It's a "Fucked if you do, fucked if you don't" type of conundrum .
For some people, planning their Christmas is just about their sole preoccupation from this day forward. That's the impact on the pandemic they care the most about, no matter how selfish or misguided this may be.
Pandemic management looks like it's all about toeing the line between: access to liquor stores / bars, places of worship and people's favorite traditions so that people don't lose their fucking minds.
It's like people are just starting to realize we have a pity seat on the G7 but that when push comes to shove, no one cares how many peacekeepers you've sent to haiti in 2004. It's all about $$ / leverage and we don't have that much of it. We're a small country that's easily set aside. Whichever of the federal party is in charge wouldn't change that fact.