Unfortunately, you can't apply Kantian ethics with limited resources. Not that any politicians actually think like that.

How about the life of someone who lost their jobs/got laid off due to shutdown? Do they not matter?

Shutdown is a short term solution where you are suspecting everyone simply because you don't know, but you can't do this forever as you need people to go out and spend money on things other than grocery to collect taxes and encourage the cash flow. It's like throwing everyone in the prison because there is a potential we can all be criminals.

I can only hope that we can get enough testing kits. At least that can help more accurately pinpoint who has the virus and who doesn't.

I too own a landscaping and landscape maintenance company. 75% of our work is strata/commercial maintenance including irrigation maintenance. The other 25% is construction/installations.

Pretty confident at least the strata/commercial maintenance side is deemed essential by line #13 but we will know more when BC goes that route with a phone call. The construction side will surely be shut down tho.

Agreed, even in healthcare system alone, there are only so many test kits, only so many ventilators, only so many beds in a hospital. Who do you save? The ones with highest probability of survival? Then you have to think of patients outside of Covid19 pandemic, patients with existing conditions waiting for procedures. You have to make choices. It's Jonathan Mills consequentialism ethics time.

You guys seem to think shutting down is the only path that has a negative economic impact.

What happens to the economy when something like 30-50% of your population is incapacitated for 2-6 weeks and 10% of your population die?

I don't think anyone at Revscene is saying that we should do nothing, and I personally think that shutdown is a solution in the short run. I just don't think shutting everything down will be the ultimate solution until a vaccine is commercially available. Again, the emphasis has been on balance.

People die from all sorts of things, unfortunately, like car crashes and plane crashes, but did we ever ban driving and flying? We target those who are at high risk and restrict them, but we don't restrict most people or everyone from doing so. This is where the testing kits can come in handy, but I am not sure if we can get enough of them. If we do, that can be a great help.

No more or less dangerous than exhaling normally. That same size plume is coming out of your mouth, it's just that it and the microscopic respiratory droplets in it are invisible.

I must say that I am surprised at the personal damage economically this is causing in such a short time. Shutdowns, lay offs have only been weeks, not even months. In terms of personal finance, what happened to the wisdom of having 2-3 months of cash for a rainy day. This is that rainy day.

I'm actually finding myself spending a whole lot less so the emergency fund should last 3-4 months, I mean it's paired down to rent, groceries, hardly anything on gas (so low anyhow), ICBC (cancelled on the other car), no going out to eat (saving lots).

No one is thinking this far yet. I'm sure we will all bounce back.... in 6 month's time.

Right now, people are still dealing with what to do when I'm at home...syndrome... good luck thinking 6 weeks ahead.

Any guesses on when full shut down will be? It's like 8 am and I still see ppl lining up outside grocery stores and all the bums on East hastings are still standing 2 feet apart:heckno:

I don't really see the problem in that if these people are staying in their cars and just driving around.

It's if they're getting out and hanging out in a group that's a problem.

You're a responsible person, many others are not and either live paycheque to paycheque and/or on heavy credit living beyond their means.
This is really going to weed out those people, and unfortunately bailing them out will be on the backs of the responsible ones like you and I.

I would like to assume that people are that smart. I've already seen pictures of cruises where they explicitly say 'social distancing will be observed'. Then the next picture is of the 'driver safety meeting', and everyone is standing right next to each other FailFish

Our gas station is down 30% to 40% and it's only going to get worse. We could shut down right now and we still would be financially fine. But what about other businesses? It might be better to lock almost everything down for 2 to 3 weeks and get everything under control and then fire everything back up instead letting this drag on for months.

Well now this is concerning...

https://globalnews.ca/news/6720551/j...-support-bill/

From the same article:

There was a group meet in Victoria about two weeks back IIRC. I wasn't there but I saw a short clip of people hanging out. I doubt something like this could happen now.

Group drive(stay in the car) is fine IMO.

Even with a draconian lockdown like China, 2-3 weeks are a very naive thought. If things are this simple we'd be doing that already.

It may be me but maybe you should replace the M in your username with P.

^ They have since rescinded that. I was waiting for an article to be published first, otherwise it would just be hearsay.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/par...tion-1.5507797

I really hope no Canadian chose to stay in the US :heckno:

These sweeping tax laws are exactly the same thing that happened in WW2 etc.

Income tax proposed as a temporary measure to support war efforts, well, we know how that went. Scary honestly.

India is on Lockdown for 21 days. You can't leave your house.

I'm off to Costco and a few other places wish me luck!

Maybe you and Welfare can go on a Costco shopping date. Have some hot dogs and share a poutine all while discussing your diverging political views.

Bit dramatic there.

Anyone looking to defer mortgage or car payments a colleague at work said he was able to login to his lenders website and defer them through the online system for both rather than waiting on hold for hours etc

I mean this is why Casino's and Cruise Ships closed their doors before mandated to do so, it wasn't profitable to operate at the low numbers they were getting they saved more money just closing down rather than pay staff to operate at way below capacity or the number of guests required to turn a profit.

We have a saying in my office, sometimes we make more money on the projects we don't get and by that they mean if you can't get it for the right price the bottom line will be better off not doing it at all.

I think the fact that it was even attempted is cause for concern.
Give it another month. could be just dipping a toe in the water.

Watching the varying responses to this virus from different countries has been very interesting.
India started with a 14 hour lockdown. Kind of get the citizens used to the idea and see how that goes.
Now 21 days. Reassess the situation afterward.
I think it's very smart.

I personally wouldn't be going to a Costco at this point. Mind you, I'm not sure of your alternatives where you are.
Make your trips few and far between at least, if you must.