Thought of the Day - October 6 - Elections BC

As mentioned in an earlier blog we are now in the throes of an election here in BC (Thought of the Day - September 23 - Election Fever Hitting BC ). Gail and I have both "volunteered" for the Advanced Voting positions.

I just went through the on-line training that includes a 16 minute video on COVID preparedness. Being a cynical-bugger I must admit is was better than I was expecting. That said, I was surprised by a couple of sections. First and foremost it is already out of date. A couple of months makes a big difference in our understanding (or public disclosure of understanding) concerning COVID-19. So this means:

1. This election was a done deal in August - and prep for this material prepared then (unlikely as much of the training material is still a work in progress);

2. Elections BC is out of touch with BC Health Services (unlikely as the rhetoric about medical masks, and 10 versus 14 days quarantine period is included);

3. BC Health Services are still behind with public information.

Specifically what stood out was:

• Recognition of early symptoms (such as headache) and symptoms that are not associated with COVID-19 (runny nose or phlegmy cough) were not aligned ( Thought of the Day - September 14 - COVID Symptoms );

• If you have symptoms, only 10 days of isolation is mentioned as required (different from Health Canada);

• Unfortunately masks are not mandatory, or provided, at voting stations for the public, and Voting Officials are advised not to use medical masks ( Thought of the Day - September 11 - Masks Re-Revisted );

• According to the material the virus enters only through the nose and mouth, not the eyes ( Thought of the Day - September 17 - Eyeglasses );

• Finally, the right to vote overrides any safety protocols.

Hope to see you at Advanced Voting either at Charles Rummel or Lougheed Mall.

Cheers

Cliff