Are you ready to lock down again?
The second wave of COVID-19 is well under way in Europe and Canada.
A few months ago, Europeans were feeling really smug about how they’d beaten back the novel coronavirus while the United States was suffering the world’s worst outbreak.
The United States still has more cases - both cumulative and daily - than any other nation on earth, but it also has over 300 million people. Per capita, Western Europe - especially France - is now experiencing far more cases every day, and several countries are starting to lock down again.
Mind you, if history is any guide, the US will probably be experiencing an even bigger outbreak per capita in the coming weeks, thanks in no small part to a President who seems determined to take as many of his own supporters down with him.
Canada has fared relatively well compared to the United States and Europe, but our own COVID-19 numbers are higher than ever. We recorded 2,700 new infections on October 29, and some provinces - most notably Alberta - are breaking their own records for new cases almost every day. In this part of the country, the “Atlantic Bubble” is holding up remarkably well, but all it takes is one infected person who doesn’t isolate properly to ruin it for everyone else. (Notably, the trickle of new cases in Newfoundland and Labrador have mostly come from people returning from work in Alberta.)
For some selfish people, on both sides of the Canada-US border, it’s the “happiest day of their lives” while are making things worse:
I didn’t mind “Bridezillas” so much when they were just screaming at the catering staff, instead of spreading a deadly pandemic.
The humiliation was the point in 2016:
…and it’s still the point in 2020:
Presented without comment:
Meanwhile, the Girl Scouts of America are learning that the only way to win at Twitter is not to play.
Oh, and Martha. Any woman who stands there and lets herself be handled, physically or verbally, when there are no extreme reasons to do so (such as having two little kids in the next room and needing to get them out safely, or being physically overpowered) needs to know she’s making a choice. If he puts his hands or words where they don’t belong, push back immediately and clearly. If it’s not respected, stand tall and tell him explicitly in front of everyone else. Set the standards and draw the line, and never let it be crossed. Bullies are also wimps. Real men are nurturing and caring.
People are shortsighted. They don’t realize that this disease is likely to sweep a much higher share of the population than it already has, and much faster. It’s now close to two days for each new million. It’s heading for exponential increases. We’re doing all right in the Maritimes just now, but that will sooner or later go out the window, and one person is enough. Someone who thinks that the laws of science don’t apply to them and that it “will be ok” (yeah right); or someone with whom it truly is an accident. But it is bound to happen.
Weddings and funerals...what is it with those? It only takes two committed people who love each other above all others and are willing to keep coming back to the table to sort out their differences to make a marriage. No need for a superspreader event here, which may or may not end in an equally dramatic breakup. As usual, the hard way is the good way. Nothing worthwhile comes easy, and it’s not about fun, but about hard work and caring enough about the other person to give up your own wants and find a way to be there for each other. I don’t get it when people dramatically marry, only to ditch their partner when reality sets in. Good relationships are hard, and worthwhile. It’s not about the party, but about still being together when you’re both in your eighties.
You would think a women’s organization would know enough not to step into the Barrett hornets’ nest. Ow.