Do not give into the fear!

Do not give in to the fear. There is so much to be hopeful for. Get into a self-isolation routine. Exercise everyday. Practise mindfulness or prayer. Refuse, absolutely refuse to be afraid. This is such hard work. Instead of worrying, think about this:

Canada's COVID 19 caseload is much less than we expected. So far. More than 90 % have not required hospitalization and the death rate is only 1%. This pandemic hits some countries harder than others. The reason for Canada's hopeful numbers? We were given time. We were not the first country to be hit and our governments responded and continue to respond to the science.

There are experts called medical epidemiologists out there. Yes, they were probably nerds in high school but they are watching the numbers carefully. Canada's numbers are not climbing as quickly as did the outbreak in China. That is great news. We were given time and our leaders seized that time by pushing for social distancing, by closing schools, by recommending against travel during the March break and by telling us to stay home. By limiting the early spread of the disease, which I believe we have done, we had time to prepare our health care workers and hospitals. I believe we have flattened the curve.

Quebec has the highest numbers and there is a reason for that. This virus loves to travel and thousands of Quebecers travelled during a March break that was one week earlier than the break in Ontario. The travel bans were not put into effect until after their break. It is all about timing.

We love you Quebec and we are with you in this!!

This virus loves it when we congregate. We are the host it searches for, the host it needs to survive. The answer is that two pronged strategic plan: social distancing and testing on a massive scale. You will see our numbers increase over the next several weeks. There are now 70 testing centres in Ontario. By next week, we will be testing 20,000 people a day and those who test positive will be cared for and quarantined. Man, I am so proud of this country's leaders. This is brilliant!

I listened to this today and it filled me with hope. It was written by a teacher in China:

"Just finishing 7 weeks of lock down, we are happy, we are healthy, we are humble as we watch the rest of the world begin their time inside. My reflections on the last 7 weeks:
You have no control over the situation, let go of any thoughts of trying to plan too much for the next month or two. Things change fast, make the best of the situation whatever that might be for you. Accept that this is what it is and things will get easier. Try not to listen to, read or watch too much media. It will drive you crazy. There is such a thing as too much. The sense of community I have felt during this time is incredible. I could choose who I wanted to spend my energy with, who I wanted to call ,message and connect with and found the quality of my relationships improved. Appreciate this enforced down time. When do you ever have time like this? I will miss it when we go back to the fast paced speed of the real world. To those beginning this journey, you will get through it. Listen to what you are told, follow the rules and look out for each other. There is light at the end of the tunnel"

Wise, Wise words my friend!!
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