Discussions

The lockdowns and public health directives for Christmas 2020 could be an opportunity and an excuse to do things differently. With all the pivoting over the past months, humans have proven how creative and resourceful they are. Why not pick the favourite pieces of Christmas and fold them into new alternatives? Why not make Christmas 2020 the opportunity of a lifetime to create fresh traditions that could be more fun and possibly permanent?

I’ve contributed to countless conversations during the pandemic by simply saying, ‘My family’s mostly in the states.’ Canadians immediately grasp the added layer of worry implied, typically following up with something like, ‘Oh whereabouts?’ seeking a clearer picture of the level of healthcare system chaos my relatives may be contending with, and whether any additional public foolishness may be afoot.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, fax technology failed spectacularly across the healthcare system. Providers who were cut off from their fax machines couldn't communicate. A massive shift to e-faxing caused overloaded fax servers and system failures with estimates of 15% to 25% of faxes sent not being received.