Have faith in the medical experts

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2020 (2097 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a matter of faith.

For the clergy and congregations of nearly 50 places of worship who are demanding the province lift pandemic restrictions on religious gatherings, the issue is the freedom to assemble and worship in their traditional ways.

For the provincial government led by Premier Brian Pallister, it’s a matter of believing in the science and medical expertise that have allowed Manitoba to elude, for the most part, the deadly ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As is inevitably the case when divergent belief systems are forced into close proximity, conflict has arisen — in this instance, over the question of whether restrictions aimed at mitigating Manitoba’s COVID-19 exposure are a betrayal of faith communities’ freedoms as guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Pastor Mark Reimer of Grace Life Church in Beausejour is one of the instigators of a petition drive under the heading of Reopen Manitoba Churches; in his view, the province should let individual places of worship decide what’s best for their congregations.

“We generally accept there are some risks to how we live,” Mr. Reimer said last week, while asserting that the chances of contracting COVID-19 in Manitoba are currently lower than the risk of being killed in a car crash. “It could be up to the individual (to decide) what’s the risk of catching this. We do this all the time during flu season. … Our argument is that the threat to health isn’t significant enough to supersede the Charter.”

For his part, Mr. Pallister is urging the signatories of the Reopen Manitoba Churches petition to exercise a bit more of the biblical virtue known as patience as this province continues its so-far-successful navigation of the pandemic that has to date claimed nearly half a million lives worldwide.

The premier also took time to remind the religious groups that setting health policy lies outside their jurisdiction and is, instead, the purview of chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin and the medical experts upon whom he relies for guidance.

“I think it would be in the best interests of all of us to show respect for that and to make sure all of us (are) working together to protect our own health and the health of others,” he said.

On this subject, Mr. Pallister finds himself metaphorically on the side of the angels. His judgment in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis has not been flawless — particularly with respect to the timing and magnitude of his government’s financial-relief efforts during the pandemic — but Manitoba’s measured but determined public-health effort has made this province’s handling of the coronavirus threat one of the legitimate success stories in a truly tragic year.

Manitoba’s move into Phase 3 of pandemic recovery allows for increased — but not unlimited — gathering sizes, which gives churches and other places of worship latitude to take another in a gradual series of steps toward resumption of “normal” ceremonies and assemblies. There is no question pandemic restrictions have created great hardship for faith communities, but the reason the COVID-19 effort has been effective since the mid-March shutdown is that Manitobans have believed the experts and followed their advice to stay at home, maintain physical distance and adhere to hygiene guidelines.

To paraphrase Dr. Roussin, now is not the time to abandon a successful strategy.

This will end; that much we can all believe. But it will take time, and tolerance, and faith. Perhaps Romans 12:12 sums it up best: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”