Let's care for others
Caring and sharing. In the coming weeks and months of this COVID-19 pandemic, the health of our Bow Valley community will largely depend on how well we care for one another and share the burdens.
This pandemic threatens many of us, each in our own way. It will also unite us, as wars do. How we respond will mark a generation. How health care workers shoulder the burden of risk – and we support them by washing hands and social distancing – will tell the story of our community.
Ours is a community where we care for others. We care for guests. We care for bears and elk and the migrating geese. We do this because deep down we know that we are all interdependent. This is a truth long known in this valley by the early peoples who keep sharing this wisdom. Called wahkohtowin in Cree, as Elder Roy Louis relates, this understanding is expressed in our hospitality businesses when we care for staff like we care for guests, who in turn provide for us. Many staff in our community and many managers are troubled. We know that there is a hard journey ahead.
Given our love for these mountain valleys, I think of the way we navigate this pandemic over the coming months like paddling a voyageur canoe on a long river. Steering from the back is Alberta Health Services (AHS.ca). They know the map of an epidemic's trajectory. At the bow, watching for obstacles and setting the stroke is the Director of Emergency Management of the Town of Banff. The rest of us, employees and employers, elected Town Councillors and residents, children and grandparents sit in the middle, each with our own paddles, pulling together.
We know there are rapids ahead, we just don’t know quite where and how big is the drop. Some of us predict the timing (I geek out and use mathematical models to understand how fast this is changing). Others track daily developments (like good accountants). With any canoe trip, there are times to paddle to shore and discuss how we're coping. This blog can help us touch base, affirm our direction and give support to one another.
I’ll start with acknowledging the great work of Alberta Health Services (AHS.ca). They have quickly become our community’s navigator, relying on science of testing for viruses and epidemiology (the control of disease) to shape policies for the province as a whole. I spoke recently with one of the top virologists in the province and I am so impressed with how they ramped up testing since the end of February.
Despite their good work, Alberta Health acknowledges that the 811 Alberta Health link call line is swamped. They are increasing capacity daily. (If you are feeling ill, please use the AHS.ca website for online screening. Please call 811 for testing. Please call 811 for advice on quarantining if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. If you need urgent medical attention, please call 911.)
And hats off to the good people at the Town of Banff. The Town declared a State of Local Emergency on Tuesday March 17th. This allowed the Town to act one step ahead of the Province, handling local matters such as ways to reduce the rate at which the virus spreads by separating people and reducing interaction. The Government of Alberta has also declared a State of Emergency to which the Town will defer. The Town helps AHS implement provincial policies. The Town needs to maintain essential services such as water, sewer, garbage, fire and policing.
With schools and daycare closed, and recreation centres shut, it is tough for so many families with children. It's tough for so many people who live off of tips and worry they cannot pay rent at the end of the month. At the same time, we are so fortunate that we can head outside and enjoy these early days of spring. (Yes, it's time to dig out the bear spray!)
Our community is like so many. We want to learn from successes (for example, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea) and avoid health disasters (like northern Italy). Yet, hosting as many international visitors as we do, we know that our needs are amplified. So, too, is our capacity to care for others.
In the comment box, below, I invite you to share stories of caring. Ways you have volunteered. Ways for others to volunteer. Let's look out for neighbours who are shut in. Let's help family members, friends and acquaintances to stay away from work if they are feeling ill. Let's be patient with one another. Let's be grateful for the nurses, doctors, paramedics, cooks, administrators, cleaners, mental health counsellors, complementary health workers, and volunteers who make our medical system work.
For those who share an interest in a deep dive into the science or the good examples of public response from other countries, I invite you to follow my twitter feed and see what I've shared in the past several weeks. I won't use this blog as a portal or newsfeed of good articles, but I do use Twitter for thought-casting. I'm happy to speak by phone or visit for tea. For those of you who want to call me, I'd be pleased to hear from you.