Details of virus locations welcome Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, Sep. 11, 2020

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/09/2020 (1570 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When we get behind the wheel of a car, it’s wise to proceed with caution. In the same breath, studies suggest driving too cautiously can be equally hazardous.

That’s a lesson to be remembered by the province and public health department, which have exercised an overabundance of caution in keeping Manitobans — especially those in Winnipeg — informed about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the novel coronavirus arrived, the province has faced criticism for being reluctant to provide an anxious public with detailed information on where positive cases are being reported.

The government took a step in the right direction on Friday, when its website began disclosing specific geographical information on where in Winnipeg people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus live.

Health Minister Cameron Friesen and Manitoba’s chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, announced case counts for Winnipeg will be divided into 12 health districts so the public can see how many active and recovered cases, hospitalizations and deaths there are in different parts of the city.

The change deserves support, but it also raises questions about why it took so long for the province to realize the public not only has the right to such information, but a clear-cut need to know facts that can help protect them, their families and their businesses amid an unprecedented health crisis.

In providing Winnipeggers with a better idea of where the virus is active, health officials are finally bringing Manitoba’s capital city in line with sprawling health regions outside its borders, where district-by-district COVID-19 case numbers have been provided since August.

“Manitobans have repeatedly said they want more and more information,” Dr. Roussin said in announcing the more-detailed Winnipeg information. “This is just another step in that direction.”

When the government treated Winnipeg’s huge population base as a single health district for reporting purposes, the pandemic situation was frustratingly obscure. For example, the public is only now being told about an outbreak at Health Sciences Centre that began in March.

In doling out information in dribs and drabs, the province has expressed concerns about privacy issues. Dr. Roussin has tried not to identify companies or communities where outbreaks have occurred. For instance, Hutterite colonies have been referred to as “communal living situations” to prevent them from being stigmatized, and he declined to identify Maple Leaf Foods, where more than 70 people connected to the Brandon plant have tested positive.

Such privacy concerns should not trump health warnings in a pandemic that is claiming lives and leaving financial ruin in its wake. It is unacceptable and potentially dangerous to leave citizens in the dark.

Agreeing to give Winnipeggers a clearer picture of the virus is an about-face for the province’s chief medical officer, but it’s a step that should have been taken earlier in this crisis.

Being overly cautious in releasing detailed information not only has the potential to heighten the health risk, it disrespects the public’s right to know, and the public’s ability to make its own decisions.

The province is fond of repeating its coronavirus mantra: “We’re all in this together.” If that’s truly the case, they should treat the rest of us as an equal partner.