As a Manitoban, I have in the past often visited the state of North Dakota and so was interested to know what was happening there regarding the coronavirus.
It’s mind boggling to compare the numbers . . With approximately half the population of Manitoba, one might expect half the cases, half the deaths, but this is not nearly the case in North Dakota.
While North Dakota has performed nearly twice as many tests, you might expect with the more testing they might find twice as may cases, but there are in fact approximately 10 times as many cases in North Dakota and 10 times as many deaths in North Dakota.
Manitoba, with a population of approximately 1,350,000 has had only 290 cases total and has only 17 active cases, and none in hospital and no new cases now for a number of days. Manitoba and North Dakota have so many similarities but why in this fight of coronavirus are we so different?
I think it may have something to do with our countries mottos - there in the US, “ life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, ” and here in Canada “peace, order, and good government.”
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I see people here, listening to the advice of officials in Manitoba - quarantining for 14 days when arriving from elsewhere; maintaining space at the groceries; lots of people wearing masks when they're out; everyone that can work from home, working from home; lots of hand washing, sanitizing and Zoom meetings; schools churches still closed.
I don’t know what’s going on in North Dakota to make things so much worse there, but I did read recently a piece about your governor imploring your people to not divide over mask wearing because of some incidents of mask "shaming." That is so weird. Why would anyone do that?
If it’s winter and cold you put on a jacket. If there is a deadly virus circulating even by non symptomatic people you wear a mask. It’s simply right and smart to do so unless you don’t care about your own health or the health of anyone else’s. Why could that possibly be turned into a political act. It’s common sense.
At least it seems so from this side of the border where we seem to have done very well in our efforts to be sensible and safe. I wish for my neighbors to the south to think global, act local and see what’s being done elsewhere and try it there. Wishing you all health, happiness and recovery.
Enns lives in Winnipeg, Man.
