Guest column from Michael Thomas .I’m an Albertan in Arizona, watching, incredulously, what is happening in my home province and across Canada. .Detention hotels. Two-week quarantines. Three tests within two-weeks. Curfews (because you can only get COVID-19 after 9:00 pm?). The ‘goalposts’ are in constant motion, floating with the political whims of the premier every week..Canada’s leaders keep watching what the other guy is doing to ‘manage’ COVID-19, then follow suit. .To top it all off, Canada’s vaccine program is a disaster. .The situation is such the Center for Disease Control in the United States has advised Americans to not travel to Canada..Canada is dealing with more than a virus. It is dealing with COVID confusion..There’s no confusion in Arizona. On March 25, Governor Doug Ducey lifted all government-imposed restrictions, leaving it to private companies the decision whether or not to ask customers to wear masks or maintain social-distancing..Since the official restrictions were lifted, the number of new COVID-19 cases has plummeted..Some history and comparisons..I arrived in Arizona on January 4, when 5,158 new COVID-19 cases were reported. Alberta reported 1,021 new cases that day. As I write this on April 29, new cases in Alberta were 2,048. In Arizona, new cases for the day reached 603..Alberta’s population is roughly 4.4 million, compared to AZ’s 7.5 million, yet the recorded new cases in Alberta were more than three times those in AZ. And to answer your obvious question: Arizona did about 8,000 more tests than were done in Alberta..In a statement, Governor Ducey said, “In Arizona, we are continuing to take reasonable, safe and sensible steps. The measures put in place last summer allowed Arizona to fight back COVID-19. Today, we are in a different spot, and we are also a lot smarter. I’m confident Arizona’s businesses and citizens will practice the fundamentals and act responsibly as we gradually get back to normal.”.Everything in Arizona is open. Everything..I am staying in a residential complex (not a resort) where I have spent time every year since 2007, in the City of Chandler, part of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area. Living in the 84 condos in the complex is a small group of snowbirds who own condos here, some from Canada, some from northern US border states. The majority of residents, spanning all age groups, live in the community year-round, some working, some retired..I am friends with all of the Canadians and many Americans. When I tell the latter about restrictions in Canada, they shake their heads, telling me that they would not put up with them..Since my arrival, 10 residents have contracted COVID-19, including two people over the age of 90. They all quarantined and all recovered, with few complications..Let’s address the elephant in the room: The number of people entering Canada that have tested positive for COVID-19..The Public Health Agency of Canada tracks travelers who have tested positive. Between February 22 and April 18, it says 0.25% of land travelers and 1.76% of air travelers tested positive. The agency says 95% of them quarantined as required..Arizona didn’t mandate statewide mask use. Instead, it conducted an educational campaign focusing on personal responsibility. The result was more widespread mask usage than states with mandates. Mask usage is still encouraged, especially in groups that are not vaccinated. .“As we’ve said all along, distribution of the vaccine is our best path to getting back to normal, and I want to thank the millions of Arizonans who have rolled up their sleeves to make the distribution and uptake so successful,” said Ducey. .All Arizonans above the age of 16 are eligible to receive the vaccine. So are Canadians. Our group got appointments as soon as they applied. All are fully vaccinated (two shots within three weeks – no charge)..As of April 28, 5,020,000 doses of vaccine had been administered state -wide in Arizona, with 2,080,000 people fully vaccinated..Canada is not in a position to administer vaccines in these numbers, so the alternative is severe lockdowns..Do they work? It’s more like they work at cross purposes. When people are set free, they’re likely to party hardier. If the Calgary Stampede was a three-month event, do you think 100,000+ people would show up each day? Unlikely. The crowds would be smaller, because they have more time to ‘party.’.Arizona got it right with its personal responsibility approach: Adults who are treated as adults by adults will act like adults..If Canada’s leaders want to follow someone, how about Governor Doug Ducey?.Guest column from Michael Thomas
