Ying Yang Two-Week Cycle

These numbers scare the crap out of me. 146 cases in one day in Manitoba? What happened? We were doing so well.

It seems like we got a good handle on things during code red. I know that was really hard on people, business, and education. I feel like we are headed back in that direction. When schools close you know it is bad! People are at home looking after their kids, they can’t go to work, kids and parents alike are mentally and physically taxed.

Don’t worry, last night I woke up with a migraine at 3am and as I was falling back to sleep I figured out what we have to do. I call it…

The Ying Yang Two-Week Cycle.

I propose that the Government mandates two-week cycles of “code red” shut down where EVERYONE is encouraged to stay isolated.

For those two weeks, non-essential business shuts down. Those who can work from home, work from home. No more than 10 people in the grocery store with social distancing and mask mandates in full effect. Don’t shop unless absolutely necessary for two weeks.

Schools too. Closed. Remote learning with your classroom teacher online at a set time for an hour or two each morning and afternoon on teams or zoom or whatever. Just for two-weeks at a time.

After the 2 weeks are up we go back to code orange. Business and schools back up and running following distancing protocols and mask mandates. Get your shopping done, hit up a restaurant, go for a drink with friends. Get your in-person meetings at work. Just for two-weeks.

At school kids will re-connect with teachers. Make sure any technical or device issues are taken care of so that remote learning is running smoothly in the off weeks. Focus on kids that need one on one during that time to make sure those learners are advancing. Implement plans to take work home on remote learning weeks so that parents can assist and continue those efforts at home. I like this idea much more than just shutting down suddenly for months at a time with no plan to return to the classroom to check-in. It also allows schools to put some focus on the remote learning concept instead of just winging it when their hand is forced.

Rinse and repeat these two-week cycles until the Covid numbers decline significantly or a vaccine is in place. I feel like this is a better alternative to plowing forward until we need to completely shut down again.

Without knowing what I am talking about I would think that numbers would decline simply because of incubation period (14 days) and less people spreading over the two weeks of isolation.

It gives business the chance to thrive in the two weeks they are open and makes subsidies more manageable for relief efforts. I think it would save some jobs in the long term because people could collect EI in two-week periods and work for the other two weeks. Less burden on the “system” and employers would be less likely to unload staff.

People can work from home for two-weeks and can plan to return to the office in 14 days to check in with co-workers and meet with customers. On the work from home weeks some may have kids at home to look after but at least they can rest assured that their kids are looked after and will be returning to school for the next two-week cycle.

It goes without saying that if you are sick or show symptoms during the open weeks that you should stay home. Worst case you are home for more than 14 days if you are sick in between cycles. This should take the burden off the testing stations because people will be less likely to test if they are isolating for 14 day periods. Less urgency to run out and test a runny nose or sore throat if you are not missing work or school.

I assume this plan would be more economically viable than long term closures. Minimizing subsidies and stretching out liable terms.

Of course, there will be a lot of holes in the Ying Yang plan. I don’t science, read the news, or know the politics of all of this works really but in my head, this seems like it could work. Right?