So much has happened in the week since I blogged about the novel coronavirus.
While there’s been so much breaking news none of us can keep up, I want to give credit where credit is due regarding the leadership we’ve seen.
Provincially, I have to say how impressed I’ve been by our provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry — affectionately known as “Dr. Bonnie” or “Auntie Bonnie.” She’s been providing excellent advice on a daily basis to our provincial government, plus she’s been holding regular coronavirus updates to provide the latest, reliable information to all British Columbians.
Dr. Bonnie’s solid advice and calm attitude have been so appreciated that grateful supporters have reached out to pay tribute.
Derek Kleinfeldt, a Vancouver Island resident, started a Twitter account called Dr. Bonnie Henry Fan Club. To date, it has more than 5,000 followers! And Amy Shier and Vicki Ferguson have posted a YouTube video featuring a song they wrote for Dr. Bonnie. It’s had over 6,000 views!
Our provincial health minister Adrian Dix has also shown outstanding leadership. He’s been at Dr. Henry’s side throughout this fast-changing crisis — including the frequent briefings — providing clear, confident direction. He’s also been decisive, making the very difficult decision to cancel all elective surgeries in BC.
All this stems from our premier, John Horgan, who’s been leading by example.
Premier Horgan makes no secret about taking his cues on social democracy after meeting one of my, and many Canadians’, heroes — Tommy Douglas, the long-time leader of the federal NDP, and the man we have to thank for getting universal, publicly-funded Medicare in place way back in the 1960s for Canadian residents.
Can you imagine not having Medicare as we face this crisis?
Premier Horgan has had a very steady hand and been very reassuring to the public. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge the way our provincial Green and Liberal parties have stepped up to the plate to work with the NDP, and make the best decisions for everyone.
We’ve also seen good, solid leadership at the local and federal levels, sprinkled with cooperation and collaboration.
If there’s one good thing that’s come out of the corona crisis it’s the pervasive “all-hands-on-deck” attitude, with the usual political partisanship falling by the wayside.
Stay safe — and don’t forget to practise social distancing and lots of hand washing.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (Mar. 19, 2020): 413.99 ppm
One year ago (Mar. 19, 2019): 412.97 ppm
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