‘I started to think this was a conspiracy.’ Then she caught the virus, and everything changed

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On March 15, 2020, with COVID-19 cases rising, the City of Calgary declared a state of local emergency, forcing the immediate closure of most non-essential businesses and services.

At the time of Calgary’s state of local emergency, Alberta had confirmed only 56 cases of the novel coronavirus and hadn’t yet reported a single death. In the ensuing 12 months, COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our community — from restaurant owners to students, professional sports organizations, seniors living in long-term care facilities and every person in between.

It has taken the lives of nearly 2,000 Albertans and infected more than 138,000.

This week, we’re publishing a series of stories that explore the many and varied effects the pandemic has had on Calgarians by hearing their stories, first-hand.

Angela Groeneveld dismissed COVID-19 as nothing more than the flu.

The only danger it posed was to the ”weak and the vulnerable” — not someone raised “cowgirl tough,” the rural Albertan believed.

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Groeneveld did not fear the virus. Instead, she loathed it, as public health measures devastated local businesses in her community. By last summer, Groeneveld was in full-blown denial.

“I started to think this was a conspiracy. I started to think the politicians were being led by bigger powers,” says Groeneveld, who lives on a ranch outside of Okotoks. “I never really followed the rules. Masks if I had to. I’d do the bare minimum.”

She did not understand why universal rules weren’t in place, feeling varied public health advice only caused confusion.

As restrictions mounted, so did Groeneveld’s indignation.

Until she became infected.

“I wasn’t feeling well but I still had that mentality of ‘toughen up and get to work,’ ” says Groeneveld. “I went to grocery stores. I went to banks. I was driving children in my car. I allowed my kids to have sleepovers at the ranch.”

She tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 16, 2020. So, too, did her husband and two of her three children.

They had exposed more than 30 others.

“That really woke me up to the fact that this doesn’t get to be about me anymore. This doesn’t get to be about health against business,” says Groeneveld, who added the guilt from her actions greatly affected her mental health.

The same day she received her positive test result, Alberta’s top doctor announced 860 new cases of the deadly virus as the province’s health-care system grappled with record hospitalizations.

November was then the deadliest month on record for COVID-19. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the provincial chief medical officer of health, pleaded with Albertans to follow public health measures as a matter of “life and death.”

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That November day was part of a swelling storm that continued to gain momentum before barrelling down on Alberta in December with more than 21,100 active cases in its wake.

A rapid surge in new cases during the final months of 2020 overwhelmed Alberta’s contact-tracing system. People like Groeneveld had to notify their own close contacts — one agonizing phone call after another.

“The humbling part of having to call everybody that I had been exposed to was awful. It brought tears to me. I was embarrassed. I was apologetic. I lost a couple friends because I didn’t take it seriously,” says Groeneveld.

She’s not the only one.

Confusion, skepticism and hostility have hindered Alberta’s ability to control the spread of COVID-19, according to the 19 To Zero coalition, whose goal is to shift public perceptions around COVID-19 behaviours and the vaccines meant to fight the virus.

There are locals who outright reject the reality of COVID-19, while others are fully compliant with public health measures.

Many fall somewhere in between.

On the extreme end, Calgary has seen thousands march in downtown streets to protest provincial health restrictions.

The attendees, deemed COVID-19 deniers and anti-maskers, have gathered publicly since last November in “Walk for Freedom” protests, which target what participants say is government-fuelled misinformation and harmful crackdowns on business.

Maskless attendees have carried signs that read “I ain’t afraid of no hoax” and “Obedience is not a virtue.”

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Punishing people who flout COVID-19 measures has been a hot-button issue during the pandemic. City officials, alongside police and bylaw officers, originally took the approach of education over enforcement but have since clamped down on offenders who repeatedly defy public health orders.

Since Calgary’s mask bylaw came into effect in August last year, 304 tickets have been issued for failure to comply. More than 200 other tickets have been issued for Public Health Act violations, related to issues such as large social gatherings, since the second state of local emergency came into effect Nov. 24, 2020.

People who are frustrated enough to flout public health measures are trying to make a point, says High River physician Dr. Adam Vyse, and it’s understandable.

He says many people come to these conclusions because they don’t know anyone who is infected, while at the same time are facing disruptions in their lives because of harsh and varied restrictions.

“A lot of times people who live in rural areas feel like there’s more space and more room, and something like COVID-19 would be more likely in higher-density living areas,” says Vyse, who operates a clinic in High River where he sees patients in town and from the Okotoks area.

People often don’t appreciate the extent of a crisis because of successful public health interventions that result in fewercases, Vyse says. He says there has, however, been a shift in how rural Albertans perceive the virus as the pandemic has progressed.

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“People are smart. They see the news around them and the wider network and they know more people who’ve had exposures,” he says. “Pretty much 100 per cent of my patients — even though they hate masks — all wear them and have accepted (it) seems to be a reasonable thing they can do.”

Finola Hackett, a rural physician who joined 19 To Zero in November, says the organization’s online events have given communities the chance to address COVID-19 misinformation and ease anxieties.

At a recent town hall in the Foothills region, for example, some COVID-19 deniers said it was the first time they were given an opportunity to speak with experts, says Hackett.

“Our society is so polarized now, especially around COVID-19, so even just being willing to respectfully have that conversation and challenge some of that information in a polite way is (meaningful),” she says. “Ignoring concerns isn’t helpful, not just for them but for the rest of the population.”

The 19 To Zero coalition has targeted rural areas because there is less access to health care and health information, which was an issue pre-COVID, says Hackett. During online events, the organization partners with the local community, such as family doctors, religious leaders and residents such as Groeneveld.

Having trusted people speak has made a huge difference.

“If we come together as a community and trust each other and try to share information together, then we’ll be in a better position to address all of this,” says Hackett. “It’s not just about science and evidence, but stories, emotions and trust that can change people’s behaviours.”

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Groeneveld, who is a business coach and the former Okotoks economic development manager, says she made the mistake of pitting the economy against health and is now working to ensure others don’t do the same.

She says it’s not about forcing people to believe the virus is real — they’ll decide that on their own — but explaining how their compliance with health measures directly affects their favourite local businesses.

“Look at it with a different lens,” she urges locals. “Park your opinions and do your part to get the economy going.”

Rural physicians agree sharing accurate information is key to addressing COVID-19 fears, but the majority of their work focuses on people in the “movable middle.”

The pandemic has also exposed the underbelly of society in the past year. COVID-19 conspiracy theorists have propagated mis-, dis- and mal-information on social media platforms. Anti-maskers have harassed store employees and clashed with police, commanding attention of people in power and members of the public.

Premier Jason Kenney has scolded those “flagrantly” breaking the rules, calling them “irresponsible and selfish.”

“If you think this is a hoax, talk to my friend in the ICU, fighting for his life,” said Kenney, addressing COVID-19 deniers during an early December livestream on Facebook.

Hackett says the best option for people who are frustrated about disruptions to their job, business and lives is to heed public health guidelines and consider getting vaccinated.

But Vyse says COVID-19 denial has segued into a newer issue — vaccine hesitancy.

“The lessons we’ve learned with the community having concerns about whether or not COVID-19 actually exists is the same kind of problem we face with the vaccine,” he says.

“We’re learning, we’re sympathetic and we’ll get there, hopefully, soon.”

ocondon@postmedia.com

alsmith@postmedia.com

Twitter: @oliviacondon

@alanna_smithh