The key difference is that centralized quarantine and widespread mask-usage have been in effect in many Asian countries since the outbreak whereas in Canada they seemed like afterthoughts. In Canada, these measures are already in effect along with our broader stay-at-home measures. A protester is interviewed as he demands the removal of the provincial coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions outside the Ontario legislature in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 25, 2020. Western countries were likely quick to adopt stay-at-home measures based on guidance from the World Health Organization, which was basing its advice on the early situation in China.Īnother mild inconvenience in non-lockdown countries is a ban on large gatherings, usually of 50 to 100 people, although people in Hong Kong can still eat at restaurants as long as there is a healthy distance between the tables. New York City has been on a lockdown of all non-essential businesses since March 23, 2020. A person rides a bike with their dog past closed stores on Apin New York City. In a lockdown, many businesses are forced to close and most activities are temporarily banned. Stone defines a lockdown as a situations where people are ordered to stay home, except for essential trips and people aren’t allowed to mingle with anyone outside of their own household. Sweden’s response has sometimes been mistakenly characterized as no response at all and the country’s public health officials have pushed back on the idea that they are letting the virus swamp society to obtain “herd immunity.”
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Article content What is a lockdown?Īlthough some protestors are demanding a full reopening of the economy and a return to normalcy, there are few experts arguing that we should do nothing to fight COVID-19. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
People wear masks at the slightest hint of a cold or flu and they are quick to adopt physical distancing measures when a new outbreak is reported.Ī study published on April 17 in The Lancet medical journal surveyed people on how they were adapting to the COVID-19 outbreak and found that 85 per cent were avoiding public places voluntarily and almost 99 per cent were wearing face masks outside.
Canada suffered nearly 3,000 deaths by the end of April, amid a strict lockdown.ĭuring the 2003 outbreak of SARS, nearly two-fifths of the deaths happened in Hong Kong and that crisis has been seared into the memory of the people there.
Locked down Canadians may be surprised to learn that in Hong Kong, with a population of 7.5 million and in close proximity to the source of the outbreak in China, only four people have died from COVID-19. Article contentĬanadians, meanwhile, have been staying at home for more than six weeks, with only essential trips to the grocery and drug stores. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.