At the onset of the outbreak, when it (falsely) seemed like the novel coronavirus was solely a problem for mainland China, regular people were very quick to make racist and xenophobic comments, and in some cases even partake in racist acts against Chinese Canadians.
But the real risk was never from China, or Iran, or any other country that your racist uncle hates. It was always America.
A health-care system that is the laughing stock of the rest of the developed world, coupled with the dystopian capitalist hellscape that is the current labour environment, nearly guarantees the contagion of any communicable disease.
If you’re uninsured, it’s very unlikely that you’re willing or able to pay thousands of dollars for testing. And anyone without access to paid sick leave, or the economic cushion to withstand going days without pay should they need to stay home when sick, is basically incentivized to keep going to work even when symptomatic (and, to be fair, this is certainly not just an American problem).
Even at the best of times, without a sentient Cheeto in the White House, America’s approach to public health puts Canadians at risk. And these are not the best of times.
Source: Read Full Article