Credit: Mel Rothenburger
ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER – Hot Nite was a welcome break but this pandemic isn’t over

Aug 9, 2021 | 4:18 AM

KAMLOOPS — IT WAS SURREAL to walk downtown on Saturday through the throngs attending Hot Nite in the City. It actually wasn’t hot, with temperatures in the 20s, and it wasn’t night, since it wrapped up at 5, but it was certainly busy.

Really busy. The word ‘surreal’ applies because, while it was real, it was something we haven’t had a chance to experience for almost two years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, we’ve been used to avoiding crowds, staying away from each other. This was like old times.

So, surreal, yes, but also unsettling. There was hardly a mask in sight. Not a hint of social distancing. This was an opportunity to break out of the pandemic stew, and thousands did so.

Families, kids, old folks and dogs happily strolled Victoria Street and the side streets, admiring brightly coloured restorations, newer vehicles and contraptions the origins of which remain a mystery. Music and a sense of celebration were in the air.

Down in Kelowna, the night before, new restrictions were going into effect. Night clubs and bars were closed again, the liquor cutoff for restaurants returned to 10 p.m., and limits on both indoor and outdoor gatherings go into effect again today. Maximum five indoors, maximum 50 outdoors.

There but for the grace of God go us.

We’re being advised not to travel into the Central Okanagan if we can possibly avoid it. Sixty per cent of all new cases in the province were reported Friday as being in the Interior Health region.

Ninety-five per cent of new cases were people who haven’t been vaccinated. Why, oh why, are so many people hesitating? The vaccines work; they are our best defence, especially at a time when the Delta variance is proving such a challenge.

This pandemic is not over. Optimistically, Kamloops will be spared a fourth wave but Hot Nite may have been only a fleeting break before new challenges to come.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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

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