Am I the only one to whom this makes zero sense?
The future of social circles is on the bubble and visitors to nursing homes in “hot zones” like Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa are being restricted because of the rapid, record-setting spread of COVID-19 as the province injects more cash into long-term care.
Premier Doug Ford said the change in the visitor policy starting Monday follows fears the virus could again rush through nursing homes like a “brush fire,” while his chief medical officer said too many people are ignoring his guidance to limit close contact with others to 10 people, including members of their own household.
“We’re concerned about that,” Dr. David Williams said Tuesday. “We’re looking at that again to say, ‘can people be trusted to keep it to 10? Do we have to reduce it a little bit more?”
“I can see by the numbers, people, it does matter,” he chided after the Ministry of Health reported Ontario’s new COVID-19 cases fell to 554 on Tuesday from an all-time high of 700 the previous day, with four more deaths.
To be clear, the part that gets me isn’t the limiting of visitors to care settings in hot zones. I’m all aboard with that. What I’m having trouble with is this gathering limit business that Dr. Williams is on about. He’s saying, basically, that because people can’t be trusted to follow the rules, that we need newer, tighter rules.
Actually, Doc, what we need is for people to start enforcing the rules we already have. These hefty fines I keep hearing about, where are they? An education first approach was fine for a while, but it’s been nearly seven months of this now. If at this point people still don’t understand the situation we’re in, when are they ever going to get it? We’re beyond education here. It’s time to start making up for COVID-related municipal revenue shortfalls and paying for infrastructure projects. Simply juggling some numbers around and calling what you come up with a rule isn’t going to do shit unless there are real, tangible consequences tied to it. the only people who care about the new rules are the people who are already following the current ones. Nobody else is changing their behaviour because of a gentle scolding. If you’re truly serious about change and compliance, stop with the dainty pats on the head and get to the stiff kicks in the wallet.
Ontario considers shrinking social circles and tightens rules for nursing home visits in COVID-19 hot zones