At the start of the year marked by the return of draconian sanitary measures, many parents are freaking out for their teenagers. Many even feel a sharp – and healthy – anger.
Although almost all parents understand and accept the need to act decisively in the face of the Omicron tsunami, voices are nonetheless being raised to ensure the well-being of the greatly affected COVID-19 generation.
We have known for a long time that COVID-19 is a variable geometry virus that affects different strata of society in very distinct ways. We are now seeing that the same is true for the impact of health measures.
Nathalie Collard mentioned it recently: adolescents pay a high price for restrictions. As she pointed out, with supporting studies, their mental health is very fragile.
Pediatricians have been playing canaries in the mine for months.
Today, it is the parents who cry out from the heart. Note that it is not the young people themselves who revolt, get agitated and stamp their feet out of excess of selfishness. Far from it.
In fact, teens have shown solidarity and exemplary throughout this pandemic. Even though they are going through a stage in life that usually rhymes with rebellion, they have accommodated themselves without flinching measures. They rushed massively for the vaccines when their turn came and they even refused en bloc to take off their masks when they were allowed to do so.
As a group, they don’t need lessons from anyone. On the contrary.
Certainly, Quebec has distinguished itself from many other territories by keeping schools open as much as possible. It is to our credit and we will certainly see in retrospect that the situation would be worse if it had been otherwise. The fact remains that being confronted with chronic isolation during this eminently social age of life leaves consequences.
Like a major rehabilitation, the return to near-normality in the fall has put a balm on the Covidian suffering experienced by our teenagers. Everyone has noticed it: they calmly regained a taste for life before and gradually regained their motivation. Like all of us, they even let themselves be trapped, carried away in their wanderlust, convinced that the good momentum could last.
The announced return to the highly deleterious triad of isolation, sedentary lifestyle and excess screens hurt them all the more.
Unmistakably, this pain resonates with all those who watch over this tested generation.
In the short term, everyone realizes that it will be difficult to lift the restrictions.
That said, we are already seeing that certain economic imperatives dictate exceptions to health measures despite the urgency. As proof, daycares remain open despite the absence of vaccination in this age group and some essential workers will obviously have to work despite the disease.
As soon as further relief becomes possible, the authorities should definitely consider the disparate impact of restrictions in their prioritization.
In this case, the return of face-to-face and sports for teens should be at the top of the list.
In a society which is atomizing and settling at high speed, the frank desire that young people display to socialize and to be active represents a ray of hope that we must stir up.
Once COVID-19 is behind us, Public Health will continue to have a lot of work to do.
In 2022, do we want Public Health and politics to reconnect with their global vision; do we want them to resume with ardor their fight against the multiple evils of society obscured by the all-powerful COVID-19.