BirdTalk Featuring the letters & concerns of our members SEND YOUR LETTERS TO Bird Talk, c/o CSANews 180 Lesmill Road Toronto, Ontario M3B 2T5 or by e-mail: csawriteus@snowbirds.org Bird Talk Dear Bird Talk, I’m presently in Florida since November 2020, have received the COVID-19 vaccine, will have a COVID-19 test 72 hours before returning to Canada and have just learned that when we enter Canada, we will be sent to a designated hotel for three days at our own expense until we receive another positive COVID-19 test. I feel that they are sending us to prison at our cost without a fair trial. We know that 98% of the COVID cases in Ontario are not related to travel and others are not sent to a designated area for quarantine. This government action against snowbirds is unjustifiable. What will our association do to protect us against this assault from our government against snowbirds? Bernard Lavallee Dunchurch, ON Ed.: As you can see, it is not just the Federal government, it is also the provinces that are involved with this travesty. All we can do is fight, and we are doing that to the best of our ability. It is far safer to quarantine at home than in a hotel; even political hacks should be able to see that. Perhaps there is something else going on, but I would hate to think that this is all about corruption. When my family returns, we will go directly home even though my 96-year-old mother-in-law might find a hotel stay exciting. I will take the tickets and fines and contest it in small claims court, if necessary. Hopefully, the governments will come to their senses before that. Dear Bird Talk, Inside the cover of our passport you’ll find this...and the Canadian government has NOT voted on any changes... “The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada requests, in the name of her Majesty the Queen, all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely, without delay or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.” …So apparently you have the legal right, when returning to Canada, to just drive home and self-isolate. Brian King London, ON Ed.:When I return, I will show that to the border guards. Thank you. COVID-19 spray shield A new spray treatment promises to cut the virus off at the nose Since the beginning of the year, vaccination has dominated the public conversation about the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, a Vancouver-based startup called SaNOtize has been quietly working on treatment − with a nasal spray. According to SaNOtize co-founder Dr. Chris Miller, the spray kills the virus in the nose, thus preventing it from spreading to the lungs. The company recently announced some impressive results: in clinical trials, the spray reduced COVID-19 levels in the nose by 95%within 24 hours and by more than 99% within three days. Best of all, the spray works against the U.K. variant of the virus and developers expect it to work against other variants as well. “You get exposed, you test positive, and you take this,” says Dr. Miller. Within a couple of days “you’re back out on the street.” SaNOtize is now seeking Health Canada approval for emergency use of the spray, which contains the naturally occurring disinfectant nitric oxide. If all goes as planned, Canadians will soon be carrying not only masks and hand sanitizer in their pockets or purses, but a small bottle of spray as well. As Dr. Miller sees it, “it will be another tool in your toolbox.” CSANews | SPRING 2021 | 9
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