I read a CBC article a few days ago that said, “lockdown was never about protecting individuals, it was about protecting the healthcare system”

and I’m still thinking about it, because I think we’ve forgotten this and that’s one of the reasons many are worried about reopening.

It’s clear many people shifted from slowing to spread, to actually trying to avoid getting COVID19 at all which is... not impossible but certainly a challenge for city.

I think people genuinely believed we could eradicate the virus with lockdown but that was never possible.

Now we’re in this very bad place we many (most?) people are genuinely afraid for their lives when they are statistically not individually at risk.

(Yes, I know we never know who will have a severe reaction, I’m just saying the data says most people will not)

We likely will see in increase in active cases with reopening some businesses. That is not a failure.

We are trying to find what and how much we can reopen without flooding the hospitals.

Again, I think this is something we’ve forgotten.

I’m trying to be insanely careful with this thread because I know my “take” on COVID19 is an unpopular one, but it always has been:

I know I am more likely to get it than not and I’m ok with that. I follow the social distancing rules to protect others, not necessarily me.

I have seen a lot on twitter relishing in the worst possible COVID19 scenario:

no immunity, no vaccine, neurological damage, permanent lung scarring, etc.

I personally don’t want to further catastrophize what is already a global health crisis. But I understand if you do.

I am truly exhausted by the number of people in their own feeds or in my @‘s shaming me and others for using what businesses are open (cafes, stores).

These are not high risk activities. Accessing available services does not mean you “don’t care” or are a selfish mUrDeReR.

The past 2 months have proven that all the social distancing measures we have in place worked. They worked so well we are way below projections — even though some people sometimes walked the wrong way down a grocery store aisle!!

So as we’re reopening let’s please remember the goal was never for no one to get COVID19. Most people will get it over the next couple years. And it probably won’t be bc we “failed” individually or as a city or province. It’s because that’s how highly contagious diseases work.

Thank you for enduring my ever unpopular un-sensationalized scientifically informed rational “take” on COVID19. I appreciate you