Dear editor,

Let鈥檚 talk about the real world versus the virtual world.

Here are the facts:

We are now approximately 5 million people living in the province of 鈥渟upernatural鈥� British Columbia. and, if one per cent of our population had COVID-19, that would equate to 50,000 lab-tested cases. We have just over 2,000 lab-tested cases. Of those, 1,300 cases have recovered, leaving 700 people in our province of 5 million people with the virus.

So now comes the Health Authority with the politicians, and with every other authority and the police taking away all our freedoms and rights with the stroke of a pen that we all enjoyed back in January of this year, telling us that we cannot send our children to school any longer, shutting down our parks and recreational facilities, telling us to stay home and not meet with one another face-to-face sharing what makes us human in the real world.

So for the time being, we have lost our rights and freedoms for 700 people in the real world and have shut down our economy, throwing thousands of hard-working people out of work, which, in the long run will probably be harder to recover from. COVID-19 is creating unnecessary hardships and fear in our culture and society.

What a shame, and like sheep we have given our personal power to those authorities rather than seeking alternatives and positive solutions based upon the facts; 700 people in relationship to 5 million people living in our province now. More people die from the flu in Canada every year (in the thousands) and we do not shut down our economy!

So, I say to the silent majority 鈥� let鈥檚 stand up together and push back to what we enjoyed back in January, 2020, using our common sense. We are not New York City.

Dr. Bonnie Henry should be asked to resign her position with the Health Authority with the way that she has managed this health crisis. She has used a technique that the insurance people have used for years, and that is backing the hearse up to everyone鈥檚 front door, creating widespread fear, unrealistic panic and just in case scenarios to make her case to shut down our economy, and at the same time giving the health authority a blank cheque for whatever they think they might need.

As an example, the North Island Hospital in Courtenay has set up a temporary facility in the parking lot that has basically been unused since the beginning of this panic in the Comox Valley.

So, as a province, why don鈥檛 we put our time, money and effort into developing a vaccine, making available the necessary COVID test kits for those who are suspected to have the virus and locally have the necessary therapies and treatments for recovery (respirators) here in the Comox Valley close to family and friends and not somewhere else as in Nanaimo, Victoria or Vancouver?

Ken Mullins,

Courtenay

Do you have an opinion you鈥檇 like to share? Email letters@comoxvalleyrecord.com