy and safe!