A comment from Peter at https://ppazucha.wordpress.com/ dropped my jaw. He lives in Wisconsin, read an article by a local food critic attributing one third of all COVID outbreaks to restaurants. He thought of me, knowing hospitality pays my bills in Vancouver B.C. Peter kindly reached out with heart warming concern. I doubt he knew that 1/3 of outbreaks linked to restaurants would blow my mind.
No wonder the U.S./Canada border remains closed. In all of Canada 9,170 COVID deaths are attributed to 136,141 confirmed infections. British Columbia has 6,162 infections, 211 deaths. Across the border in Washington State 82,645 cases account for 2.080 deaths. ( All figures accurate today )
Offhand I can’t think of a single outbreak linked to Canadian restaurants. Almost all outbreaks in Canada were traced to senior care facilities or food processing plants. Certainly not food service, emphatically not restaurants. If a third of U.S. infections stem from restaurant visits, what does that say about America’s mindset?
In British Columbia bars and restaurants were closed from late March to end of May. Re-opening guidelines were strict – 50% capacity, 6 metres between tables, maximum 6 guests per table, mandatory masks for staff, mandatory contact tracing info collected from all patrons. To create higher capacity, restaurants are allowed to block off street parking, fence in additional outdoor seating. Meticulous regard for legislation, the only thing standing between economic survival and bankruptcy. Trust me, local businesses know what’s at stake. By no stretch of imagination are restaurants in Canada contributing to COVID infection.
All good until daily infection rates started to climb. (From single digits to 100 or so a day) Despite no correlation between restaurants and rising daily infections, restaurants, bars and banquet halls took it on the chin. This week nightclubs and banquet halls were ordered to close effective immediately. Liquor sales must cease at 10 pm, alcohol can only be served with food, all bars and restaurants have to close by 11 pm. In addition, music can’t be louder than “conversation level” – loud music forces people closer to talk, facilitates shouting which spreads respiratory droplets.
Silly as it sounds, absurd or ridiculous as it seems, Canadians will abide by the rules. In my mind that explains the staggering anomaly between U.S./Canada pandemic statistics.
notestoponder 
Hello Notes To Ponder. Here in the US we can not get people to wear masks and stop gathering. I just watched a clip of a bunch of college students at a house where some had Covid 19 and because it was more people than were to be in the house a bunch left. When question the young adult college student couldn’t figure out what they had done wrong. The US is screwed and we are going to get a lot more deaths. I was just reading a wonderful piece by Angela Grant on the attempt at herd immunity being pushed by the tRump administration. Be safe and well. Hugs
So happy that your experience in CA is as it is. This U.S. infatuation with not obeying the law is accelerating it’s slide into oblivion. Unfortunately our global bad manners affect many around the world. We are rightly a pariah.
For myself I love the US and Americans.
But as my Dad once said musingly “Remarkable people, the Yanks.” And so they are ,,,
The problem is that so much of your youth actually (genuinely) believes itself invulnerable; a dream.
Reality can well mean eternity, no?
Pariah is a strong word. In my mind the actions of anti-maskers and conspiracy theorists in America, don’t speak for all U.S. citizens. That said, a few bad apples have spoiled the crop. There’s no way Canada will relax border restrictions anytime soon. All summer long U.S. vacation seekers thought they could visit Canada by declaring they were driving to Alaska. It got so bad border services implemented mandatory display of a hanging from rear view mirror tag stamped with date and time that vehicle must reach Alaska. U.S. vehicles not on direct routes to Alaska, or those failing to display tag are fined $2,000 per person in the vehicle. Suffice to say Canada has levied a lot of fines! These Americans don’t get it. Truly bizarre!!!!
You’re right about the word being strong. But your comments about U.S. visitors only makes my point. Other nations rightfully want as little to do with the U.S. as possible — in large part because the Orange Idiot has shown that the U.S. cannot be trusted — not to honor it’s commitments, not to act in the best interest of the community of nations, not even to longterm friends.
You know, Hitler wasn’t the smartest tool in the bag — no more than dRump. You needn’t be super intelligent to become a worldwide danger. We here will be working for 2-3 decades to undo the damage he has done on multiple national fronts (human rights, health & safety, the ecology, etc.). While Germany has committed to closing all it’s coal fired power plants we are still embracing coal in all it’s manifestations — dRump and his enablers have no greater interest than personal profit. That is no exaggeration. There is zero interest in others. It may take a while for the rest of the world to SEE that and acknowledge it against the inclination not to judge too harshly but the message is getting through — clear and powerfully.
Revisiting: it would appear to a casual cynic that many (most?) of our own kiwi cases are linked to church attendances/religious gatherings. (Yes, God does indeed move in mysterious ways.)