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Household celebrations urged to help end COVID nightmare

Carolyn Bennett logoBOOOOOOOOOO…!

It’s Halloween and somehow it feels right to compare 2020 to a horror show, a scary movie or a nightmare that we hope will end soon.

Fear is a powerful emotion.

I remember hearing the impressive interview of a mother who wanted Halloween to be fright-free. No scary skeletons popping out of coffins. At our house, we felt that even gravestones were too upsetting for those who may have lost a loved one to COVID-19, overdose, suicide or other cause this year.

There will be no trick-or-treating, but there can be tricks: maybe homegrown magicians can wow the household with their newly honed skills.  We won’t be able to open our doors to ooh and ahh at the fabulous costumes, but maybe we can post them online with the tag #HalloweenTOStPauls and compliment our princesses, pirates and astronauts online.

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I hope this year we will see way more heroes without capes: nurses, doctors, grocery workers, truck drivers and teachers.

Bennett on Halloween before 2020 nightmare
HALLOWEEN PAST: MP Carolyn Bennett during a less scary period — at 2018’s Boo! at the Barns.

As you plan your family Halloween celebration, think about shopping locally for handmade treats: maybe order special cupcakes or desserts, design your own Hallowe’en pizza or get takeout from a local restaurant.

The good news is that we get an extra hour of sleep Saturday night. Sleep is our friend. I hope as we enjoy the extra hour of sleep, we will redouble our efforts to do everything we can to stay well.

 

Contact tracing overwhelmed

The second wave is here. Dr. Eileen de Villa and all the public health and healthcare workers are counting on us to behave. I was disappointed to hear that contact tracing is being overwhelmed.

In the past, if an individual tested positive there would four or five contacts to trace. Now often the person reports having been in contact with 40 or 50 persons who need to be contacted and tested.

We have to do our part.  Stay home when you can, but especially and absolutely if you think you might be even a little sick. Physically distance. Wear a mask. Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds.

Downloading the CovidAlert app is really important and has been vetted by privacy experts. Get it now. It will let you know if you have been exposed to anyone who tests positive.

This year more than ever, it is also so important that Canadians go and get their flu shot. Make an appointment to get yours ASAP.

Fear is indeed a powerful emotion. COVID-19 is teaching us all how to deal with our fears effectively and constructively. Prevention is the key. We did it before, we can do it again. Let’s flatten the curve so we can make sure the second wave is just that.

Then with the help of vaccines, this nightmare ends.