Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

ADAM OLSEN -- COVID-19 is real ... it is a devastating disease and it must be taken seriously


 
If you are a Facebook friend of my mom then you may have seen her post announcing that her partner Tex has tested positive for COVID-19 and she is a presumptive case.

The novel coronavirus has disrupted every part of our lives. It’s not just a community state of emergency, it’s global. Up until they received their diagnosis a couple of days ago, for our family COVID-19 was a disease that was affecting other people.

Like most British Columbians we have been hearing the recommendations and orders from Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s Chief Medical Officer, and taking them increasingly seriously. My family has been restricting our movements and limiting our interactions with others. Other than a quick trip to the legislature I have been limited to our property for the past week.

My mom and Tex attended a conference in Toronto and returned two weeks ago feeling unwell. Thankfully over the past few days they are not getting much worse, however they are also not getting much better either. Living with COVID-19 is a story that I will leave for my author mom to tell when she has the energy.

Thankfully they took those early recommendations of the public health officer to self-quarantine very seriously.

They live near the airport and other than a quick trip to my sister’s house to pick up their dog they went home and have not left since.

The people at the BC Centre for Disease Control have been an incredible support. They continue to investigate the situation but they have completely cleared the single brief interaction at my sister's house. Other than through the phone and video conferencing, nobody has had any interaction with my mom and Tex. I and my immediate family feel fine.

It is a surreal time for our family and all British Columbians.

We are proud of our freedom and liberty that in the past few weeks have been dramatically restricted.

Everything that once seemed reliable is now in question.

The emerging public health emergency, is also a growing economic emergency.

Our entire society and way of life has been turned upside down.

I’m sharing this story about Tex and my mom because COVID-19 is real. It is a devastating disease and it must be taken seriously. As Minister of Health, Hon. Adrian Dix, stated emphatically in his response to my question in Question Period, the public health orders to stay home are 100%.

Other than essential business, 100% of British Columbians should stay home 100% of the time.

If you do have to go out, maintain physical distance from the people around you. Make sure you wash your hands often, wash them thoroughly following all the guidelines for hand washing.

As my mom said, when she and Tex were telling their grandkids on a video conference that their grandparents have COVID-19, if they had not taken those orders seriously nearly two weeks ago, then they would have been responsible for spreading this awful disease to their entire family.

Thank you to everyone who has read my mom's Facebook post and reached out to us to extend your well wishes. Our family appreciates you keeping them in your thoughts and prayers just as we are keeping all the people who are struggling with COVID-19 in our thoughts and prayers.

Please listen to the updates and follow all the recommendations as if you have no other option. Our government does not want to have to force further restrictions and we are hoping for broad social acceptance.

We can limit the spread of the novel coronavirus by each one of us doing our part.

Thank you for doing your part to keep us safe. For medical questions please call 811 to speak to a nurse.

For non-medical COVID-19 questions (i.e. childcare, financial support or travel) call 1-800-COVID-19. Information is available in 110 language between 7:30am and 8:00pm.

If you are not well and think you need to be tested, check out the provincial government self-assessment tool at COVID19.THRIVE.HEALTH.

For employment insurance inquires please call Service Canada at 1-833-381-2725.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more