Bait and Switch Lockdown Excuses

Vincent J. Curtis

17 Feb 21

RE: Stay at home advice despite lifting stay at home order.

Hamilton, Ontario, and Canada have had the game of “bait and switch” played on them repeatedly throughout the pandemic.  The bait is the worry that the healthcare system will be overwhelmed if a lockdown isn’t imposed.  The switch comes when the data is trending downward, and the excuse of the parlous healthcare system no longer stands scrutiny.  Then, “we’re doing so well, we need to continue!” is argued.  Or “we’re saving lives if we continue the lockdown!” is another.  The latest is, “But there’s a new strain, and it’s here!” (Fearing one strain over another is literally racism!)

At the limit of his credibility, Premier Doug Ford promised a “temporary, one-time shutdown” beginning December 26 and ending in twenty-eight days.  That would be January 23.  I wrote at the time that Ford was lying, even if he didn’t know it then.  Some excuse would be offered to prolong the temporary.  And something did - implausible modelling, that I wrote at the time was wrong from the moment it was presented.

Now that daily cases are below a thousand a day, even Ford is distrusting his doctors and opening up to a limited degree, despite their advice, which isn’t based on saving the healthcare system anymore, but for something else.

By now, people should be sick of the lying.  The insensible doctors can only see endless shutdown; they can’t see a rhythm of two months open, two weeks closed, or some such.

There are more quacks in Ontario than there are ducks.

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