We’re all sick of the pandemic but let’s be kind to one another

Posted on October 12, 2021 by 40 Mile Commentator

We’re sure many of you have already heard that protestors are banned from blocking access to hospitals under the new provincial regulation Premier Jason Kenney released Sept. 28.

Our question is, however, why did it have to come to this?

Nurses and doctors work on the front line of this pandemic day in and day out, yet people go and protest outside hospitals. Blocking ambulances and general access to facilities people need.

Would you block an ambulance if that was your family member having a heart attack? Or gasping for air? No? Good. If you thought yes, you should take a very deep introspective look at yourself.

Our healthcare personnel has been battling this pandemic for almost two years now. They get into work, throw on their layers of PPE and work hours on end day after day to keep us healthy; so why are we protesting outside hospitals?

We have no problem with people protesting about the pandemic. Everyone should have their belief and everyone should have the right to speak out and protest when they believe they’re being mistreated or their rights are being infringed upon. But hospitals? Seriously? Our front-line workers don’t deserve that. If anything they should be praised and thanked for everything they’ve done for us the past two years. They’re heroes and don’t deserve the flak they’ve been getting.

Take your protests elsewhere — it isn’t the hospitals that are ‘infringing’ on your rights.

These past 19 months should have been a time when we came together as neighbours, as communities, as Albertans — but I don’t think we’ve seen more hate and animosity present ever before. We’re all sick of the pandemic. We’re all sick of having to wear a mask, of having to social distance, of having to close our doors to friends and family because it would be too big of an indoor gathering outside. We all hate it, so why is there so much hate and vitriol?

Some of us may have experienced the impact of losing a beloved place we used to go to mingle with our peers and it is now gone while many others may have experienced the loss of a loved one.

We’re all in this together. No matter where you stand on any political spectrum.

We encourage you to do something nice for someone. Whether it is as small as holding a door open or as big as buying the person behind you in the drive-thru a meal. Show everyone that this pandemic hasn’t beaten us, and there is still love and kindness to be had in the world.