Christopher Ashby feels overwhelmed by the flood of messages every day from all levels of government.
“Between nine o’clock in the morning and three o’clock in the afternoon, many decisions and many things have changed each and every day,” the Toronto hospitality worker told CBC News.
“There’s so many messages coming through the course of the day between tweets and press conferences and what’s in printed press and what’s online — there’s just an avalanche of information.”
With a member of his family who is immunocompromised, another who works in health care, a university student and an elementary school student, Ashby said he and his family struggled with what to do as Thanksgiving approached during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Before the regulations had shifted and changed yet again, we as a family pretty much made the decision that Thanksgiving would be a pass this year,” he said.
“There were just way too many variables to feel comfortable.”
So instead of a large family gathering, he and his partner are opting for a quiet dinner together.
“We need to make what we feel is the right decision for us and we definitely err on the side of caution,” he said. “This is not something that people should be taking risks over because it affects too many people.”
‘Different communities have different issues’
Depending where you live in Canada, it’s getting harder to navigate conflicting guidelines from various levels of government — because they can often seem completely out of sync.
“It’s up to Canadians throughout the country to do their part, to wear their mask, to maintain physical distancing,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
“Unfortunately, to not get together with their families and friends for Thanksgiving so that we can take control of this second wave, so that we can all celebrate at Christmas.”
Canadians are trying to decipher confusing advice from public health officials about what kind of gathering, if any, is appropriate and safe for Thanksgiving. 1:57
That advice is especially relevant to Ontario and Quebec, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer said Monday. Daily case numbers and community transmission of COVID-19 in both provinces remain high, with strict public health restrictions on the number of people who can gather safely.
“If you are in Ontario and Quebec, I think the most sensible thing to do is to keep to your immediate social circles,” Dr. Theresa Tam said. “Because you’ve seen the epidemic curve and this is not the time to be complacent about anything.”
But social circles in Ontariohaven’t been in place since Oct. 2, while Quebec’s hardest hit areas have banned visitors between households altogether.
“It is challenging for the public health authorities because the science and the circumstances are always changing,” said Timothy Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta.
“So that makes it more challenging to come up with a clear public health message. This isn’t like; wear your seatbelts, don’t smoke, eat fruits and vegetables, exercise — the situation is in flux.”
Caulfield said confusion gets worse the higher you go, because federal officials need to speak on behalf of all Canadians — even in areas with very few cases like in the Atlantic bubble.
“Different communities have different issues,” he said. “So there is going to be variation from rural Alberta to downtown Toronto.”
Messaging in one area might not be relevant in another, but he said those messages can cut across the country, which “creates confusion.”
Making sense of guidelines ‘incredibly challenging’
In Canada’s hardest hit provinces, the messaging is no less confusing.
Quebec moved to close bars, casinos, restaurants, libraries, museums and movie theatres in its hardest hit red zones this month, while also banning home gatherings as cases spiked.
Quebec also recommends that people avoid leisure time with anyone outside their household, whether indoors or outdoors.
In Ontario, residents are being urged to avoid gathering with friends and family, but restaurants, bars, banquet halls and even casinos remain open with much higher limits on occupants.
“Having a large number of unmasked people in an indoor, closed, poorly ventilated space is how this spreads,” said Dr. David Fisman, epidemiology professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
“So if you say, ‘Well, this only spreads when you’re with your family, it doesn’t spread when you’re with random strangers.’ It doesn’t make any sense.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that making a comparison between the two types of gatherings was like comparing “apples and bananas.”
“When you go into a restaurant they’re taking everyone’s name, they have six at a table, they have dividers, they have protocols in place, and the rest of the people in the restaurant you don’t know,” he said. “That’s the difference; at a family, you know the people.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that making a comparison between gathering with family at home or going to a restaurant was like comparing “apples and bananas.” (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
“Please, it’s very simple,” Ford continued. “There’s rules and there’s guidelines. The rules are very clear: 10 indoors, 25 outdoors. I would really, really discourage people from having 25 people even if it’s outdoors. Stick within 10 people.”
Asked three separate times by reporters Tuesday to clarify whether he would visit with extended family on Thanksgiving, Ford first said he would only see 10 people, then said he would need to speak with his wife and follow up.
He later clarified on Twitter that he would only gather with those in his household.
This year, Ontarians should celebrate <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thanksgiving?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Thanksgiving</a> with members of their household only. I just spoke with my wife Karla and we’ll follow the same advice as we stick to our immediate household for Thanksgiving dinner.<br><br>I know it’s tough, we need to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Sometimes the messaging isn’t as clear as it should be and it all comes down to communicating with each other better and I think we all need to do a better job — even myself included,” Ford said Wednesday.
“We have to just be a lot clearer, all levels of government and all chief medical officers, on the communication.”
