Lyonel Doherty
Times-Chronicle
That’s right, COVID-19 is fake and we don’t need all of these health precautions.
These are the ludicrous sentiments expounded by numerous, ill-informed (or extremely naïve) people out there.
I watched two disturbing videos last week, one where a transit rider spit in the face of another passenger during an argument about COVID-19. The passenger with a mask on immediately threw her off the bus (the video shows her tumbling to the pavement).
To spit on someone during a global pandemic is unconscionable, but so is pushing a person off a bus. Some people are really losing it.
Another video shows two men (one wearing a mask and the other not) trading F-bombs on Skytrain.
The younger fellow without the mask said he would pay someone $100 to beat the hell out of the other guy he was arguing with. He then said he would beat him up himself if he wasn’t on his way to work.
It was almost like watching slapstick except for the threats of extreme violence. The mask-less crusader then shouts that the pandemic is fake, urging people to wake up. “You see the funeral homes? You see the dead bodies? It’s so f—cking fake!”
While case numbers may not be exact, they are proven, with cause of death signed by doctors. Not sure what is fake about that.
In B.C. and other provinces, COVID-19 case files are skyrocketing on a daily basis. That’s because, surprisingly, people are still hosting gatherings, such as weddings, funerals and birthday parties. Have people gone insane?
But the scary fact is the virus is now showing up in smaller groups, even family get-togethers. Sadly, an elderly woman reportedly died from COVID-19 in the Fraser Valley recently when a family hosted a birthday party with fewer than 10 people. Somebody in the group unknowingly transmitted the virus to loved ones that day.
Some people need to look in the mirror and ask themselves do they really need to host a gathering during this pandemic? Do they really need to expand their social bubble?
The Oliver and Osoyoos legions are doing the right thing by cancelling their traditional ceremonies at the cenotaphs. This was a heart-breaking decision considering the importance of honouring fallen veterans on November 11.
This pandemic is all about making sacrifices. We are all sick of it but we need to remain strong and do our part to beat this virus.
