It is a fact that people are tired of the abnormalities created by the pandemic, and they now desire to return to their normal state. Indeed we need to go back to our workstations, we need to go to school, and employers want to reopen their businesses. However, we need to question the practicality of the outlined Relaunch Strategy as long as the testing capacity is not enhanced. The authority should enhance the testing capabilities to ensure that positive cases are isolated to minimize the spread of the virus. If at all, Alberta is not testing more than 20,000 people in a single day, we should worry about the increased pressure the reopening of additional businesses will bring in the Province. Alberta testing capacity did not meet expectations when businesses were closed, how could we be sure that they will increase their testing capacity now that the business reopen? I also think that the Relaunch Strategy will not work if employers and workers are left out. Employers need to be equipped with testing resources to ensure that their employees are tested. Besides, the authority should prioritize giving workers and employers PPE to prevent the spread of the virus.
I am excited to learn that places of worship will soon open as long as they fellow sector-specific guidelines. As a religious person, I missed going to my usual place of worship with my family. It will be a perfect opportunity to improve my spiritual well-being at the same time, renew my relationship with God. I also believe that only God could help be our redeemer and helper in this pandemic.
After the end of the pandemic, more workplaces could prefer their employees working from home to minimize workplace overcrowding. Besides, environmental activists will ride on the importance of working from home to reduce the carbon emission to the environment, which significantly impacts our environment. Going forward, working from home will be the new norm in Alberta, and this will see our society function differently, including not crowding mass transportation at the same time to prevent a resurgence of other diseases (Zimonjic, Barton and Ling, 2020, para.4). We expect to see a similar trend in the education sector, where educational institutions and policymakers will support and promote online learning through the use of modern technologies. Several colleges and universities in Alberta opted for online learning to continue with their programs despite the lockdown.
Reference
Zimonjic, P., Barton, R. and Ling, P., 2020. Tam Says The Pandemic Will Bring A ‘New Normal’ To Workplaces, Defends WHO’s Performance | CBC News. [online] CBC. Available at: <https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tam-who-defend-new-normal-pandemic-covid-coronavirus-1.5548285> [Accessed 14 May 2020].