Rhino's Ramblings - COVID - 19 Hits Moose Jaw

By Robert Thomas Opinion/Commentary

In many ways it seems surreal but the spectre of COVID - 19 has hit Moose Jaw and with it the City has seemingly closed its doors.

The sidewalks are no longer rolled up figuratively and Main Street is for all intensive purposes for anyone physically headed down there shuttered to pedestrian access.

COVID - 19 has hit and many of us are spending our time indoors in an effort to lower the curve and thereby spread out the numbers of those contracting COVID- 19 over a longer period. If we get lucky this viral pestilence just may die out.

There are some, there always will be, who still COVID - 19 as nothing more than a bad cold or flu and sure it may very well kill people but the number is negligible. That is unless you happen to be amongst the dead or the people who love them.

We are being told to stay at home and practice something called social distancing and stay at least two meters away from other people to stop the spread of COVID - 19. The thing is for so many people it seems they cannot define exactly what two meters is.

My personal thoughts are this entire time is going to be really tough on lots of people.

I am not just speaking about financially but emotionally and psychologically as well. So many things we have taken for granted in the past are now seemingly gone.

Many people have been laid off or their businesses have closed temporarily, some sadly will never re-open their doors and hard work and life savings will be lost. Victims to something we cannot see, something called COVID - 19.

But as I try to tell people look at the big picture and really where we are standing.

Nobody is going to get thrown out of their homes, we all have our utilities on for now and money coming in.

Does it take away the anxiety or despair many of us are feeling? No, of course not, but at the same time when you look at other places we are not so bad off.

In many parts of the world this is not true - I have seen it with my own eyes.

People living precariously even before this all began - most of them have to venture outside to survive while we have the luxury of being able to stay inside and most of us will survive.

If I ever posted what they tell me it's quite frankly humbling. They would literally almost die to have what we have access to here. The reality others are facing in other places makes our “small sacrifices” seem nothing in comparison.

People I have personally known, met and called friends for many years are looking at a bleak future - if they have one at all. If they make it at all. Now let that one settle in.

Food prices in other parts of the world are spiking upwards with little control.

Something like ginger I easily bought last week for $3 a kilogram here has now skyrocketed to a price of $30 - $157 per kilogram for friends I have living abroad. Before COVID - 19 ginger was the same price there.

Other foods abroad are going up daily and many people have no jobs and there is little if any government support.

Here in Moose Jaw we are simply being asked to stay at home.

It sounds so easy but humans are social creatures and we seek out others for companionship.

Being at home and having our freedoms and lives restricted is something a few are seeing as unnecessary and outright silly.

For others loneliness and being cooped up in their homes is something which they cannot endure.

The low number of cases has had more than a few venturing out to a few retail locations on what they are viewing as a social occasion.

But just because the government is not telling us officially COVID - 19 is here does not mean it isn’t. Just because our hospitals are not being flooded with the sick in no way means the all clear siren should be blown.

As I was told by a virologist the problem with COVID - 19, as with any virus, is the greatest risk is if it mutates. As it spreads across the population it changes into multiple strains and the hope of a vaccine to stop it in its tracks is gone if it mutates too much. It keeps coming back again and again straining healthcare and our resources forever.

It’s not just about flattening the curve now but for generations to come.

It is so hard to make people understand. As shopping has itself mutated for far too many into a social outing.

It has gotten so bad that one major retailer has taken the step of making their shopping aisles one way. Something former legendary Moose Jaw Mayor Scoop Lewry proposed to fight pedestrian congestion on our Main Street sidewalks.

People ask me what can they do to support their community? How can they help?

The easiest way is to stay at home and if you can do it safely check on your neighbours.

I cannot tell people how to spend their money but what I can say is later this week many people will be receiving hundreds of dollars from the federal government.

For many the funds are necessary and will be used to pay or catch up on bills which haven’t been paid. Many will try to stock up on food just in case measures get tighter. While for others I speak to the money is set to be banked for a rainy day.

For many people in Moose Jaw the rainy day has arrived.

If you can at all afford it and you want to help out locally then just think about our local economy when the federal government money comes in. Please think about our local small businesses and perhaps buying something from them.

Most small businesses are still operating and you can still purchase most things you could before even if you cannot physically enter the store or restaurant.

We still have our one bookstore where you can still buy books - both new and used - you just cannot enter the store.

The same applies to things such as clothing, computers, televisions and photo finishing. The shops are open but you cannot physically go inside the shop but they have pickup and often free delivery options.

The Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce even has a local business directory on their web-site to get you started.

I remember my childhood and how things like going to River Park for Kentucky Fried Chicken was like a luxury we looked forward to a couple of times each Summer. Life was much more simpler it seems back then.

Going for fried chicken was such a treat and in those days as a child not a convenience we took for granted but something we all looked forward to.

Perhaps if you can spare it think about ordering out for a meal. Treat yourself during these unprecedented times because you have earned it.

It may seem like a great mountain to overcome and a lot of disappointments but I look at COVID - 19 as an opportunity to do things I kept putting off around the house.

Plus I have Katie the Wondercat to keep me busy.

Take time to read a book, pray if you like, play with your pets, perhaps putter in the garage but just remember in a few months you had the opportunity to do things in an otherwise hectic lifestyle you may never have again.