Personal Protective Equipment 

It is well known around the world that health care worker’s PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is running low. PPE includes items such as gowns, masks, sanitizer and face shields. These items “are in short supply globally and without these critical items health workers are highly susceptible to infection”(Cohen, 2020). The demand for PPE supplies have “skyrocketed worldwide, while at the same time the economic toll of COVID-19 has disrupted the global supply chain, most notably in China, where much PPE is manufactured” (Cohen, 2020). In addition to the supply chain causing shortage, the general public have begun hoarding PPE for themselves. If our front line workers cannot be protected, how are they supposed to prevent the spreading when dealing with other patients and colleagues. Cohen (2020) compares the situation to the general public stealing bullet proof vests from front line soldiers in the middle of a war.

 

Social Distancing

The government is slowly cracking down on social distance practices. The rule started with a maximum of 50 people at a social gather and has now dropped down to five, with the exception of families with over 5 people. Typical gathering locations such as restaurants, bars, parks, schools, shopping centres, etc have all been closed down and deemed non-essential. Large events such as concerts, festivals, theatre production, movie premiers and parades have all been cancelled as well to help keep the distance between us. The Government and public health officials are requiring people to “[stay] two metres away from any else, [avoid] groups and only [go] out for necessary reasons” (Gunn, 2020). No matter the rules or the consequences, people still seem to feel the need to socialize and visit friends and family.

 

“We've all seen the pictures online of people who seem to think they're invincible. Well, you're not. Enough is enough. Go home and stay home. This is what we all need to be doing,” said Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

 

 

Panic Shopping

Panicking shoppers all around the world are over-filling their carts with the grocery essentials and many non-essentials as well. Canned goods, pasta, basically any non-perishable food items and of course the cleaning supplies and toilet paper. Some people don’t probably do not currently need these foods, but they fear that stores are going to run out, and they need to stock up now. The “fear of scarcity creates scarcity” (Toronto Star, 2020). Even people who don’t believe it is necessary are finding themselves stocking up. No one wants to be the person who waited until it was too late. In reality “there is no real shortage” (Toronto Star, 2020). Toilet paper for example, a product that everyone seems to think we will run out of, has actually been reassured by production companies such as Kruger Product, that there is no shortage. Kruger and J.D Irving have factories “working flat-out to cope with the spike in demand” (Toronto Star, 2020).

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References:

Cohen, M. (2020). We need a military-style response to save medical workers . Toronto Star.

Gunn, A. (2020). Ottawa mulls enforcement of COVID-19 rules. the Halifax Chronicle .

Toronto Star. (2020). Stop panic and profiteering. Toronto Star.