As Kids, We Thought Newfoundland Would Be The Best Place to Be When The World Ended. We Were Wrong.
Picture this: An island on the eastern edge of North America with a population density of roughly 1.4 people per square kilometre and a total population of about half a million people.
In a world currently obsessed with social distancing, this island sounds like a pretty great place to wait out the pandemic, right? Growing-up in Newfoundland, my friends and I thought the same thing. Of course, we always talked about it in terms of the zombie apocalypse (at the time, I don’t think zombies could cross large bodies of water according to the movies, which is why we left Labrador out of the equation), but in some ways I think the scenario still holds when talking about COVID-19.
Compared to other provinces, such as Ontario with a population density of 14 people per square kilometre and a population of over 14 million or Quebec with a population density of 8 people per square kilometre and a population of over 8 million people, Newfoundland has been practicing social distancing in some form or another for a long, long time.
Outside of travelling further north, the island looks great on paper, especially if you still want to maintain access to healthcare facilities and other amenities. However, like most things being judged by figures and numbers instead of reality, the truth is a little different.
On March 15th, months after many countries and even other provinces in Canada had detected it, COVID-19 appeared in the province. Less than a month later, the total number of cases is 232 and climbing. The province has also reported two deaths, and it’s very likely there will be more in the coming months.
Why didn’t my childhood prediction of Newfoundland being a great panic room during a worldwide catastrophe prove to be true?
Well, as is the case in every town, province, state, country, etc., there are many reasons why things have not been going well back home, but I suspect one of the biggest ones is the people themselves.
For quite some time now, Newfoundlanders (there’s a short-hand version of the name, but it’s best that you don’t use it unless you’re from there) have been known for coming together in times of tragedy. Whether it’s the massive snowstorm dubbed “Snowmageddon” that hit the province just earlier this year or the closing of the cod fishery in 1992, Newfoundlanders have faced hard times and navigated through them together. Not only that, they’ve also showed their hospitality to countless others in need, no matter where they called home. In fact, there’s even a best-selling broadway musical about the role the island played in 9/11.
But now, when faced with a pandemic that has shutdown so much of the world, the people of my home province are being asked to do the one thing they’re not used to doing in times of distress: keep their distance.
When you tell people known for their friendliness to simply keep to themselves and stay home, there’s bound to be confusion and pushback. With a culture built around kitchen parties and chatting with your neighbour (or maybe even a stranger simply looking for directions), self-isolation isn’t how The Rock rolls. In fact, it’s the sort of thing we criticize the rest of the world for as they stare at the sidewalks and disappear into the “swarmin’, faceless crowds” in the big cities.
Of course, those crowds have mostly vanished now as some of the busiest places in the world have been rendered ghost towns by the one foreigner who Newfoundlanders truly don’t want to open their homes up to. People everywhere have found themselves having to slow down, avoid the daily commute, spend time with their immediate families, and simply wait as those on the front lines keep us fed, healthy, and informed.
For many Newfoundlanders, enjoying the little things and keeping in touch with their family isn’t a change from the everyday, and I hope that’s still the case whenever we all get back to our regular routines. However, given the numbers, it’s obvious that one thing that needs to change is that folks need to stop going where their friends and family are at and stay where they’re already to instead.
So, for all of those I know and love back home and everyone else that lives on that piece of rock on the edge of North America, all I can say is this:
For da l’uv of all d’ats ‘oly, keep your arse at home now, la? Da longer you keeps fartin’ around w’it ur nonsense, da longer I ‘as ta wait until I can g’it back safely, and Mudder would prefer d’at it ‘appens sooner rad’er than later b’ys.
Sincerely,
Ryan
