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Each of us has a responsibility
By Tom Shypitka,
Kootenay East MLA
As the coronavirus pandemic progresses across the world, we have witnessed the terrible human toll in China, Iran and Italy, and the disease continues to take lives in dozens of countries. While we can be thankful to have a publicly funded high-quality system of health care here in British Columbia, we cannot be complacent, or rely upon hospitals and health care workers as the only way to deal with this pandemic.
All of us must do what we can to stop the transmission of the virus from person to person, so that we can defeat this pandemic.
As a community, each of us has a responsibility to those most vulnerable to this virus – those with compromised immunity and seniors. In addition to the risk from the virus, we must consider the anxiety and isolation that the next few weeks will bring to many of our neighbours. This is especially true of seniors living on their own.
Please make a point of contacting your neighbours, without getting too close, and checking that they are OK. If all of us call one of our immediate neighbours every day, we will have a safer and healthier community.
If we do our part, we can help to bring an early end to this pandemic. With that goal clearly in mind, my colleagues in the Legislature and I have adopted a number of steps to reduce the spread of the virus, including:
Personal Conduct
The Provincial Health Officer has advised that we avoid shaking hands or any physical contact, maintain a minimum distance of one meter from everyone outside your family and please do not leave your home if you are ill. Do not travel other than in an emergency. Limit your contact with public surfaces such as touch screen terminals and payment machines. And avoid public events with sizable gatherings of people.
What if I feel ill?
If you are sick, please stay home, rest, and avoid contaminating others. You should seek medical care as you see fit, just as you would with any contagious illness, but you may be directed to stay away from Emergency Rooms.
If you have reason to believe you have been, or may have, been exposed to COVID-19, you should remain at home, call 8-1-1 for advice and be prepared to self-isolate and monitor your health. Anyone returning from outside Canada is expected (this may become must) to self-isolate for 14 days.
Reliable Information Sources
Please visit the website for the B.C. Centre for Disease Control for the most accurate and up-to-date information on COVID-19. Normally, Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Health Minister brief the public at 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, and this is available live from a number of radio and TV channels.
Constituency Office at 302 535 Victoria Ave N., Cranbrook BC
Given the current status of the COVID-19 outbreak, the office staff will not be taking any in-person meetings at this time.
We kindly request that you either call us at 250-417-6022 or email us at [email protected] and we will respond as soon as possible.
Please look after yourselves, your loved ones, and your neighbours – if we help each other, take precautions with contact with each other, and allow our health care system to take care of those who are ill, we will defeat COVID 19 – together.
Tom Shypitka, MLA Kootenay East
