Now that the coronavirus has landed in Toronto I am staying in as much as possible. This is why.
Does anyone remember SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome? The first case recorded in Toronto was on February 23, 2003 but it started in southern China in November 2002. Between November 2002 and July 2003, SARS reportedly killed 774 people in 37 countries, 44 of which were in Canada. And there still isn’t a cure. Apparently, the coronavirus isn’t as bad as SARS but no one really knows for sure. Although there have been 50 known deaths so far, all of which are in China. I expect more, like way more.
People are people. They are going to do whatever they want to do and trust me they do. The first great example of this is when, during SARS, I was working as a temporary employee at the General Motors plant in Oshawa. Yes, the one that almost closed down last year. I don’t know what the population of GM Oshawa is now. It has to be under 500 people, but then again, no one knew what the population of GM Oshawa was in 2003. It was estimated to be between 8-12,000 people. Someone told me that since so many people were off on disability/Worker’s Compensation and stress leave it was hard to keep track of the exact number. Since GM would lose tens of thousands of dollars every minute a line was down, they needed all the healthy employees they could get. And that was why everyone, like me, who was not a fulltime employee for one of the many companies that worked in the GM plant had to show their ID, fill-out a questionnaire and sign in at the main gate every day.
I understand showing the ID, and the questionnaire asking things like have you been to a hospital, have you been around anyone with SARS, do you know anyone with SARS, do you have flu-like symptoms? It was when the guards at the gates would stare you down and ask you additional questions. I think I came down with flu-like symptoms just standing outside answering all of their questions, most of which I already answered in the questionnaire. It was hard to not get pissed off. But I eventually did and it wasn’t at the gate either.
Part of my job was to report to an office. For whatever reason I had to speak to a supervisor who I would occasionally see yet never really had to interact with. As we were talking, I found out that not only did she work at a company on the General Motors grounds fulltime Monday to Friday, she also worked at the local hospital as a nurse on the weekends. When I asked her if anyone else knew she said yes and told me not to say anything, so I didn’t.
I don’t know if that was right or wrong and it is a bit late now, but it just goes to show you that not only are there people who will blatantly break the rules there are also people at all levels who won’t do anything about it when they know. Even if there are thousands of jobs, livelihoods and lives are at risk. Which brings me to my next example.
At some point there was a news report of a man who knew he had either SARS or SARS-like symptoms and still went to work everyday until he couldn’t. He worked in an office. Ventilation systems in office buildings are horrible for circulating clean air. Germs spread faster than gossip. How many people were infected from him alone was unclear because symptoms, unlike say a gun-shot wound weren’t easily detected.
Do I think there will be a tonne of people going to work with flu-like or coronavirus-like symptoms? Yes! Do I think that there will be people going to work or out and about while sick with the coronavirus? Yes again! And I understand that people need money. After all I was a struggling single mother who worked two jobs sometimes in the same day without any one to help me with groceries, cooking, cleaning and I didn’t have a car. I understand hardship and I have gone to work sick but not with something like SARS or the coronavirus.
If you are sick or feel sick please either stay at home or get medical attention. In the meantime, I will be staying in as much as possible. Most of China is.
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Here is my latest post from A. Rebel’s Rant!