With the province’s announcement about the relaunch process, I can see why it's caused both excitement and nervousness.
It’s been almost two months since schools and businesses closed their doors to stop the spread of the coronavirus. We’re seeing that the decisions made early-on are having the desired results needed to start moving towards the way life was before the pandemic hit. The process of opening things back up has already been started, and we're taking steps to get back to normal.
But, we're not there just yet.
Large events this summer have already been cancelled as the restrictions on group gatherings will remain in place, the provincial government stated. While it sucks that we won’t go to concerts, festivals, Canada Day celebrations, tournaments, and the like, it's because of that decision that there’s a high chance we'll be able to next year.
Even if we can go to restaurants, retail stores, and camping, that doesn’t mean that the risk of catching COVID-19 is completely gone. We still have active cases throughout the province, and the reality of a second wave hitting us is still present.
In Alberta, we’ve been very lucky with our numbers. Even locally, as of May 8, the Bonnyville-area has only had seven recorded cases and they’ve all recovered. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we're out of the woods quite yet. As restrictions are lifted and people start to move around the province, they could unknowingly be carrying the virus and spreading it.
That's why now it's more important than ever to follow the regulations and recommendations made, to continue to be vigilant to stay healthy. Since the province is starting to open back up, it's easy to fall back and relax your actions. I was one of those people who did that and had to remind myself of how crucial these coming weeks are.
While I don’t think we're ready to "go back to normal," I appreciate that the province hasn’t put dates on when the phases will officially launch. It's keeping our safety in mind and doesn’t build up our hopes when there's still so many unknowns.
While we wait for the next phases to happen, remember that there’s no rush to get there. Keeping everyone healthy should be our top priority.
