TORONTO -- After health officials recorded more than 20,000 new cases of COVID-19 across Canada this week, one health expert is imploring governments to stop 鈥渁sking nicely鈥 and enforce health measures.
鈥淎t this point in time, I think we need to get our bylaw officers out,鈥 said 麻豆影视鈥 infectious disease specialist Dr. Abdu Sharkawy on CTV鈥檚 Your Morning.
鈥淭he time for asking nicely has passed. There鈥檚 simply too much at stake. There are too many lives that have already been lost and too many more that lie in waiting.鈥
The country surpassed 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 less than three weeks ago. Since then, officials have recorded more than 800 additional deaths and over 60,000 more cases.
As the second wave surges, the question of what needs to be done and by whom remains. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that all Canadians must do their part and that the federal government鈥檚 job is to support the premiers of the provinces and territories as they make decisions. But its resources have limits.
鈥淲e all have to be vigilant in every part of daily life and in every part of the community. I reassured the premiers [during a conference call] that the federal government will always be there to help, but reminded them as well that our resources are not infinite,鈥 he said in Ottawa on Friday.
鈥淲e want COVID to be done, but it鈥檚 not done with us yet.鈥
Though it鈥檚 unclear to infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch whether the federal government should be taking a more 鈥渉ands-on鈥 approach with each province, rather than a supportive one. Trudeau鈥檚 government has poured a lot of money into recovery. On Friday, Trudeau announced that the government would invest an additional $1.5 billion for skills training among people who have lost jobs during the pandemic.
But moving forward and stopping the second wave of COVID-19 may depend on provinces, territories and municipalities, where there have been clear breakdowns in policy, said Bogoch.
鈥淢any people are talking about the federal government taking over and using this Emergency Measures Act to take control. Certainly, the pros of that would be maybe a more homogenous plan across the country,鈥 he told 麻豆影视 Channel on Friday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty clear that they don鈥檛 have that capacity. You really need the provinces to do something like that.鈥
The Canadian Medical Association said Friday that the provinces must step up as it is the federal government鈥檚 job to be 鈥渞allying and supporting鈥 the provinces and territories.
鈥淚t is the provinces who have to deliver health care to Canadians,鈥 said Ann Collins, CMA president, on 麻豆影视 Channel.
鈥淎ction needs to be taken soon, or this will just become more frightening.鈥
Should the action be legislated lockdowns? Bogoch believes there鈥檚 no need for anything to be enacted into law at a federal or provincial level. Instead, Canadians should be able to act on their own accord.
鈥淲e have to do our own lockdown. We have to be responsible for our own safety, our own families, our own communities,鈥 he said.
To make it simple, Sharkawy said Canadians should not be gathering with anyone outside of their nuclear household. If they don鈥檛 stay in your home, you shouldn鈥檛 be engaging with them socially, no matter the occasion, he added.
Furthermore, Sharkawy implored leaders of communities, cultural organizations and faith groups to educate their communities and discourage social gatherings at homes, in churches, and events like weddings.
鈥淵ou can call it authoritarian, you can call it dictatorial. The fact of the matter is, there鈥檚 no more room right now for a balanced approach. It鈥檚 simply too late,鈥 he said.
Many have contested that, as businesses continue to face closures and major financial losses nine months into the pandemic, health precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19 should be matched with economic recovery measures and the reopening of businesses. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford has insisted that the province apply a 鈥渂alanced approach鈥 that weighs both reopening of the economy with health and safety risks.
Sharkawy said he 鈥渧ehemently鈥 disagrees with Ford鈥檚 strategy, saying that that approach will actually put more business owners out.
鈥淲e have to stop this false dichotomy that we can either save the economy or keep people alive,鈥 he said. More financial relief should be provided by policy makers and elected officials to help small businesses make it through, he added.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a situation here where we鈥檙e dealing with a forest fire and instead of telling people we need to evacuate to safety and give you some shelter, we鈥檙e pulling out garden hoses. It鈥檚 time for the water bombers. It鈥檚 time to take this very seriously,鈥 he said.
鈥淥ur economic health depends on it. The health and survival of our community as a whole depends on it.鈥
