Since the start of this pandemic, it has often been said that Prime Minister François Legault led operations with a good father.
This reassuring approach of presenting clear and simple instructions reassured Quebecers, who were facing many unknowns at the very beginning of 2020. But things have changed. Quebecers have learned a lot about the coronavirus. And a bit like these adolescents who are growing up while being better educated and open to the world, they are now starting to question parental authority within the family.
In order to maintain a certain harmony in the family unit, several parents adopt the formula of family councils. These are usually family discussions around a few problematic topics. This dialogue allows parents to fully assume their authority within the family while allowing the emergence of consensus and, often to their surprise, innovative ideas that they had not thought of.
A family council is the family version of the concept of social acceptability that we know well for real estate projects. We seek a collective consensus for a specific project or situation.
The recent announcements of the health trio have visibly marked a breaking point in the population. Omicron has visibly caught the authorities by surprise, who got hold of draconian measures that had been hastily developed at a time of great uncertainty, such as the curfew. It’s as if, since the beginning of 2020, no ground crew had thought further about how to land this plane that we had built in mid-flight. The only scenario seemed to be to believe in an abrupt end to the pandemic and the lifting of all instructions at once. But we know that after Omicron, there will probably be the Pi, Rho and Sigma variants.
By dint of consulting the same experts for 22 months and looking at the same statistical tables, the health authorities and the government can only arrive at the same solutions to counter the increase in hospitalizations: return of the curfew, closure of restaurants and limitation. contacts for everyone regardless of the risk of hospitalization. It’s time to think differently.
After repeating for several months that we will have to learn to live with the coronavirus, the time has arrived when we should better define collectively what this life in a pandemic should be. It is certainly possible to demonstrate a certain collective consensus around new innovative health practices.
As we have seen in recent days, ideas are starting to emerge here and there to increase the vaccination rate. Some experts speak of an additional contribution to the health fund for the unvaccinated or of tax credits for the vaccinated. Why not ?
Could we consider modulated measures to tackle these new waves rather than shutting everything down? Could the workplace, which has complied admirably well with the directives and adapted its many internal policies, be able to decide on its own teleworking policies based on certain parameters?
If it is absolutely necessary to protect vulnerable people, could we consider specific measures for them instead of putting everyone in the same basket of health measures? Quebecers over 60 are certainly grateful that the government does not prohibit contact by age group based on the statistical possibility of developing complications that lead to hospitalizations. But some grandparents are starting to realize that this implies that their grandchildren are deprived of social contact and will again have to go to school in front of a screen.
Could we collectively agree that rapid tests are required before going to visit Grandpa and Grandma instead of depriving these young people of a normal life?
The government implicitly recognized that mass vaccination of Quebecers, physical distancing and wearing of masks were not sufficient against the Omicron variant. This is not what was said explicitly, but it is quite possibly what most people think. In terms of communication, perception – even erroneous – quickly becomes a reality that must be dealt with.
In other words, the risk that some may think that all these efforts have been in vain is very real. Hence the importance of better calibrating the new communication strategy and the new messages that will be sent over the next few days. From a communication point of view, there is a certain urgency to act and change the narrative.
Instead of carrying this heavy burden on its shoulders, the government would be wise to enter into a frank discussion with Quebeckers. He might be pleasantly surprised at the collective maturity of the majority of the population.