As restrictions, guidelines around COVID-19 shift, those most vulnerable say they feel left behind
CBC
Guidance and restrictions around COVID-19 are constantly evolving, and those at most risk of contracting the virus and suffering from severe illness say they feel forgotten.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said last week it is impossible to eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19, and the province is shifting its approach to the virus away from testing and contact tracing. Instead, residents are being asked to self-monitor for symptoms.
The province has also opened up gyms and restaurants with limitations, as well as schools, while indoor events are permitted to operate at half-capacity. On Tuesday, Henry advised people to do what they can to minimize transmission and risk, to help keep vulnerable populations safe.
Meanwhile, people who are at higher risk are advised to be "extra cautious" and to get tested if they're experiencing symptoms so they can access treatment should they become seriously ill.
"I kind of feel like we are now the ignored generation at this time because whereas everybody else is encouraged or allowed to go to restaurants and do all those things, we are supposed to just be extra careful," said 75-year-old Aviva Martin.
"We are just not being supported."
Geriatrician Dr. Maria Chung said seniors and people with disabilities feel they can't leave their homes or socialize out of concern they will catch the virus as transmission continues and restrictions loosen.
"It's heartbreaking," she said.
"We need to look after these people. These are the people that built our society and contributed to the economy, and they really deserve respect for that.
"It's been really hard for me to see that people are being encouraged to get on with their lives, but not if you're senior or not if you are immunocompromised."
Martin said seniors who don't live in assisted living or long-term care facilities haven't been given the support they need to make it through another extended period of isolation.
That goes for people who have disabilities, too.
Jewelles Smith, a researcher and advisor on disability and gender, said there's an assumption that those who are disabled are in long-term care or hospital, and little planning was done to support those who live independently.
"We feel extremely ignored and neglected in this conversation, right from the start," Smith told The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.