COVID Cases are up as we get closer to the Holiday Season
The Holiday season is finally upon us but, during a global pandemic, some things are expected to be different. COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick have been growing since the beginning of October and with that, people are beginning to worry about what might happen come Christmas season. There are currently 430 active COVID-19 cases, a number that has only grown since the end of June. On October 10th, New Brunswick reported its largest one-day COVID-19 increase with twenty new cases. It also does not help that the United States and bordering provinces like Nova Scotia have growing cases as well. Maine (the only US state that borders New Brunswick) for example has been having its highest number of cases since the pandemic began. Maine also, on November 17th alone, had a total of 246 new cases and 9,519 cases in total, while the entire US sits a total of 11.5 million cases, and the number of cases and deaths are rising each day. With COVID-19 on the rise in many places in and outside of New Brunswick and Canada, many believe that traveling for the holidays will cause another spike in cases.
Some places like Nova Scotia have already told its residents to stay home for the holidays and if you do travel, stay within the Atlantic bubble. Although they highly recommend not traveling unless necessary to avoid further spread. Despite this, it is safe to assume that some people will disregard these recommendations and travel anyway, and this brings worries to many people but especially those at higher risk. Andrea, a resident of Fredericton New Brunswick, stated in an interview, “I’ve got diabetes so I’m a little higher risk… so we’re trying to be careful,” and Andrea believes that even though people say they will do their quarantine most likely will not. Andrea states “We don’t go to the stores, we don’t go to the gym, because we don’t trust that there aren’t people in there doing what they’re supposed to.” Andrea also talks about how others think the pandemic isn’t such a big deal, she said, “I just think too many people don’t take it seriously… Like ‘oh it’s just the flu’ or ‘it’s just a cold’ tell that to the people who are watching people die because they cannot get a respirator or a ventilator. It’s not the same, it’s worse.” If you do decide to travel Tullia Marcolongo, executive director of the Toronto-based International Association for Medical Assistance urges travelers to research their destinations entry requirements and what is happening with COVID-19. She says how travelers should also research what will be open to them as tourists, and if traveling would be worth it to have to then return to Canada and go into isolation for 14 days. She insists you ask yourself questions like, “Is where you’re going overwhelmed with COVID-19? What are the quarantine requirements? Will you be stuck in a hotel room? Is a trip worth all of that?”.
Although some people still decide to travel, others have begun to cancel their plans, but not getting to travel does not mean you have to cancel you’re celebrating all together, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate your holiday traditions. You can still get your gifts without going into the store, you can order your gifts online and have it shipped to your home instead, or you could even ship your gifts to someone else’s house, and all open your gifts together over a video call. As Andrea said in the interview, “I don’t like crowds, I try to go when it’s not busy, and I’m doing more online than I ever did.” So, if you do not have to travel it’s recommended you stay home for the safety of yourself and others. And if you do travel, keep in mind the virus, border restrictions, quarantine restrictions, etc., and have a safe holiday season.
