“Come out with your hands washed!”
That’s one of the many memes you’ll find on social media these days. It shows a couple of law enforcement officers, armed to the teeth and pointing their rifles at what is presumably an individual not following the new procedures regarding social distancing and general cleanliness in this new world we call our own.
Is it realistic?
A month ago, we all would have called it ridiculous, but can we now?
A couple weeks ago we all thought those public health protocols were just suggestions and the enforcement of those suggestions was far-fetched, to say the least.
The Alberta government announced those enforcement measures March 27, so individuals now face fines of $1,000 per offense and businesses can see fines range up to $500,000 if deemed suitable by a court.
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken said the fines would likely be “very limited in use,” and were more of a way of capturing the attention of the public.
That’s good news and we can all hope that is the case, but if this situation gets worse, are we going to be able to take a stand and where do we, as citizens of a free society, draw the line?
We already stand on the edge of a police state as it is — with all the surveillance and artificial intelligence and tracking software out there, it could already be argued that our free society is just a fallacy.
Some think the government telling us to wash our hands is already an affront to our freedom. And being told how far to stand away from someone is a travesty beyond words. It’s the first step onto a slippery slope, they say, and at this point, we can’t tell if they’re right.
What’s going to happen when the authorities kick in your front door to take an ailing relative away to some coronavirus retreat? And what are you going to do when you find out it was your neighbour who told them?
We can’t let this break us, we’ve come too far, but we need to abide by the rules. We need to get rid of this thing and start enjoying the freedom we are entitled to, but be wary, and always stand on guard.
This experiment is fragile, handle with care.
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