"Stay The Blazes Home" Just Became The Official Isolation Instructions In One Province
It's good advice.
Every province in Canada is doing what they can to be safe. For Nova Scotia, that means everyone should "stay the blazes home." The folksy quote has since become a trend among residents of the Atlantic region.
The phrase came about in an April 3 news conference from Premier Stephen McNeil, who was emphasizing the importance of social distancing.
"We don't need online graphs to tell us what we need to do," McNeil said, "we need to stay the blazes home."
The premier referenced data projections from Ontario that show how many people could lose their lives if public health protocols are not followed.
"I'm not trying to scare you but part of me wishes you were scared," McNeil said, making reference to seeing crowded parking lots at places like Walmart and Tim Hortons even after putting social distancing rules in place.
"To the reckless and selfish who are gathering, I'm talking to you," The premier said, issuing a stern warning about the consequences of ignoring rules meant to flatten the curve.
The call from McNeil to "stay the blazes home" has since become something of an unofficial rule among Nova Scotians, who began sharing the premier's original hashtag on Twitter.
"As Premier @StephenMcNeil stated #StayTheBlazesHome only leave if it's an essential necessity. During #COVID19 I've learned that some people really have a hard time listening to simple rules, but want things to get better smhđ¤Śđžââď¸...But the Only way for that to happen is to LISTEN!" wrote @mrstopviolence.
"#StayTheBlazesHome is becoming the Premierâs âShawinigan Handshakeâ identifying moment ;-) #nspoli" tweeted @KirbyMcV.
Twitter user @AdamNFaber took things a step further by making a song to go along with Premier McNeil's message.
One thing is for sure: even in the midst of a pandemic, and a major health crisis, Canadians are still able to hang on to their signature sense of humour.