OTTAWA -- Canada's Governor General says COVID-19 will change society, but hopes it does so for the better.
Speaking to 麻豆影视' Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Lisa LaFlamme Wednesday on a 麻豆影视 special report, Julie Payette reminded Canadians that one day, there will be an "after" from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"The coronavirus will change our society, and hopefully for the better. It will change perhaps for the better how we interact with each other, how we take care of our seniors, how we travel and move things around, how we share essential and how we share this planet," Payette said.
"There will be an end to this, we just have to be steadfast, patient and disciplined."
When this is all over, she also hopes Canadians will walk away with a more clear understanding of who they can trust to share truthful, helpful information, and to "beware" of those that are promising miracle cures right now.
"There is no medical cure right now. However, people are frantically working for a treatment of the most severe aspects of the illness and the treatment will probably come before a full cure. So there are hope out there, but there鈥檚 no miracle. So beware," Payette said.
As for the current situation, Payette acknowledge that everyone is being forced to make sacrifices. However, she reminded Canadians that we鈥檙e all in this together.
"We're all fighting the same enemy, this invisible enemy and it affects us all," Payette said.
She recommended Canadians make sure they鈥檙e taking care of themselves, reminding themselves of the positives 鈥� such as the thousands of Canadians who are recovering from the disease 鈥� and make sure they do activities to pass the time when things seem tough.
"You have to pace yourself. It鈥檚 a marathon. And it takes time, actually time is our best friend. Precious time," she said.
Payette did note, however, that things can get overwhelming from time to time. Drawing on her experience from her rather isolated time on the International Space Station, she said there are tricks her team learned for when being cooped up started to get to them.
"If you have a down time, talk about it with someone else because that person might not be in a down time at the same time and will pick you up, and then the reverse will happen. That's one of the best tips that we have. We are a team," she said.
She told Laflamme that Canadians need to support one another in their immediate families, in their communities and all across the country.
"I cannot be more proud, madame, to be Canadian," she told LaFlamme.
