LIVING WITH
COVID – PART 4
Is it over yet?
We crossed the border at Calais on February 13, twenty-three months to the day after Canada declared the infamous COVID Travel Advisory. The friendly (masked) US Border Agent looked at our passports and proof of vaccination, asked us the standard questions and, apparently satisfied with our answers, wished us a pleasant visit. As we rolled through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and, finally, Florida, we kept our distance where we could and behaved pretty much as we would have back home. It’s clear though that most Americans have experienced the pandemic far differently than we have.
I’ve felt compelled to follow the science since the pandemic began and I’ve got three holes in my left arm to prove it. Here in Florida, Elva and I mask indoors and try to limit our contacts. I don’t want to catch COVID but neither is it in my nature to live in fear when I know the risk is manageable. Based on experience with the Omicron variant, being triple-vaccinated is no guarantee. I’ve yet to receive a satisfactory explanation as to why so many triple-vaccinated people are being infected, including even Queen Elizabeth.
The day after our arrival in South Florida, Elva and I were on our bikes, getting out the kinks and stretching our legs after three long road days. I plan to ride four or five times a week and Elva will ride three. We were very glad to see our cycling friends after a two-year absence; we feel right at home here. While I did have fun fooling around on a fat bike at Brookvale a couple of times, there’s no substitute for riding in the heat, even if it’s on flat ground.
There used to be four subjects one had to be careful about when speaking to Americans: health care, gun control, politics, and religion. I’ve added COVID to that list. It may be a controversial topic in Canada, but here it’s downright divisive. Florida’s population, at 21.5 million, is about 55% of Canada’s. Total cases reported are 5.78 million, meaning about 25% of Floridians have had the disease, and 69,000, or 0.3% of the population have died from COVID. In Canada, 8.5% have had COVID and 0.09% have died from it. Prince Edward Island numbers are much lower. The numbers show that we’ve done a much better job of living and dealing with the disease. The question is: where do we go from here?
Our decision to spend eleven weeks in Florida is based on our personal assessment of the risk involved. While the disease is more prevalent here and our chances of getting it are probably greater, we must balance that against the reality of yet another miserable Island winter. At 68, I can count the number of good travel years I have left on the fingers of both hands. That’s reality and that’s if I’m lucky. Besides, I don’t own snow tires and refuse to buy any more!
So, what’s it really like in the US? As we drove through the New England States, we saw signs that COVID was still being taken seriously. Everyone in a Pennsylvania Starbucks wore a mask, baristas, and customers. A Sheetz gas station had a sign on the door that said: “You look great in a mask!” As we crossed the Mason-Dixon line, there was a noticeable change. Things are different in the South.
The social contract between individuals and government in the US differs greatly from ours in Canada. The COVID pandemic has further highlighted that divide. The wording on New Hampshire’s license plates, “Live Free Or Die”, really means something here. While in Canada, we tend to abide by rules made by public health experts and our elected officials, such is not the case in the US. Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been set aside during COVID in favour of the greater good. Here, people stand by their right to freedom of choice and have not bowed to authority the way we Canadians have. It’s not for me to say who’s right and who’s wrong. In fact, I don’t even think it’s about right and wrong. It’s about choice.
After scoffing a delicious meal of grouper at one of our favorite hangouts, we walked through now-familiar haunts in downtown Fort Myers on a busy Friday evening. The temperature was perfect. We enjoyed hot beverages outside Starbucks and watched the crowds stroll by, stopping to listen to the live bands playing on almost every street corner. It’s Edison Festival of Lights weekend, and the place was buzzing. It’s what we like best about Fort Myers; always something going on downtown. We could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people wearing a mask. As a Canadian, one is tempted to ask: “Are they all crazy?” It’s a question without an answer. Only time will tell.
This morning, we joined a group of twenty or so riders on a leisurely jaunt along bike paths and had a coffee afterwards. What a wonderful way to start the day! Tomorrow, we’ll spend part of the day at nearby Fort Myers Beach.
