Did Nova Scotia Ease Restrictions Too Soon? This Halifax Politician Says Yes
HALIFAX – When the Nova Scotia government announced that they were easing some Covid-19 restrictions, allowing people to enjoy parks and trails again, you could hear a sigh of relief across the province. After several weeks of isolation and boredom, people now had something small to look forward to on the weekends.
But Halifax councilor Richard Zurawski, who represents the Clayton Park area, is publicly questioning the province’s decisions, saying it’s too early to start mingling in public spaces.
“Nothing has changed since the announcement by Strang and McNeil that the parks are now open, regarding Covid,” said the former meteorologist. “It’s still as transmissible, it still has the same fatality numbers, it’s still as infectious, and we still don’t have a vaccine.”
“I know from science that it doesn’t really care about our constructs and it doesn’t care about what we believe, or want to believe, or our rhetoric about it. This is an enormously difficult social problem.”
The announcement lifting restrictions on parks, trails, public gardens, and playgrounds was made on May 1. In the announcement, Premier Stephen McNeil cited mental health concerns as a force behind the decision, especially considering the recent shooting that took 22 lives in Nova Scotia.
“In the past seven weeks, our province has experienced tremendous tragedy. I’m worried about all of you and I’m worried about how we are coping – so we need to get out of our heads and out of our houses and get outside,” McNeil said.
Rules on social distancing, however, were not eased by the government. That means people in Nova Scotia are expected to maintain six feet of distance when out in public. Unlike some other provinces, Nova Scotia is still reporting confirmed cases of Covid-19. Although there was only one case reported on May 12, there were seven new cases reported just a few days prior on May 9.
Zurawski first made his feelings known in a blistering social media post, written on the first weekend in May when parks and trails were open. He wrote about his visit to Blue Mountain Birch Cove Wilderness area, and the lack of social distancing he saw among groups. In the angry post, he even referred to these people as “boneheads”.
“People have forgotten that we’re still… at the beginning of a Covid crisis; and social distancing was not adhered to by many people,” Zurawski told Huddle Today. “At least three groups of people I bumped into; social distancing seemed to be right out the window.”
“It is absolutely easy to maintain social distancing in the wilderness reserve.”
The wilderness area was never closed during the pandemic, so Zurawski went there frequently for exercise. Prior to the province easing some restrictions, Zurawski never saw any problems with social distancing. He believes the government’s announcement causes a lot of people to think the worst of Covid-19 is behind us.
“Some people treated it as though the Covid crisis was over and social distancing was not required anymore. And this is what was frustrating to me,” said the Halifax councilor.
Zurawski believes governments everywhere are under increasing pressure to start opening society to save the economy. The Halifax councilor has himself seen the pressure, as many have written to him saying they can’t be locked down forever, for the sake of the economy. But Zurawski warns that ending restrictions too soon could prolong this public health crisis.
“We’re getting enormous pressures from those who no longer have work, from those who no longer have sustainable businesses…” said Zurawski.
“The powers that be they are now balancing health with business health …Trying to thread that needle is enormously difficult and it becomes a political football. It requires enormous strength to put the health of our most vulnerable citizens over our fiscal health.”
Zurawski also believes the pandemic has exposed the flaws in our globalized economy, where we rely on distant markets for our goods and services. He hopes this will put a spotlight on the need for Nova Scotia to be more sustainable, especially when it comes to the food supply.
“In the best of all worlds, we would be self-sustained; we wouldn’t be relying on trucking food from California, Florida, and all parts of the world in order to feed ourselves,” he said. “And we wouldn’t be relying on globalized companies for the types of jobs we have.”
As the springtime weather continues to get warmer, more and more people in Halifax will take advantage of the newly opened parks and trails. But Zurawski has a warning for those who refuse to adhere to social distancing protocols.
“Your decision to get out is going to kill your neighbours, your friends, and your family,” he said.