Discussions

Don't be so sure.    
Was only two weeks ago in the middle of all of the noise that a small percentage of the population was making with the protest that this poll came out where 71% of folks in Manitoba and Saskatchewan went as far as agreeing that it's a good idea to for at least the next year or two require people to get vaccinated to avoid another major outbreak:  

Updated chart, noticed an error in the main chart pic.twitter.com/zjC1OkbK3r

&mdash: David Coletto (@DavidColetto) February 14, 2022

 
Obviously that requirement isn't there, but the poll to me speaks to just how many people continue to have the bigger picture of the pandemic in mind and how there will probably be an array of tolerances and expectations in folks for some time. 

Fine needle to thread for a lot of businesses, especially restaurants. The customers gained or lost with going full tilt wide-open right away versus a more measured approach is going to be anything but an exact science.  

After two years and with hospitalizations still not what you'd call low there will be people including our household that simply won't be going fully back to normal right away. Quite optimistic about the direction things are headed... but we'll gradually open up to more, watch the numbers and make decisions on what's best for us. For the next while that'll include going to places that continue to show a level of sensitivity to the fact that to many this is a transition and not an on-off switch.

That seems like a reasonable approach by the Jets as opposed to flicking the switch full-tilt right away.  Latest convoy sounds like another attempt for a minority to try to look like they represent more than what they actually do. Not that anti vaxxers are the only ones looking  forward to moving on, but it does seem that some within that crowd are trying extra hard to push the process more than I suspect a lot of folks are ready for it to be pushed. There shouldn't be any need for confrontations. Haven't read a lot about what's planned, but maybe folks coming for the game will just need to allow a few more minutes to get parked and then they're on their way to enjoy the show. 
 
One thing I’ll be looking for is what ways businesses or events might continue to express encouragement for a Covid-friendly environment. A simple “though no longer required, we continue to strongly recommend vaccination in accordance with public health advice and welcome the use of masks” can go a long way in signalling to someone like myself that a business or event is trying to find the right balance through what is a transition for so many of us.

It may be better to make a list of the ones that are still enforcing as it will be a shorter list!

I don't think anyone has the crystal ball. Imagine there's going to be quite the variety by business type, business owner preference, what business owner knows about their customers/clients and in the case of franchised businesses the policy from head office. Thinking back to the summer, we did a road trip to the West coast through provinces that had lifted mask mandates but one popular fast food restaurant was still requiring masks on all of their employees in all of their restaurants. Wouldn't be surprised to still see the same for a while. 

Link below is a few weeks old from Alberta and based on Calgary Chamber of Commerce, but speaks to some schools of though that will be out there in at least some businesses including the importance of consumer confidence and perception of a safe environment:  
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6344564

Sucks that some relationships had to get fractured because of some of the damaging conspiracy theories that took advantage of some folks, but not all that concerned about wider division when it comes to vax status even though we saw a relatively small percentage make a lot of noise last month. Attachment below has regularly made the rounds on social media over the past year or so especially. Puts into perspective the incongruence between “division” narratives that have been floated.  
 

To me this is about a sort of re-integration with the vaxless+maskless(March 15) and coming to acceptance with:  

-that you generally won’t know the vaccine status of who you’re sharing space and unobstructed air with  
-that wider risks associated with sharing that air will according to public health experts no longer be what they once were   thanks to the way the virus has progressed, to the 80%+ who have gotten vaccinated and of course the amazing efforts of folks in our health care system who I imagine will still be dealing with extra challenges of this for some time yet.  
 
It’ll lead to a transition to a sort of ignorance is bliss way of living when it comes to vax status, so long as there’s confidence in the wider public health environment. For us that confidence is still probably weeks-to-maybe-months away but will check the numbers on March 15 when the mask mandate is off and go from there. Not a lot of time in this short life to go around judging, but will make our decisions accordingly as far as masking, where we go and who we spend time with. This is where to me seeing a business still for a period of time encourage following public health advice on vaccination, expressing welcomeness for masks after March 15 and keeping the plexiglass up goes a long way. For restaurants I’ll personally still have a strong preference for food prepped with mask on as much as I know those hot kitchens can suck!  
 
In the shorter term the real chance for division to me has less to do with vax status and more to do with the fact we’ll have folks from many different walks that will be doing this at all different paces and some wanting to force their pace of change on others. Tolerance and understanding for that difference in pace will go a long way along with showing the courtesy of personal space, arm sneezing, staying at home when sick, hand washing and such.  
 
Just hope that the not-yet-vaxxed are keeping in back of mind that things really could change in the blink of an eye with another serious future variant as much as I think everyone can agree that we hope to never see that day. A reminder that you can get facts on vaccines from a Manitoba perspective included benefits of being fully vaxxed and boosted at http://www.protectmb.ca