Municipal officials in Ontario want provincial guidance
Local public health officials in Ontario have been vocal about the need for clearer messaging and more concrete action from the province after cases hit a record high last week.
Toronto’s top doctor Eileen de Villa called for “immediate action” from the Ontario government Friday to stop the spread of COVID-19 as the city faces the risk of “exponential growth” of new infections.
She called on the province to instruct Toronto residents to leave their homes only for essential trips including work, education, health-care appointments and exercise and asked for an end to indoor dining in the city.
“If I had the power to do this, I would have done it,” she said. “It’s just this simple: I’m asking the province to do it or to give me the power to do it.”
In Ottawa, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches called on residents to only get together with those in their immediate home for Thanksgiving and said even gathering outside was a bad idea.
“My recommendation is to stick to your household,” she said. “Because we’ve seen examples where people gathered in a park and someone was sick and then more people got sick with COVID.”
Tam said public health officials in different parts of the country are trying to tailor their response to the realities of the situation on the ground. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Tam said Monday public health officials in different parts of the country are trying to tailor their response to the realities of the situation on the ground, which may account for some of the differing guidelines, but they are also “steering in uncertain waters.”
“No one knows exactly what is going to work,” she said. “So there’s a grey zone and people are doing slightly different things.”
How can we blame individuals, when it’s incredibly challenging to make sense of any of the advice? – Dr. Andrew Boozary, executive director of health and social policy for Toronto’s University Health Network
“This just drives confusion en masse when you see such discord between different levels of government, between different public health units, between what’s being put out in the media, in press conferences,” said Dr. Andrew Boozary, executive director of health and social policy for Toronto’s University Health Network.
“How can we blame individuals, when it’s incredibly challenging to make sense of any of the advice?”
Caulfield said public health officials and politicians need to be more transparent about the uncertainty they’re facing and the science informing health policies, because it signals to the public that the guidelines could change in the future.
“Good public health communication is incredibly important, especially when it appears we’re getting some sense that trust is starting to wane and people are starting to get more frustrated,” he said.
“It’s a really chaotic information environment right now, but we have to get it right.”
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When her husband turns on the television to hear news about the upcoming presidential election, that’s often a signal for Lori Johnson Malveaux to leave the room.
It can get to be too much. Often, she’ll go to a TV in another room to watch a movie on the Hallmark Channel or BET. She craves something comforting and entertaining. And in that, she has company.
While about half of Americans say they are following political news “extremely” or “very” closely, about 6 in 10 say they need to limit how much information they consume about the government and politics to avoid feeling overloaded or fatigued, according to a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
Make no mistake: Malveaux plans to vote. She always does. “I just get to the point where I don’t want to hear the rhetoric,” she said.
The 54-year-old Democrat said she’s most bothered when she hears people on the news telling her that something she saw with her own eyes — like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — didn’t really happen.
“I feel like I’m being gaslit. That’s the way to put it,” she said.
Sometimes it feels like ‘a bombardment’
Caleb Pack, 23, a Republican from Ardmore, Oklahoma, who works in IT, tries to keep informed through the news feeds on his phone, which is stocked with a variety of sources, including CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press.
Yet sometimes, Pack says, it seems like a bombardment.
“It’s good to know what’s going on, but both sides are pulling a little bit extreme,” he said. “It just feels like it’s a conversation piece everywhere, and it’s hard to escape it.”
Media fatigue isn’t a new phenomenon. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in late 2019 found roughly two in three Americans felt worn out by the amount of news there is, about the same as in a poll taken in early 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, about 6 in 10 people felt overloaded by campaign news.
But it can be particularly acute with news related to politics. The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll found that half of Americans feel a need to limit their consumption of information related to crime or overseas conflicts, while only about 4 in 10 are limiting news about the economy and jobs.
It’s easy to understand, with television outlets like CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC full of political talk and a wide array of political news online, sometimes complicated by disinformation.
“There’s a glut of information,” said Richard Coffin, director of research and advocacy for USAFacts, “and people are having a hard time figuring out what is true or not.”
Women are more likely to feel they need to limit media
In the AP-NORC poll, about 6 in 10 men said they follow news about elections and politics at least “very” closely, compared to about half of women. For all types of news, not just politics, women are more likely than men to report the need to limit their media consumption, the survey found.
White adults are also more likely than Black or Hispanic adults to say they need to limit media consumption on politics, the poll found.
Kaleb Aravzo, 19, a Democrat, gets a baseline of news by listening to National Public Radio in the morning at home in Logan, Utah. Too much politics, particularly when he’s on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, can trigger anxiety and depression.
“If it pops up on my page when I’m on social media,” he said, “I’ll just scroll past it.”
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Sanders reported from Washington. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder.
The AP poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 29-August 8, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
