If the government is demanding compliance with extraordinary desperate measures, the very least they can do is have a baseline level of competence.
I really wish there was nothing to criticize Theresa Tam and Patty Hajdu for.
It would be great if they just got things right.
But they’re not, and the blunders keep on adding up.
Recently, Tam – contradicting a growing mountain of evidence on the effectiveness of masks in slowing the spread of viruses – said they aren’t necessary.
Then, Patty Hajdu contradicted Tam:
“So if you were listening to the press conference you may have noticed @PattyHajdu say it was “absolutely critical” that people wear masks outside. Her office says she misspoke. She meant to say people can wear masks *if they want to.*”
https://twitter.com/althiaraj/status/1245410174816395267
So, which is it?
Is it what Tam said, that masks aren’t necessary?
Is it what Hajdu said, that masks are “absolutely critical?”
Is it what Hajdu’s office said, that it’s only about people wearing them “if they want too”?
Again, if the government is seeking to get people to listen to their calls for drastic measures (which now appear set to last for months), they must have at least a basic level of competence, to ensure that there is some confidence in what they say.
Instead, we’re getting this endlessly contradictory advice, chaos, and the obvious sense that Tam, Hajdu, and the entire government have been one step behind the entire time and are desperately flailing around in the dark.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
