I wasn’t planning to write about the COVID-19 pandemic but things keep changing.
I’ve survived a crisis or two in my lifetime and thought this was just another one. Then, out of the blue, because of my advanced age, along with a number of health issues, my doctor recommended I isolate myself until the pandemic is over. OK, but when will it be over?
Canada is coping with the coronavirus better than some countries. Most of our leaders are pulling together. It isn’t any joy living next to the world’s prize boob, U.S. President Donald Trump, but hopefully Alberta’s Jason Kenny will grow.
Many of us appreciate Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. She knows her job and does it well. She and Health Minister Adrian Dix are giving clear instructions on how we should behave, unfortunately some people either don’t listen or don’t believe there’s a problem.
In spite of all the whining and pontificating from the armchair experts about what is being done or should be done, we really have no choice but to trust our politicians, and so far, so good.
A bonus with Dr. Henry is the sign language interpreter, Nigel Howard, who appears with her and Health Minister Adrian Dix on TV. It’s hard to take your eyes off him, His delivery is priceless, especially his facial expressions. A leader in the sign language profession, he’s an instructor in the Linguistics Department at the University of Victoria. His students sing his praises. It’s easy to see why.
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Be nice to the people who work in essential services – including grocery clerks. They are on the front line, we couldn’t survive without them.
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Warning to out-of-town shoppers. An unexpected consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is there aren’t many available public washrooms in downtown Williams Lake.
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Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian and book author.
