Dear Editor:
RE: Freedoms diminished, April 2.
You speak of freedom, and your inherent rights as a Canadian citizen being compromised by the government’s management of the COVID-19 crisis.
You mention church closures specifically, your freedoms to assemble and worship curtailed, and the role church plays as a hallmark community institution. I’ll agree with you regarding your mention of government sanctioned and owned operations such as the LCBO remaining open. Yes, this also strikes me as a bit of a provincial money grab, however they are operating under strict health and safety regulations, allowing only one to two shoppers at a time, while an employee handles all of the items to be purchased by any individual, greatly minimizing risk of transmission.
Can you say the same for a church? Can you tell me that your priest or pastor would take steps to ensure that only one or two parishioners were allowed to enter the building at any given time, ensuring that no one embraces or shakes hands, that no pews, bibles, or donation boxes are touched by anyone other than those individuals employed by the church, and that all surfaces would be sufficiently sanitized afterwards? I think not.
I’m not religious, but I do concur that you should have the right to practice your faith freely, and in a safe space. Let’s assume that your church and others did remain open. Are you telling me that you would happily risk the lives of your fellow faithfuls to congregate in mass, just so you could satisfy your unreasonable need to pray in a specific location? Doesn’t faith begin at home?
My husband is a first responder in Toronto – on the front lines, and seeing more and more COVID-19 cases each and every single day. Toronto isn’t far. We’re not immune to the ramifications of this virus, even in our rural communities.
Please, for the sake of your loved ones and neighbours, remember that your faith and devotion to humanity should feel just as important as personal acts of piety.
Please stay home. Help flatten the curve.
Dominique Fitzpatrick,
Fergus