Centre For Local Research into Public Space (CELOS)
Will the Largest Quarantine in History Just Make Things Worse? Jan. 27, 2020
''More often than not, health officials are several steps behind a spreading epidemic. And when they aren’t, the history books show, they tend to act too fast (costing a fortune) or unfairly (discriminating against some populations). Image''
In 2009, during the first days of an H1N1 influenza outbreak in Mexico, the Health Ministry immediately deployed a spate of 1918-style measures. Suspected cases were isolated. Schools were closed. Public gatherings were banned, including a regional soccer tournament. Although those moves did work to limit new cases of influenza, they were abandoned 18 days later, partly because of the huge social and economic costs. More important, even as the H1N1 influenza virus circulated widely — the outbreak was, indeed, a pandemic — it turned out to not be nearly as deadly as a garden-variety seasonal flu. (The common flu kills about 35,000 people a year in the United States alone.) The Mexican government concluded, appropriately, that the stringent measures it had adopted should be lifted given the disease’s relatively limited total toll — between 4,200 and 12,000 dead in the end — even if it might keep spreading.
Ukraine protesters attack buses carrying China evacuees : Feb 21, 2020
COVID-19 pandemic means it's time for Canada to get serious about aggressive social distancing: experts March 12, 2020: the day school shut downs was announced, the day after March 11, when WHO says: We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic
At nail and hair salons, more hand sanitizer and free cancellations — and fewer hugs Before essential businesses were shut down in the US
Community-based measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Canada First read in March, later edited in April, now archived for review, pdf from Aprill.
Whenever public health authorities impose restrictions on individual freedoms, the intervention should be proportional to the magnitude of the threat. This principle of 'least restrictive means' should always be a consideration when enacting social distancing measures. The CPIP Public Health Measures Annex outlines the ethical considerations with respect to the selection and use of PHMs in a pandemic.
Public health measures: Canadian Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Planning Guidance for the Health Sector Final: December 18, 2018
2.5 Ethical Considerations Ethical decision-making also involves openness and transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and reasonableness. These principles should guide all decision-making around the selection and implementation of public health measures in an influenza pandemic, including those situations in which information is limited.
Communications and Stakeholder Liaison Annex
Leading causes of death, total population, by age group STAT CAN
2019-2020 : 42,526 Seasonal Influenza, Avian Influenza and Pandemic Influenza IPAC case numbers
https://ipac-canada.org/coronavirus-resources.php | IPAC on Covid 19]]
“...if passed, would immediately provide job-protected leave to employees in isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19, or those who need to be away from work to care for children because of school or day care closures.”
https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/premier-ford-announces-job-protection-for-workers-during-the-covid-19-situation.html?fbclid=IwAR3ezjQHMQ7m8ZZY7sxbt7QI6uOMxgYUX0-e6hHBJoLxcUlT6S3HNBIPY5s | Premier Ford Announces Job Protection for Workers during the COVID-19 Situation]]
Update on COVID-19 Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of HealthMarch 13, 2020at 5p.m. The day before schools were shut down
COVID-19: Orders, Directives & Bylaws Last updated: April 24, 2020 at 12:45 p.m
Public Health Ontario: Synopsis of Key Articles – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) À https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/diseases-and-conditions/infectious-diseases/respiratory-diseases/novel-coronavirus/articles
❤️ This music video filmed live in a downtown neighbourhood: music by Domanique Grant with Jamii Esplanade. I read about it in Kristyn Wong-Tam very informative and friendly daily crisis newsletters, it included the latest from our Mayor, Apr 2nd: “Any two people who don’t reside together and fail to keep two metres apart will be subject to prosecution and potentially liable for a fine of up to $5000. This bylaw will be in place for at least the next 30 days. 200 bylaw officers will be deployed to ensure compliance There are 42 actively managed park hot spots and have been 1180 complaints regarding people gathering 15 sets of concrete blocks are being delivered to Toronto parks including Sunnyside City will tow cars that park in closed parking lots” One day we will describe to our kids how this was our world.
[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cojN0XJXqm0&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1KUTws4vXJ07n2XwKm8OthZaksfWY-j8U7ZdAG61jYya4Yb_V5SAqR5HE | Domanique Grant]]
Deaths: Leading Causes for 2017, table 1
Number of deaths for leading causes of death
Heart disease: 647,457 Cancer: 599,108 Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936 Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201 Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383 Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404 Diabetes: 83,564 Influenza and pneumonia: 55,672 Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,633 Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173
Source: Deaths: Leading Causes for 2017, table 1 pdf icon[PDF- 2 MB]
In 2017, a total of 2,813,503 resident deaths were registered
note: 2017 had higher flu deaths than other years: 35,000 deaths a year is the general estimate: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html
March 11, when WHO says: We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic
Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Column: Emergency orders created 'arbitrary patchwork' of rules, some of which don't serve public health Mau 7th 2020
So, what’s the difference between walking along the beach versus the park? Or parking in a church parking lot to hear a preacher over the car radio versus sitting in traffic at Commissioners and Wellington Roads listening to a podcast?
And, surely, I’m at a lot more risk in a grocery store aisle, even wearing a mask.
Initial panic led to a flood of snitch line complaints, leading to provincial and local government overreach and a hodge-podge of emergency orders and bylaws. You end up with “absurd situations,” Bryant said, like the woman ticketed in Aurora for standing still too long.
There’s good reason for confusion, says Michael Bryant, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and “because of the confusion, there is a presumption of guilt as soon as somebody goes outside.”
Instead of treating the pandemic as a public health issue, it’s become a public order issue. People are being punished for benign behaviour instead being educated about social distancing and staying home.
Take a moment to reflect on the fact that use of our abundance of public parks is now largely banned. If you are not living in a cramped apartment, possibly with young children, imagine those who are. To quote from our city’s State of Emergency declaration: “Walking through a park to reach your destination or for exercise is permitted provided you do not linger or gather with others, play or undertake any other activity.”
Meet the 17-Year-Old Behind a Website Tracking Coronavirus Cases That Is Now a Vital Global Resource March 13 2020: nCov19.live
[[https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(19)30153-7/fulltext | The open-air factor and infection control April 09, 2019]]
Patients were nursed next to open windows in cross-ventilated wards or put outside, in their beds, to breathe fresh outdoor air. This was believed to aid their recovery and reduce the risk of cross- and re-infection.
The Open-Air Treatment of PANDEMIC INFLUENZA
The H1N1 “Spanish flu” outbreak of 1918–1919 was the most devastating pandemic on record, killing between 50 million and 100 million people. Should the next influenza pandemic prove equally virulent, there could be more than 300 million deaths globally...However, more might be gained by introducing high levels of natural ventilation or, indeed, by encouraging the public to spend as much time outdoors as possible
Alexis Shotwell March 12
So, in my class today we decided that we should start calling it "physical distancing" instead of "social distancing," since we all need lots and lots of social solidarity and closeness but lots and lots of physical boundaries to protect the vulnerable.