Jeff Green | Dec 02, 2020


It is not uncommon for editorials we run to seem logical when they are written, but end up being proven to have been misguided, after a bit of time has passed.

Last week, however, that editorial “Yellow zoned out” started to be shaky before it was even printed. When it was written, on Tuesday, November 23, the case rate in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington for the preceding 7 days was 1.9 per 100,000 and only 0.18% of the tests done in the region over the previous week had been positive for the virus.

The yellow restriction zone is not supposed to kick in until the case rate is over 10 per 100,000 and the test-positivity rate is over 0.5%.

That was Tuesday.

By the time the editorial was published, on Thursday, the numbers had shifted. There were 8 new cases on November 25, 6 more on the 26th, and the 7 day case rate, and positivity testing rate, were both heading towards the yellow line.

It was becoming clear that the point of the yellow zone, to encourage people to exercise caution, was a good one for this region, as well as for the rest of the Province, where case rates are spiking.

Since then, there have been 4 cases in Central Frontenac and 1 in South Frontenac, underlining that COVID is indeed everywhere.

Happily, the numbers have settled down a bit in the latter part of the weekend and Monday, but nonetheless by Monday, the 7-day case rate in KFL&A was 10.3 per 100,000 and the positivity rate was up to 0.49%. Basically, we are in the yellow zone.

But there is more that was wrong with last week’s editorial than timing. The best planning for COVID-19, worldwide, has been to take precautions before the numbers spike out of control.

Moving into a yellow zone for 28 days, in order to keep our businesses open, even on a restricted basis, through the important pre-Christmas season, is a pretty reasonable measure, all things considered. Even if the case rate fluctuates from day to day or week to week.

We have been lucky thus far in this region. And even with the increased caseload last week, we are still very lucky.

(As far as the cases at the Sharbot Lake Subway Store and the Sharbot Lake Ultramar/Square Boy Pizza, both stores are now open, after receiving the go-ahead from Public Health. At least one of the employees has been given the green light to go back to work from Public Health)

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