Usually, when I sit down to plan a column I’m going to write, I look for one topic or one central theme to write about. But, in this ever-changing pandemic world we currently live in, I’ve found I have several concerns, all of equal importance. My apologies to Frank Costanza (Seinfeld show character), but I couldn’t wait until Festivus to air these grievances. One situation that truly worried me this week was what happened at a restaurant in Etobicoke last week. For those who don’t know, last week the owner of Adamson Barbecue decided to reopen indoor dining at his restaurant, defying the provincial government’s lock-down rules. The restaurant was then ordered to be closed by Toronto’s medical officer of health. However, the next day, the owner defied that ruling and opened the restaurant for a second day. Police changed the locks on the restaurant the next day to try to end this situation, but the owner and his supporters allegedly smashed through drywall to get access to the restaurant, leading to his arrest. Now, normally when reading one of these cases I would simply attribute it to one bad apple in a neighbourhood. But what worries me more than the crime itself is the number of supporters this guy had for defying the law. He had a large group of protesters on his side, and a lot of customers felt it was okay to eat inside a restaurant despite authorities saying it is clearly not a good idea. My message to people everywhere is: we will not get through the rest of this pandemic quickly if we don’t follow medical guidelines. Now, from one pandemic concern to another, long term senior care buildings have once again been listed as hot-spots for COVID-19. It’s troubling to me to see, despite improvements having been made during the first wave, long-term care providers and governments are still struggling to control outbreaks at these facilities. I feel for all families who have lost a loved one in long-term care to this virus, or who have had a loved one in long-term care become infected with this virus. It’s clear more needs to be done to protect the most vulnerable. Now, switching gears to holiday gift shopping for my final concern. If you are buying pets during the holiday season, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Most dogs and cats live anywhere from 12 to 20 years, and if you are adopting a pet you should be committed to that full life span. It is not fair to the animal to have it get excited about getting a new home, only to be returned to the shelter later because its owners changed their minds. Pets can be great companions, and have feelings somewhat like the rest of us, so please inform yourself of ‘your responsibility’ to care for them before making the decision to adopt a pet over the holidays. In this ever changing pandemic landscape, let’s do our best to make this a better and safer world for all.
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