Masks, Masks and more Masks

I love this mask. The rainbow mask holds such meaning for me. I will wear it with pride in July.

It was national physician's day today. I would like to once again honour my colleagues in Guelph and around the world who have gathered together to lead so many COVID 19 efforts. To those who showed my how to find the courage to fight HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, Africa and to those whom I have followed as they have set the course for the fight against the COVID pandemic here in my community. It is such an honour to be counted among you.

It is a new month and the dawn of our warm, green, sunny season. We so need that. It will make all the difference in the world. It is also our third month of lock down. We are getting tired and although we have adapted so well, this is a tough slog. I can see and hear the discouragement, I am listening to the stories of loss and fear. So many of you have lost so much and the future is still so uncertain.

Be strong and courageous. Stand firm. And when you fall and everything is lost and you seem to be totally defeated, stand again. It is not lost. You are not defeated. You can stand again.

More good news and more advice:

I heard back form our honourable MPP, Mike Schreiner. There is a provincial order about gatherings. It states:

Prohibition
1. (1) Subject to subsection (3), no person shall attend,

(a) an organized public event of more than five people, including a parade;

(b) a social gathering of more than five people; or

(c) a gathering of more than five people for the purposes of conducting religious services, rites or ceremonies.

At all levels, the interpretation of this order is vague and varied. The chief medical officer of the province, Dr. Williams suggests we reach out to our local medical officer of health for clarification or ask the city to issue a clear guideline like Ottawa has done. In the end, it is the decision of Guelph By-Law and according to them it is OK to gather in groups of 5 or less as long as the physical distance rules are maintained.

I will pursue this a little more but it sounds like the Premier is about to loosen some of the restrictions in parks and the gathering issue may become clearer at that time.

How's that for a political answer. If you do gather in groups of 5 or less on private property, please wear a mask. And here is why. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, which I follow closely to stay up to date with respect to my HIV patients, published a research letter in the New England Journal of Medicine this week which showed visual evidence that "speech- generated droplets" can become suspended in the air and inhaled by other people.

That dear friend who is sitting 6 feet away from you on your patio could be spreading virus just by speaking. If you inadvertently reach over to refresh his beer, you could be exposed. This may be how the virus is still spreading. Wear a mask.

A growing chorus of experts is calling for the widespread use of masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 and suggesting it may be a key factor in why some countries seemingly have their outbreaks under control while others are completely overwhelmed.

The guidelines for the proper use of a cloth mask come from the Health Canada website: https://bit.ly/2ScrZOT

And did you hear that Guelph is bucking the provincial average and no one at St. Joe's Health, a longterm care and rehabilitation facility of over 900 people, tested positive for COVID 19. Well done St. Joe's!

Of the 3 million people who are infected with COVID 19 world wide, 1 million have recovered. Of the 55,000 infected in Canada, 22,000 have recovered.

Good news is getting harder and harder to hide in the dark chaos of the media. And now we begin the slow and careful process of re- opening our economies. Be patient, stay the course. Be courageous. This next part will not be easy.

Anne-Marie

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