The world was first introduced to COVID-19 just over two years ago. Here in Vancouver, British Columbia, we have been coexisting with the Coronaviruses for the better part of the past 19 months. Globally, we have all had to adapt and adjust ourselves to living in “The New Norm” moving forward. From mandatory mask wearing, to social distancing ourselves from one another, to washing our hands 100x/day, life has been a little strange to say the least. When the vaccines were first administered, there was hope that we as a civilization were headed in the right direction to finally ending this Global Pandemic. Most of us (Anti-Vaxxers excluded) lined up and waited anxiously for our first and second vaccination shots so that we would be able to visit with our friends and loved ones again, return to our social lives by going to restaurants and sporting events, and strengthen our own immune systems against this deadly virus. We were told that if we continued to wear a mask, wash our hands and maintain a safe distance (6 feet to be exact) from each other, that we would be saving lives. We were told that if we signed up to get our vaccination shots, the less deadly the virus would become. And we were told that if we all complied with the COVID-19 Safety Rules and Guidelines, the faster this Pandemic would end.
As of today, Thursday, December 23rd, 2021 (2 years, 1 month and 6 days since the first known case of the coronavirus) I am sitting in my office writing this blog in an EMPTY gym because gyms in British Columbia have been forced to close our doors once again, due to the recent surge in COVID cases.
Looking back over these past 19+ months, I can’t help but wonder, were we lied to? Does wearing a mask do anything at all? Did I really need to go out and spend thousands of dollars on hand sanitizers for our gym? Could I have visited with my parents more then I was recommended/allowed to see them? Has the vaccination shot done anything at all?
Enter Omicron
I never played video games much as a kid, however I remember the ones that I did play usually had bad guys that needed to be defeated. And I also recall that at the end of each “level” there was a big bad guy known as “The Boss” that you as a player needed to defeat before moving on to the next level. “The Boss” was much stronger than the regular bad guys. He/She was a better fighter, had more weapons, and was incredibly difficult to conquer. In fact, it would usually take me 4-5 attempts until I was able to eventually beat “The Boss”. And each time I lost, my character in the video game would die.
I woke up this morning feeling as if I was living in one of those video games from my childhood. COVID-19 and it’s variants have been invading our lives and have been causing death, turmoil and destruction since their arrival. And just when you start to feel that you are moving ahead in this game, a new “Boss” stops you dead in your tracks and throws you back down to square one. However this isn’t a video game. And you don’t get numerous attempts to beat “The Boss”. In real life, when you die, you don’t get to hit reset and come back and try again. That’s it. The show is over. The lights are off. You lose, you die.
So when the first Omicron case was announced a few weeks ago, a new variant that has been described as being more transmissible than the Delta variant, there was a new cause for concern. As I write this blog, we do not know for certain how deadly this variant is or will become. However, here in British Columbia, Canada, as well as many other provinces across Canada, we have been asked/told to take additional precaution in protecting our health by closing our gyms. The problem that I have with this latest restriction though is that going to the gym actually promotes health. Therefore I’m confused as to why our Health Officers would take away the very thing that could help people fight off COVID-19 and its variants. Yes, healthy people get infected with the virus everyday. However I would like to see the science, data and research, that claims that all of these healthy and fit people are dying from the virus. I mean, I was told at the beginning of this Pandemic, that the stronger my immune system was, the better chance I would have at fighting off this infection.
Was this a lie as well?
Questioning The Science
Now ofcourse the argument could be made that we healthier people who do workout and exercise on a regular basis can still carry the COVID-19 virus and infect others who are either immunocompromised or live fairly sedentary lifestyles. And I completely understand this. I also understand that the majority of us will eventually become infected with this new strain of variant if we haven’t become infected already. And I know our Health Care System is already overwhelmed and a massive spike in COVID cases could amplify our capacity shortfalls. I just don’t know if taking away something has powerful as fitness and exercise is the answer to our problems. I mean I could write an entire blog about the benefits of regular exercise on one’s physical and mental health alone. And after living through this Pandemic for 2 years, with a virus that is more dangerous towards a weakened immune system, wouldn’t most people agree that our physical and mental health is more important now than ever before?
So What Do We Do Now?
Well for now, I personally am going to continue to support our Doctors, Scientists and Health Care Workers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly frustrated. My business has been impacted greatly from these latest restrictions. I’m concerned for our clients’ mental and physical wellbeing. These people, like many other people who care about their health and fitness, have no place to go where they can release the everyday stresses of their careers, relationships, and not to mention, living through this Global Pandemic. For many people, the gym is their sanctuary and their workouts are therapeutic for them. If the closure of gyms is what it takes to help slow down the infection rate and is the answer to ending this Pandemic quicker, then I will retract my following statement. But for now, my stance is clear:
I DO NOT believe that closing gyms and taking away a person’s right to work on their health and their fitness is the answer. In fact, I believe that this is ultimately going to cause more harm than good in the long term.
“If you speak your mind you’ll be hated, if you say what they want you to say then they own you.”
Dakota Ace Hardin
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance