As #COVID19AB threatens to become a catastrophe, it’s important to remember it wasn’t always like this, nor does it have to be. It’s the government’s choice.

Remember, early on in the pandemic when Alberta’s response was *way* ahead of the pack?

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First, the province added surveillance testing for COVID19 to *all* of its viral respiratory swabs in ER and hospital. People across the country (and continent!) were jealous.

https://twitter.com/JoshNgKamstra/status/1236839326916341760?s=20

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Then, Alberta developed an online booking system where you could fill in some simple information and voila! You were booked in.

This was big at the time, as other places were still requiring pre-approval from testing gatekeepers.

https://twitter.com/JoshNgKamstra/status/1249826452708589568

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With some (relatively) timely moves to restrict movement, the government brought the virus to its knees over the spring.

https://twitter.com/JoshNgKamstra/status/1257444518548439040

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So what happened? As a big fall wave looked more and more likely, @JKenney decided that, since more stringent restrictions weren’t popular, he wouldn’t implement them. "Rights" trumped public health in his press conferences.

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His response became, unfortunately, ideological. One that mythologized Alberta as an “every person for themselves” Spaghetti Western hellscape where people are more interested in looking out for their own interests rather than loving their neighbour.

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But is that Alberta, really?

“The post-flood phenomenon of neighbours helping neighbours was indeed one of the most glorious episodes in our young city’s history.”

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/community-spirit-a-lasting-legacy-of-the-flood

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Fort McMurray has shown the world what true grit is, coming together as a community to respond to two major disasters in the last five years.

https://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/news/local-news/hundreds-of-people-put-in-thousands-of-volunteer-hours-for-post-flood-recovery

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Albertans can and do look out for each other when the going gets tough. Survival on the prairies depends on community, and it always has.

So, faced with a new threat, the province has to tap into this ethos.

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Sadly, the fall has been wasted in the pandemic response, so easy things like a provincial mask mandate and targeted restrictions won’t fix the problem now.

The tsunami of #COVID19AB is coming, but *strong* action now can still stave off its worst effects.
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