Guest column from Michael Thomas .I’m an Albertan in Arizona, watching, incredulously, what is happening in my home province and across Canada. .Detention hotels. Two-week quarantines. Three tests within two-weeks. Curfews (because you can only get COVID-19 after 9:00 pm?). The ‘goalposts’ are in constant motion, floating with the political whims of the premier every week..Canada’s leaders keep watching what the other guy is doing to ‘manage’ COVID-19, then follow suit. .To top it all off, Canada’s vaccine program is a disaster. .The situation is such the Center for Disease Control in the United States has advised Americans to not travel to Canada..Canada is dealing with more than a virus. It is dealing with COVID confusion..There’s no confusion in Arizona. On March 25, Governor Doug Ducey lifted all government-imposed restrictions, leaving it to private companies the decision whether or not to ask customers to wear masks or maintain social-distancing..Since the official restrictions were lifted, the number of new COVID-19 cases has plummeted..Some history and comparisons..I arrived in Arizona on January 4, when 5,158 new COVID-19 cases were reported. Alberta reported 1,021 new cases that day. As I write this on April 29, new cases in Alberta were 2,048. In Arizona, new cases for the day reached 603..Alberta’s population is roughly 4.4 million, compared to AZ’s 7.5 million, yet the recorded new cases in Alberta were more than three times those in AZ. And to answer your obvious question: Arizona did about 8,000 more tests than were done in Alberta..In a statement, Governor Ducey said, “In Arizona, we are continuing to take reasonable, safe and sensible steps. The measures put in place last summer allowed Arizona to fight back COVID-19. Today, we are in a different spot, and we are also a lot smarter. I’m confident Arizona’s businesses and citizens will practice the fundamentals and act responsibly as we gradually get back to normal.”.Everything in Arizona is open. Everything..I am staying in a residential complex (not a resort) where I have spent time every year since 2007, in the City of Chandler, part of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area. Living in the 84 condos in the complex is a small group of snowbirds who own condos here, some from Canada, some from northern US border states. The majority of residents, spanning all age groups, live in the community year-round, some working, some retired..I am friends with all of the Canadians and many Americans. When I tell the latter about restrictions in Canada, they shake their heads, telling me that they would not put up with them..Since my arrival, 10 residents have contracted COVID-19, including two people over the age of 90. They all quarantined and all recovered, with few complications..Let’s address the elephant in the room: The number of people entering Canada that have tested positive for COVID-19..The Public Health Agency of Canada tracks travelers who have tested positive. Between February 22 and April 18, it says 0.25% of land travelers and 1.76% of air travelers tested positive. The agency says 95% of them quarantined as required..Arizona didn’t mandate statewide mask use. Instead, it conducted an educational campaign focusing on personal responsibility. The result was more widespread mask usage than states with mandates. Mask usage is still encouraged, especially in groups that are not vaccinated. .“As we’ve said all along, distribution of the vaccine is our best path to getting back to normal, and I want to thank the millions of Arizonans who have rolled up their sleeves to make the distribution and uptake so successful,” said Ducey. .All Arizonans above the age of 16 are eligible to receive the vaccine. So are Canadians. Our group got appointments as soon as they applied. All are fully vaccinated (two shots within three weeks – no charge)..As of April 28, 5,020,000 doses of vaccine had been administered state -wide in Arizona, with 2,080,000 people fully vaccinated..Canada is not in a position to administer vaccines in these numbers, so the alternative is severe lockdowns..Do they work? It’s more like they work at cross purposes. When people are set free, they’re likely to party hardier. If the Calgary Stampede was a three-month event, do you think 100,000+ people would show up each day? Unlikely. The crowds would be smaller, because they have more time to ‘party.’.Arizona got it right with its personal responsibility approach: Adults who are treated as adults by adults will act like adults..If Canada’s leaders want to follow someone, how about Governor Doug Ducey?.Guest column from Michael Thomas
