COMMENTARY
Falcon drops the ball with his COVID-19 silence
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by Charlie Smith
n February, I wrote a column urging new B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon to challenge the NDP government over its handling of the pandemic. I even suggested that by focusing on airborne COVID-19, Falcon could become B.C.’s next premier. Nearly two months later, he and the B.C. Liberal caucus have utterly failed to do that. This stands in sharp contrast to B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau, who continues pressing Health Minister Adrian Dix about airborne COVID-19 in the legislature. Falcon’s crew did not speak up for some of the most vulnerable people in the province—the immunocompromised, those with comorbidities, and seniors—after the B.C. government scrapped a provincewide indoor mask mandate. Falcon’s B.C. Liberals remained silent even after Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender pointed out that this will leave thousands of British Columbians behind “because of their age, disability, or other protected characteristic under B.C.’s Human Rights Code”. The end of mask mandates in BC. is particularly dangerous for those who face
B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon has ignored a political opportunity. Photo by John Lehmann.
higher risk of serious COVID—including kids with type 1 diabetes and asthma, as well as those born premature. Falcon’s MLAs didn’t even mention in the legislature that a massive NIH-funded study showed that mandatory school mask mandates cut the spread of in-school
COVID-19 transmissions by 72 percent over districts that gave students the option of wearing masks. Falcon appears to believe that he can revive the B.C. economy like it’s 2019. The B.C. Liberal leader and his caucus are not promoting policies in response to the fundamental reality that most COVID-19 cases are being contracted by the airborne route, which is recognized by the White House and Canadian chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam. Ask yourself this question: does anyone seriously believe that we can have genuine economic revival if people are going to continue to be reinfected with COVID-19? Some have had it three times in six months. Does Falcon truly want to wish away the existence of long COVID, COVID as a vascular disease, and COVID’s links to brain damage by not talking about these things? Does Falcon think that this laissez-faire approach to the virus is going to avoid the need for future lockdowns when hospitals become clogged with COVID-19 cases, disability costs rise, and healthcare workers burn out and leave their professions?
In this regard, Falcon actually has a lot in common with Premier John Horgan. They appear to believe that if the government does the same thing all over again—i.e., promote vaccination, drop the indoor mask mandate again, and avoid the issue of telecommuting— airborne COVID-19 will somehow be brought under control. And this magic will be accomplished in the absence of a government directive to take the relatively simple measure of wearing a mask indoors and by refusing to permit HEPA filters and carbon-dioxide monitors in classrooms. It’s not only nonsensical, it’s deadly and unethical. Let’s not forget that at the start of this month, more than 40 percent of B.C. kids from 5 to 11 remained unvaccinated. More than 60 percent have not received two doses. Classrooms are incubators for COVID-19. Let’s show some compassion not only to the kids with immunocompromised people in their homes, but also to the teachers who might have diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart conditions, or some other chronic disease that puts them at higher risk. g
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