I saw you walking up and down Baker Street on Saturday and wanted to let you know that you scare me. I am eight months pregnant and the last thing I want is to catch COVID-19 only to slip into a coma while in labour or die as other pregnant women have. While these cases are rare, I don’t want to be one of them. I am doing everything I can to keep myself safe, but I also don’t want to effectively live under house arrest.
I need to grocery shop. I need to run errands downtown. I need to see my midwife and go to the hospital for tests. And I have the right to do these activities safely. So do seniors and other people with compromised immune systems. You are entitled to say what you want in a variety of venues. No one is disputing your freedom of speech, nor my freedom of speech to take issue with your actions. Taking over sidewalks and forcing yourself and unsafe behaviours onto others as you do is harmful, cruel and one of the most selfish acts I have ever seen.
You don’t have to think the pandemic is real, or that there are deadly diseases, or get a vaccine or believe in science. But the rest of us would appreciate your respect and kindness by not forcing your beliefs onto us with actions that scare us and put our health at risk.
Michelle Mungall
Nelson
