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Reopening is good news, but caution remains vital

Dear Editor, The Government of Alberta has begun the process of opening the economy and that’s great news.
Airdrie Letters

Dear Editor,

The Government of Alberta has begun the process of opening the economy and that’s great news. Many people and businesses have faced hardships in the past weeks and the news is a welcome relief to those who have had extreme financial difficulties.

In all the bad news we have recently experienced, the fact that citizens will be back working soon and we are now able to see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel is very good news.

Based on the probable early projections, Alberta was to see 550 people in the hospital and 100 in the ICU by early May with 800,000 infections and 400 to 3,100 deaths by mid-May. Many of the actual numbers are much lower than projected and that's very good news, too. We are currently at 6,000 infections, 300 hospitalizations and 100 in ICU. The total of people who are currently infected has dropped over the past few days. All this is very encouraging and we should be very pleased with ourselves for helping stem the tide of the pandemic.

We would also be very grateful to all the medical frontline staff that worked tirelessly, at risk of infection, to care for those who were suffering from COVID-19 and were the last faces seen by those who did not make it. A shout-out also goes to those who work in the essential businesses that helped us maintain the basic necessities of life.

The Alberta government is ready to open the economy not because they think the virus is going away soon, but because they feel the health-care system can handle the number of actual infections compared to the probable projections. Some experts say that COVID-19 will be around for the next 18 months to two years and won’t stop until 60 to 70 per cent of the population is infected or until a vaccine is developed.

Although we all want life to return to normal, the reopening of the economy is not a signal that we can go back to the way of life before the pandemic hit. We have done great work together to turn the early grim predictions into a manageable situation. We must continue to do the good, hard work we’ve already done to flatten the curve. We need to continue to be diligent and cautious to keep the infection spread to a minimum or we will see the early projections become a reality.

We must not undo all the sacrifices we have all made and the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives to serve and protect us by lowering our guard and risk unflattening the curve.

Leon Cygman

Reunion Green

 

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