"[T]he Majority Of The Population Is Asking That There Be A Consequence"
Desperate times call for desperate measures
(CNN)The Canadian province of Quebec announced Tuesday that residents who have refused a Covid-19 vaccine will soon have to pay a fine.
The fines will be a way for the unvaccinated to contribute to an overburdened public health care system, authorities said.
"Right now, these people, they put a very important burden on our health care network, and I think it's normal that the majority of the population is asking that there be a consequence," Quebec Premier François Legault said at a news conference Tuesday.
"It's a question also of fairness for the 90% of the population who made some sacrifices -- and I think we owe them this kind of measure," he added.
I’m all for civil liberties, and I believe in a world where citizens are able to exercise free will. That said, we aren’t living in 2019, when exercising free will generally didn’t impact anyone except the person making decisions. Now, two years into a global pandemic, one could (and probably should) argue that free will needs to take a back seat to the greater good.
There are still those who argue, “MUH RIGHTS!!,” and have refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine for any number of easily refuted arguments. What it boils down to is that they don’t like the idea of feeling as if someone, especially t.he government, is telling them what to do. While such resentment is understandable, there are times when society should be able to expect that citizens will recognize the need to place the collective over themselves. If a global pandemic isn’t one of those times, I don’t know what would be.
All people are being asked to do is to get three shots in an effort to protect themselves and those around them from COVID-19. The sooner that happens, the sooner we can deny the virus hosts and the ability to replicate. Once that happens, we’ll be able to get the upper hand. Unfortunately, it’s those who’ve shown themselves to be too selfish, ignorant, and arrogant who are responsible for the pandemic dragging on into its third year.
We’ve allowed the unvaccinated to set the agenda and to control what happens with the pandemic. There are still states where the vaccination rate doesn’t exceed 50%, and it’s generally accepted that “herd immunity” is achieved when 85%-90% of a population is vaccinated.
So how do we achieve that when a significant cohort of citizens adamantly refuses to get vaccinated? The easiest way, of course, is to find ways to make life increasingly unpleasant for the unvaccinated. French President Emmanuel Macron has said it’s his goal to “piss off” the unvaccinated in France by making it harder for them to participate in public life. Other European countries appear to be heading in a similar direction.
In the Canadian province of Quebec, the government is actually taking a more aggressive stance. The unvaccinated there will soon be fined for noncompliance, and if you could see me now you’d see me standing on my chair and cheering.
Quebec Premier François Legault says the fine is "a question of fairness" for those who have gotten vaccinated.
The fine would not apply to those with a medical exemption, and no details have been announced. However, Legault said the amount to be levied would be "significant."
Nearly 90% of eligible Quebecers have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Quebec government.
Public health officials say the vast majority of patients in Quebec hospitals remain unvaccinated. Officials have not said how many hospitalized Covid patients are unvaccinated.
Last week, Quebec announced that residents would have to be vaccinated to buy alcohol or cannabis. Quebec's health minister, Christian Dubé, said in a tweet that after the announcement, vaccine appointments spiked.
In Quebec, like everywhere else, the unvaccinated are placing a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. Most of those hospitalized (and dying) are unvaccinated. Essentially, they’re being irresponsible and then expecting society to treat them when they fall ill as a result of their irresponsibility. That’s about the most arrogant and careless thing I can imagine, yet the unvaccinated appear to have no problem with it. They see it as a human right.
The key is to make life as uncomfortable as possible for those who refuse to do the right thing. We saw what happened when Quebec said it would prohibit the unvaccinated from buying alcohol or tobacco. What that tells me is that resistance is not absolute, that there is a point where compliance can be forced.
Last week, Italy made vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory for people 50 and older.
Proof of vaccination is already mandatory for teachers and health workers in Italy. And all employees have been required to show proof of vaccination or show a negative test before entering their workplace since October.
The new vaccine decree for those 50 and older removes the option to take a test instead of getting vaccinated. Those who refuse to get vaccinated risk a fine of 600-1,500 euros (approximately $680-$1,700), a government source told CNN on Thursday.
After five days they will lose their salary but will not be fired from their position. This means they can receive pay again if they get vaccinated, the source said.
For unvaccinated people who are 50 and older and who are unemployed or retired, there will be a fine of 100 euros, the source said.
Two days after the government announced the new measure, Italy registered a threefold increase of the vaccines administered daily to those from the age of 50, the vaccination campaign commissioner, Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, said Saturday.
It turns out that mandates, when applied forcefully, can be effective. As distasteful as that may seem, I think the time has come for America to pursue a similar path.
No more Mr. Nice Guy. It’s time to institute a strong policy that has some teeth and that will increasingly marginalize those who continue to refuse to get vaccinated.
In most cases, I would find such a situation reprehensible. Then again, we aren’t living in normal times, are we? This is a “desperate times call for desperate measures” scenario, and if some folks are going to focus on their rights even as they ignore their responsibilities, it may be time to forcibly remind them.
If it takes, as French President Macron said, “pissing off” unvaccinated citizens to get them to meet their responsibility, then, by all means, let the aggravation begin. In desperate times one must sometimes do desperate things in order to meet the moment.
Perhaps it’s time that America began to “piss off” its unvaccinated citizens. We’ve allowed them to set the agenda for far too long.