They often say that the devil is in the details.
The B.C. government has launched an “independent review” on the government’s operation response to the COVID-19 pandemic and when you look at the details, it looks like a really sick joke.
The review will cover January 2020 into 2022.
But there is a gigantic hole in the middle of the review by what it is not going to cover.
“The scope of the review does not include an assessment of the public policy decisions made by government to deal with the consequences of the pandemic and decisions made by the provincial health officer,” says a news release.
So it’s basically a publicity stunt designed to gather input and then not really focus on how the pandemic was handled.
“The goal is to learn about how government agencies worked together to address the effects of COVID-19 that affected everyone, changed rapidly and continues to cause a high level of uncertainty,” said a news release. “The review will include what aspects of preparedness, engagement, communications and implementation worked well, what changes were made to improve operational effectiveness as the pandemic evolved, and what improvements can be made to better prepare for pandemics and emergencies.”
Let me start holding my breath now about getting any real answers.
The government and Dr. Bonnie Henry made many excellent decisions throughout the pandemic, but there were also many questionable ones, especially when some mandates were lifted – despite warnings from many experts – only to see those restrictions brought back.
You could do an entire review just on how decisions were made in regards to care homes, where thousands of people died.
We need a meaningful look at how this pandemic was handled. The public deserves it and what the province announced doesn’t go far enough.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
