Mark H.

Shuffles feet, look both ways before wading into the fray....ahem: South Dakota, with with a smaller population than Manitoba (850 K) has over 1000 cases of COVID 19. Public orders and physical distancing laws? None. A meat packing plant has shut down, due to numerous COVID 19 cases amongst their employees.

A nice, neat argument - until you look at what Norway has achieved.

I am very much aware of all that. I think the actual scenario is somewhere in between our two points view. Subsistence farmers have not been able to compete with global prices for a long time. I’ll give you just one example: the United States grows massive amounts of corn, yet 80% of that corn goes to their livestock operations and domestic economy. Pretty much the only way working class people in third world countries can afford any North American food, is if it is donated or sold to them at a loss.

I don’t think they will keep schools closed until there is a COVID 19 vaccine available.

The key phrase: “will not come back full on” until we have a vaccine. So no, he is not saying things will stay exactly as they are now until we have a vaccine. One possibility could be: schools and businesses reopen but social distancing and stringent sanitization & hygiene remain in place. International borders might stay closed to non - essential travel.

Aren’t third world economies less dependent on the global supply chain? Mainly because they still have a significant number of subsistent farmers, and quite frankly their wants and needs are simpler than ours.

I don’t need to do any shopping - but if a guy who works for a grocery store says prices haven’t gone up - then they probably haven’t.

You should report him. Or share a link or screenshot and one of us will do it.

What bothers me with all these people not getting paid, claiming EI, and borrowing money to cover expenses - where is all the money going that was paying their salaries? I have a feeling it's making its way to the top somehow - and it will take a bloody long time (if ever), until it trickles down again.

You’re comparing football injuries & a few critical sports fans to how people react to a pandemic. That’s just obtuse.

Apples and oranges - or just borderline trolling.

The infection and fatality rate would be higher without social distancing and border closures - I assume we can all agree on that? Some information from Sweden (article is 2 days old). Of notes, 6000 cases in a population of just over 10 million. For comparison, Canada has a population of over 37 million, with 15, 300 cases. Sweden reported 612 new cases on Friday, bringing the total to around 6,000. The death toll has reached 333, with fatalities now running at about 25-30 a day, according to the Swedish Health Agency. A STORM IN STOCKHOLM There are growing signs the virus is spreading at elderly care homes, again mainly in the capital, where some staff at hospitals and nursing homes have publicly warned of a lack of protective equipment such as masks. Facing what a local official has called “a storm” of COVID-19 cases, Stockholm has opened a field hospital at a convention complex south of the city center and called on anyone with medical training to help care for the sick. https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health-pmn/swedens-liberal-pandemic-strategy-questioned-as-stockholm-death-toll-mounts

There is simply not enough evidence to show that this approach would work. Why? Because healthy people appear to be the biggest carriers. Maybe this is not what you’re saying with all these posts you are making, but it is what I am hearing: “We can choose to live freer, riskier lives for ourselves. We cannot choose that others live shorter lives for our benefit. It takes a special kind of moral and spiritual blindness to fail to see the difference.”

Sorry if I wasn’t clear - it was a response to the statement that ‘Singapore’s measures are much stricter than ours.’

Singapore has kept their schools open - with strict precautions.

Incredible news - considering that a worker did test positive - truly amazing.

Yes, I am aware of that, thank you. My point is, they probably won't loosen the isolation restrictions until summer break, so that they don't have to reopen schools until September.

I think they really don't know what to say. If I had to guess, I would say they are saying July because that would be the end of the school year, which would considerably simplify the loosening of restrictions.

Just to clarify, the only thing you didn't do was multiply by 100. 214 / 12 924 = .01655583411 0.01655583411 x 100 = 1.655 or 1.66%

Anti-vax posts have been removed - start an anti - vax thread if need be - but keep them out of the COVID 19 thread. Rants have also been removed. This has been a valuable thread that is needlessly evolving into anti-vax rhetoric. Do not private message me - my explanation is clear.

18 flu deaths since September. https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/flu-deaths-in-manitoba-climb-as-latest-number-released-1.4812910 The first confirmed COVID 19 case in MB was only 3 weeks ago. Now that we have health care workers and the elderly in personal care homes testing positive for COVID 19, things will escalate quickly.

That's terrible. My uncle was a patient there a couple years ago - first rate medical facility.

Not the point - I’m just saying some pieces are already there for a more diversified economy.

Sheep are huge too - the market for lamb is growing every year and wool is making a come back. But as you say, people have to start thinking outside the oil box.

Agreed - there's not too much wrong with Alberta's Ag sector. In particular, they have an excellent climate (chinooks) for ranches and feedlots. No reason why Alberta can't be a 'steady as she goes' economy like Manitoba.