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Letter: Combating COVID-19 comes down to personal responsibility

Dear editor,
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Dear editor,

Let’s please roll back a moment to March 2020. The first wave came and we were told from government officials no mask is needed to fight this virus, and more conflicting stories surfaced until the federal government imposed a nation-wide lock down. We people were happy — now we got paid to stay at home and it was the impression out there that by sitting this virus out we will beat it. There was no reason to believe otherwise. We didn’t listen to scientists neither did we research the history for examples such as the Spanish flu. Nurses told me in early April masks should be already mandatory. We were warned for this fall season, nobody believed it, and now it is here, and again we call for the government to help us. Have we forgotten who the government actually is? We all are the government, we all have a combined responsibility to stay safe and keep others out of harm. The businesses do everything they can to stay alive, imposing all health requirements possible. But privately, we aren’t. We need to have all private gatherings, parties and so on. We can’t say for just one year in our 100-year life span to slow down and just stay safe and connect through technology. Everything gets questioned under the umbrella “no one can restrict us in our rights.” Well maybe we should look up again what our rights are, because everything we can lose is only called a privilege. Money is not the answer. The federal and provincial government did and do the best they can in their power, but they also can’t save us. We all knew the financial support will end, and yet it is never good enough, because someone else has to provide for us. We only make the economic and financial situation worse. It is up to us, regardless what we believe, regardless how high the COVID-19 numbers are to take our own health and safety in our own hands and comply with the mandatory or voluntary restrictions to the fullest. Then and only then will this crisis be resolved.

Edwin Geuder,

Ponoka



Emily Jaycox

About the Author: Emily Jaycox

I’m Emily Jaycox, the editor of Ponoka News and the Bashaw Star. I’ve lived in Ponoka since 2015 and have over seven years of experience working as a journalist in central Alberta communities.
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