Robin Sears writes that pandemic fatigue is setting in:
Public health officials have raised alarms almost daily about the risks of letting our guard down, or re-opening without clear safeguards. Yet Canadians have volunteered to talk show hosts that they are weary of hand washing, sanitizing and staying home. So far we have avoided the impact of this COVID-19 fatigue sending caseloads soaring again, as is happening in the American South. But there are limits to everyone’s willingness to put much of their life on hold.
The base level of stress and anxiety that the lockdown has inflicted on nearly everyone is draining. Widespread reports of sleep disruption, distraction and fatigue attest to the hidden costs of COVID-19. The fatigue leads to indecision and anxiety, driving the cycle around again. You can see the impact everywhere.
The fatigue is setting in just as people are in the streets demanding meaningful structural change:
Then there is the contrast of the massive high energy anti-racism street protests around the world. Will they also begin to fade? Perhaps not. By the end of this week the shift in Americans views of police violence was dramatic according to several polls. Being an American election year may mean real legislated change is possible. In Canada, there have been too many politicians and police leaders who bristle at the suggestion that we have systemic problems to acknowledge and address, too. Our political response so far has been somewhat tone-deaf.
The danger is that, just as we are on the cusp of real, sweeping change, we may choose to lay down and go back to sleep. Knowing how to orchestrate change is critical:
Tommy Douglas always encouraged young radicals to lead from the front. He always added the caution to ensure that you are not so far in front that you have left your supporters far behind. A strategy of “étapisme,” that Quebec sovereigntists used to defend their cautious pace to their most radical base, ‘step by step,’ can be an excuse for inaction. But demands for the impossible — like defunding police services — merely pushback the delivery of what is actually achievable. It is a tough balance to find and maintain.
We are, as they say, at an inflection point.
Image: Harvard Health - Harvard University
