Cheers: to an easing of rules. Families of patients in long-term care in this province are finally seeing an easing of visiting rules put in place during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the province. The rules vary from home to home, but more and more homes are making changes. The rules were necessary because of the way that COVID-19 has stormed through long-term care homes in other provinces. But the rules took a different kind of toll on residents who could no longer see family members. Even Dr. John Haggie, the province’s minister of health, admits that the lockdown was having an effect. “I think on the basis of public health advice and common sense, the approach we’ve adopted has worked,” Haggie told The Telegram last Tuesday. “It will have a price to pay because, if you go back to the clinical world, there is no treatment that comes without a price, and some degree of isolation and depression, maybe, unfortunately, will be the results of what we had to do to protect them physically.” As with all things COVID, however, the visiting rules could change quickly if the virus returns to the province.
Jeers: to bad apples and bad decisions. Inspectors from the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp. will soon be on patrol in downtown bars, after anything like physical distancing went out the window over the past few weekends. Photos from social media showed bars that looked very much like they did before the pandemic hit — packed tight and rocking. “It really is a shame because it jeopardizes all of us and it really taints the efforts of a lot of bar owners, hoteliers and restaurateurs in St. John’s and around the province who have worked very hard and in very imaginative ways,” Health Minister Dr. John Haggie said. All the regrets in the world won’t make up for the kind of cluster of cases of COVID-19 that can spring from a single careless night on the town. And the sooner people realize that, the better.
Cheers: to a weird world. Friday, the provincial government announced changes to the province’s wildlife regulations to allow hunters to use crossbows to hunt both large and small game. Apparently, there are crossbow enthusiasts in the province who were pressing for the change: “The regulations were amended after extensive review and consideration of feedback received during online public consultations hosted earlier this year by the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources at engageNL.ca,” the government said in the news release announcing the changes. “Department officials have also held discussions with hunting organizations and advocates who outlined their support for implementation of these changes.” Oh, to be a fly on the wall for those chats. At this point, there are no apparent plans to allow catapult or trebuchet hunting.
