If this is the way it had to be to safeguard ourselves, our families and society from a devasting virus, then so be it. Back then, and it seems like a lifetime ago, it appeared that we would go through a period of short-term pain for long-term gain. I saw the common sense to the decision.

Because of that shutdown decision, it appeared that Saskatchewan was going to be relatively unscathed by the virus, comparatively speaking. Our infection numbers were low, hospitalizations were lower than expected, and although one death from the virus was one too many, for a long period of time our death rate was minimal.

I bragged to family and friends in other provinces how well we were doing. I applauded our government for its action and ranted about the fools who didn’t take the virus seriously and violated the health restrictions.

However, after examining the newly imposed restrictions, I question the government’s recent actions. Unlike the spring lockdown, the new restrictions defy logic.

By example, kids can go to school where they interact with dozens of other students from dozens of other households, some of whom will be careful and following the restrictions and others less so. And you can take your kids to a public museum or art gallery.

But these same kids could not go to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for Christmas dinner.

This makes little sense to me, aside from possibly keeping grandparents safe. But families will make that decision on their own accord out of concern for their loved ones, young and old.

I share a Christmas luncheon with three lady friends, all of whom are terrified of catching COVID and incredibly careful about entering public spaces.

This year we decided to do a at-home potluck rather than go to a restaurant because it would be safer. The new restrictions prohibited us from doing that, but we could still go to a public restaurant, sit at a table, remove our masks and enjoy a holiday lunch.

And I can take my family to a restaurant for dinner, but can’t prepare dinner in my own home. This makes no sense to me at all.

We can still go to retail stores where social distancing is sometimes difficult (although I do applaud some of the smaller stores for limiting the number of people who can enter at any given time) and in all instances hand sanitizer is available at the door. (I do try and shop locally rather than online only to help local businesses survive the pandemic.)

And you can still get a haircut, massage, or tattoo. You can still go drink in a bar and go to a nightclub. But you can’t go to visit your family at their home.

And what about the idiots protesting the restrictions by gathering by the hundreds, unmasked, and standing shoulder to shoulder.

Worse yet are the people attending those rallies with children in tow. They espouse their individual constitutional right to assemble without any regard to the rights and protections of the whole society. But what is the point to having regulations passed when enforcement of those restrictions is a hit and miss?

Why wouldn’t police issue tickets to every person attending the rally without wearing a mask and social distancing and let the courts define the rights and responsibilities of attendees? Issuing a fine to the organizers was a joke, since people kicked in to pay the $2,800 fines and there was no consequence to the organizers. How about a $28,000 ticket?

So, why could police have come to my door and issue a fine for having my family to Christmas dinner, but hesitate to fine protesters for violation of health restrictions?

And who came up with the magic number of five per household? If today’s average family consists of four people, do grandma and grandpa draw straws as to who can be the magic number five?

Well, that is a moot point since the new restriction is now household members only unless you are living alone, then you can join a household if the number of residents is fewer than five.

Clearly, this was not a well thought out decision. And clearly this restriction was violated on Christmas and the city does not have enough police officers to enforce the restriction.

The point is, the recently announced restrictions do not make any sense to the public. If the government’s new restrictions are truly about public health and safety, then shut the city down in the same manner it did last spring.

No one will be happy, but if people can process the common sense of the decision and know it is in the public’s best interest, they will accept, albeit unhappily, that decision.

But I suspect government no doubt feels caught in an impossible position of balancing public safety and keeping the economy afloat.

I further suspect the newest restrictions were supposed to be the happy medium to that end. However, the public might have been more accepting if reasoning prevailed. No one wants to see family and friends unemployed and struggling, and no one wants to see family and friends sick and/or dying from this virus.

Perhaps the government could have shown a little faith that the majority public will do the right thing regarding Christmas gatherings out of concern for their own families.

For Christmas 2020, rather than singing “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth” we sang “all I want for Christmas is a COVID vaccine.”

But a new year is on the horizon and although your Christmas may not have been merry and bright this year, every new year brings hope for a better future.

More so than in any other yuletide season, I sincerely wish each and every one an especially healthy 2021!

-Elaine Hnatyshyn