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Niagara Falls
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
OPINION: Snowbirds, ‘get out of the store now’

Syme Jago
Special to The Lake Report

Twice in the past week, I interacted, in a manner, with people who had just returned from stays in Florida and aren’t isolating themselves because they “feel fine.”

The first case was Thursday at Shoppers Drug Mart in Garrison Village. 

I heard an exchange between a customer and a clerk. It seems the customer was asking for something medicinal in nature and said, “I just got back from Florida yesterday …”  at which point the clerk wisely said, “You need to leave the store NOW.”

The customer, “Oh, it’s OK. I feel fine.”

To which the clerk responded: “Please, get out of the store now. You are supposed to be in isolation and you are now jeopardizing everyone in this store.”

The woman’s indignant answer was, “You could be a little nicer about it.”

She left and waited outside.

I was sitting in my car when I realized her husband had stayed in the store to shop and then walked out and met her. They walked home toward the Village!

I wanted to yell at them that I have friends living in the village and would they please stay in their darn house!

Then, on Saturday, we heard about a farm owner who has just returned from Florida and is going to the farm and interacting with all his staff. Both field workers and office staff!

The staff are not happy about it, but need to keep their jobs.

This man lives locally so I am concerned that both he and his wife could be out and about in town instead of self-isolating.

We’ve been living in this wonderful, safe little bubble here in Niagara-on-the-Lake where it seems everyone has been doing their bit to protect all of us. But now if the “inconsiderate” among us start coming back from the United States and elsewhere, and doing these kinds of things, what chance do we have?

People need to self-isolate and accept the simple inconvenience of not being able to socialize for two weeks. They could become sick, even if they feel fine now, or they could be carriers.

Snowbirds and others returning to town need to do the right thing.

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