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By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: New policy on community COVID-19 data is a victory for transparency — but a small one

Dec 11, 2020 | 11:50 AM

YOU WON A SMALL VICTORY THIS WEEK and you might not even know it. Let me explain.

Ever since the pandemic arrived here in B.C., we have been fielding a lot of questions from the public about what our province’s government and health officials are doing.

Those questions varied around the symptoms of the virus itself and the restrictions being put in place.

But the Number One question we received was this: Why can’t we know the extent of COVID-19 in our own community?

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Every weekday, the province has reported case counts by health authority.

Health authorities are huge geographic areas, of course. A COVID-19 outbreak in Cranbrook, for example, would spike numbers within Interior Health but would hardly be local for those of us in Kamloops.

Detailed COVID-19 data broken down by community is readily available in many other provinces. Ontario is a good example.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, who is ultimately responsible for this policy, has given several different answers as to why this information is not being disclosed.

At first, Henry said she wanted the public to act as if the virus was everywhere in the province. Data showing it hadn’t reached areas like the North Thompson might cause residents to let their guards down.

This made a little sense when we were seeing a handful of new cases every day — not when we are seeing hundreds of cases every day.

Then, Henry said it was about privacy. Letting residents know there was a confirmed case might make it easy to identify the person who contracted it.

Privacy and transparency are, of course, competing values.

While other provinces tried to hold them in balance, B.C. has swung too far toward the privacy of the few, sacrificing transparency for the rest of us.

Transparency should be a benchmark goal of a free society, almost regardless of consequences.

This week, the province acquiesced and finally decided to provide detailed data updated on a weekly basis instead of monthly.

Because of that shift, we know there were 26 new cases of the virus in Kamloops last week.

It’s not the complete transparency we’re seeking, but it’s a start.

Put that one in the win column.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.