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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 4, 20 20 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA COVID-19 has funda- mentally changed our lives -- from how we practice medicine to how people buy groceries to how we even say hello. People sacrificed every- thing to slow down the spread of a pandemic that crippled other countries. Businesses stopped. Towns shut down. Families isolat- ed. Nursing homes locked down. Hospitals limited visitors. Travel stopped and borders closed. As more information came to light, we under- stood more about the dis- ease itself. We know CO- VID-19 copycats other viral illnesses. We know it can be spread by people who have no symptoms. We know CO- VID-19 hits the most vulner- able among us the hardest. I believe the cracks in our health-care system be- came obvious -- public health, senior care, group homes, marginalized popu- lations, community care and infrastructure. These parts, as I see it, have been ignored for too long and must be fixed by govern- ment before the second wave of the pandemic hits. Though it was hard, shutting down our lives worked. We are alive. Now, we have to figure out our next step, our new normal. Hand hygiene, masks, social distancing. Testing and isolating those who are sick and all their contacts. All these infection control precautions must be woven into the fabric of our every- day lives. We can't go back to the old ways. COVID-19 will be around for many more months. Consider this as a first step: 1. Carry hand sanitizer. Clean your hands carefully and often. 2. Wear a mask every time you go outside. They're hot and uncom- fortable, at first. But if you mask, you protect me, and if I mask, I protect you. 3. Shorten your outdoor activities. Do what you can at home: go to the bath- room, eat. 4. Keep apart two meters from others as much as possible. 5. If you're sick, get test- ed and isolate. Immediate- ly. Call your contacts to do the same. We've already done the hard thing -- and succeed- ed. Now, we do the next. That's how we move for- ward together. Nadia Alam is a Halton physician and past presi- dent of the Ontario Med- ical Association. Her col- umns also appear on www.drnadiaalam.com. She can be reached through her website. WHAT COMES NEXT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19? WE MUST REMAIN VIGILANT AS VIRUS ISN'T GOING AWAY ANY TIME SOON, WRITES DR. NADIA ALAM As we all navigate through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, many fundraising organi- zations and their normal activities have been severe- ly affected. Most charitable events have either been cancelled, rescheduled or altered in some way. Sunday, Sept. 20 marks the 40th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run, where nor- mally fundraising partici- pants would have gathered at run sites in Acton and Georgetown as well as across Canada, and around the world, to raise money for cancer research. Given the new, present day reality, the Terry Fox Run has now been changed to a virtual event, and the motto this year is "The 2020 Terry Fox Run: One Day. Your Way." Halton Hills partici- pants can register at www.terryfox.org, where they can select the Acton or Georgetown run site to sign up. They will still get up Sunday morning, lace up their shoes and head out the door, but instead of driving to the planned site, they will now walk, run, bike or wheel a route of their own choosing -- safe- ly. Anyone wishing to sponsor a relative, friend or co-worker can go to the website, scroll down and click on "sponsor a partici- pant," select that person by name or run site, and click on the red "sponsor me" button. In these trying times, we simply ask, "give, if you can, what you can." As we celebrate this 40-year anni- versary, the virtual run will still mirror the same passion for Terry, his mis- sion and our community. The difference: we will unite in spirit, not in per- son. The reality is cancer patients can't wait for this crisis to be over, nor can the doctors and scientists who have dedicated their lives to research and who rely on continuous funding for their work. As we continue our lives, altered to a great de- gree, Terry's legacy of hope, determination and courage can be an inspira- tion to us all. Jon Hurst is the chair- man of the Acton Terry Fox Run. He can be reached at jonh@halton- hills.ca TERRY'S SPIRIT LIVES ON NO MASS RUN THIS YEAR, BUT ANNUAL FUNDRAISER FOR CANCER RESEARCH WILL GO AHEAD, WRITES JON HURST JON HURST Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA 'Though it was hard, shutting down our lives worked.' NADIA ALAM Column