Covid tourism is not workable, nor economically viable.
Basically, it's risky and it's stupid. I realize that the tourist towns rely on outsiders, but with the isolation regulations now, it's hardly worthwhile going anywhere if you have to quarantine for 14 days.
Cruise ships are no longer allowed in Canadian ports unless they're local and have fewer than 100 passengers. Ferries are exempt (have to be, or some communities would be cut off, not to mention Vancouver Island).
Coming back to Canada by air? Be prepared to fork over $$$$ for a 3-day stay in a "quarantine hotel" - if you test negative after that, you can go home and do the other 11 days of isolation. If you test positive, you'd better be wealthy. The amount for those 3 days is said to be $2000. The news article wasn't certain if that was per couple or per person.
For some reason this doesn't apply to those returning by land... which prompted the snowbirds determined against all common sense to go to Florida, to have their vehicles shipped down there so they could return by land and not have to do the quarantine hotel thing.
The government is saying that they may include 'by land' returnees as well, later.
Honestly, while I realize the airline employees would be screwed if there were no passenger flights out of the country, it would just make sense to make everyone stay here who isn't an essential worker who has to cross the border.
Not sure how people who live on their own are expected to go through such measures
The politicians here are just starting to realize that some people who live alone actually don't have family nearby and loads of friends to run and fetch for them so they don't have to go anywhere. I'm allowed to socialize with TWO OTHER PEOPLE. Wow. Two whole people! And that's just because someone had a light bulb come on over their heads and realized that single/housebound people have mental health issues with being isolated, as well. If that light bulb hadn't come on, I would be allowed to socialize with zero people.
My in-person socializing with people who don't live here consists of the housekeeping helper twice a month and the pizza and grocery delivery people. Thank goodness Maddy is a sociable and affectionate cat.
That's the same thing which was tried here in the autumn, when cases were in the hundreds. Slow it by limiting socialization - that's the purpose of the curfews at night (aimed at the young) or weekends (aimed at extended family meetings).
This does have an effect, it does slow the spread, but that effect is undermined if there are other places of massive socialization that remain going at full steam - in here it was schools and universities, and all the attendant movement.
It's churches here. There are some pastors and others who keep insisting that their Charter rights are being violated by closing the churches.
Well, if they'd just obey the occupancy, masking, and social distancing rules, they could stay open. But they don't, so they get fined. Next thing, they're whining all over social media that their "freedom of religion" is getting trampled.
Actually, it isn't. They're free to follow any religion they want (or none). They just don't get a free pass to spread the virus, which couldn't care less what the reason is for all these wonderful new hosts to all be in the same place, making no effort to be careful.
The schools from junior high on up are online, mostly. Elementary schools are still open, and the teachers are not pleased at all with the education minister. She had nearly half a year in 2020 to figure out a way to accommodate more students in a safer way, yet did nothing... and then whined in August that she "didn't have enough time."
Properly planned an election can be reasonably safe. The people who will really have to worry will be the ones staffing the polls and counting the votes afterwards. Pick a day with clear sky and do the voting outdoors. If impossible then move indoors but in places very open to the air. Make sure that people do not have to go far to cast their votes. Set up easy 'vote by mail' for those in quarantine. You'll actually have to send people around to collect those votes from their address because quarantined people are not supposed to go post letters.
The staff involved should all be tested before and some 5 days after. And try to find younger people for this.
Do the voting outdoors?
Do you use paper ballots or some sort of electronic gadget that won't blow away? How would you ensure secrecy? Accessibility?
I used to work for Elections Canada as a Deputy Returning Officer, and honestly, it's hard enough to keep track of all those little pieces of paper when they're just sitting there on the table in front of you in an indoor location where there's no open window. Outside would be impossible.
Kinda gives a new meaning to the question of which candidate won in a close race and you can't find all the ballots: "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind..."
physically the same setup as when voting indoors. In 45 years of democracy here not once did people complain about stolen votes or spying so it's not a worry. Everyone understands how the system works and that their vote gets counted and will be secret unless they themselves go out of the way to show it when voting! Which would be technically illegal but untested as no one bothers to.
