New Brunswick’s pandemic management has been a great source of pride for its residents, including myself. Deemed one of the safest places in the world throughout the pandemic, I feel happy for my home province—a province that does not often get recognition.
Lockdown restrictions were lifted in May of 2020. That night, I walked to my friend’s house, and we made up for lost time. We watched movies, laughed, and roasted vegetarian hotdogs on a bonfire. I was overjoyed, and I began to see the possibilities I had discounted like having a high school graduation, going to university in the fall and seeing my friends from across the globe.
As outbreaks continuously emerge across the globe, I have felt safe in our nature-filled oasis.
I won’t pretend that we have been exempt from the effects of the pandemic. Just after our lockdown, there was an outbreak in Campbellton, leading to a few weeks of heavier restrictions in the northern health zone. The outbreak did not affect other regions and afterwards, New Brunswick generally had no new cases per day. Because of our province’s strict isolation policy, COVID-19 did not spread.
Last July, the Atlantic Bubble was opened and we no longer had to quarantine within Atlantic provinces. My family took a trip to Prince Edward Island to visit friends. The summer months had become so ‘normal’ that my friends and I often discussed how lockdown seemed like a distant memory and we almost forgot that there was an ongoing pandemic. For the longest time, we did not have to wear masks and there were very few restrictions on gathering sizes and how businesses operated.
By the end of the summer, I opted not to travel to Carleton in the fall. The situation in the rest of Canada seemed uncertain at best, and I had the luxury of leading a fairly normal life in New Brunswick.
In the middle of October, a few outbreaks emerged. In early November, there was an outbreak in my own town and a few people I know contracted the virus. The Atlantic Bubble closed, and we were all reminded of the harsh realities of COVID-19—realities we had long since forgotten.
In Scandinavia, there is an unspoken rule of communal responsibility called janteloven (a Norwegian term). It is why, even at the height of the pandemic, many regions in Scandinavia did not lock down but trusted their citizens to be safe and to only come into contact with those absolutely necessary. While New Brunswick does not have the health infrastructure to rely on this philosophy, I do believe communal responsibility played a large role in COVID-19 not getting out of hand in my province.
As outbreaks continued to emerge across New Brunswick after the December holiday season, the government had no qualms about locking down specific regions—and for the most part, citizens respected the rules. I believe the small province and close-knit community-feel helped in mobilizing and motivating New Brunswick’s citizens to stay home when asked, limit contacts and wear a mask.
How are we faring today with the pandemic? We have one of the highest vaccination rates in Canada and are on track to meeting our target of having 75 per cent of our residents fully vaccinated by August 2—though Premier Blaine Higgs estimates that we will reach this target weeks earlier. Once this is achieved, all restrictions will be lifted and our new normal life will ensue.
I hope that more New Brunswickers—and Canadians in general—adopt a keen sense of communal responsibility to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. This is not the time to take on an “every person for themselves” attitude because the past year has proven that COVID can reach even the most isolated communities with the strictest quarantine laws.
If we want to get back to life as we once knew it, we cannot act selfishly in relying on others to do our civic duty.
This blog was edited on July 13 to reflect updated information on COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Featured image by Isabella Stephenson.
