Cortland Cronk, 26, of Saint John.Supplied
His name is Cortland Cronk.
And depending on your perspective, he’s either responsible for single-handedly cancelling Christmas in Atlantic Canada, or he’s another victim of flaws in the system designed to protect people from the COVID-19 virus – and our collective desire to find a scapegoat.
Mr. Cronk, 26, has become a villain on social media in Canada’s four eastern provinces, where people have criticized the young entrepreneur for travelling through the region while unknowingly infected with the virus. In the weeks after he learned he was sick, the much-heralded Atlantic Bubble fell apart, and cases have spiked in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia’s largest cities.
New Brunswick is now reporting 111 active cases, among the worst levels since the pandemic began. In response, the government instituted a “one household bubble” rule for much of the province, which means gatherings of any kind between multiple households are banned.
For some, that’s all they needed to blame Mr. Cronk for bringing the pandemic’s second wave to the region. That’s despite the lack of evidence linking him to the two “super spreader” events in Saint John’s bar and restaurant district that have forced hundreds into self-isolation.
It’s not the first time someone in New Brunswick has been vilified for a spike in COVID-19 cases. A Campbellton doctor was outed on social media and blamed for an outbreak in that northern N.B. community – misdirected anger the man’s lawyers says was rooted in racism and misunderstanding.
Mr. Cronk contracted the virus on a work trip to Calgary in October, where he was installing software at an auto dealership. He says when he landed at the Saint John airport Oct. 24, he had no symptoms – and was told he didn’t need to self-isolate because his travel was work-related.
He argued he was an “essential worker,” meaning he was exempt from quarantine requirements put in place to prevent the travel-related viral spread by people entering the province.
New Brunswick has since changed those rules and now requires most workers who travel outside of the province to self-isolate for 14 days when they return. The new measures require workers to undergo self-isolation unless they volunteer to test for COVID-19.
In Mr. Cronk’s case, he didn’t go for a test until nine days after he returned home – while travelling, shopping, eating out and visiting friends and family in between. He had a “sniffle” and a mild headache, but blamed both on the time change between Alberta and New Brunswick. His live-in girlfriend and his boss both tested negative prior to his test, so he didn’t think he had the virus.
Mr. Cronk insists no one he knows became sick as a result of his travel. He points to the outbreak in Saint John, which public health officials said was related to large gatherings at restaurants and bars Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 in the city, which occurred after he was no longer contagious.
“I’m probably the opposite of a super-spreader,” he said. “I had nothing to do with those events.”
That hasn’t prevented Maritimers from going after Mr. Cronk, whose identity was revealed by a clothing store owner in Fredericton, angry his shop was forced to close after a visit from Mr. Cronk, who was there trying to sell his promotional video services. Mr. Cronk later told his story to the CBC, hoping to clarify things, but that only seemed to draw more negative attention.
Since his name became public, he’s spawned social media memes and become the butt of internet jokes. People have called him irresponsible and “patient zero,” blamed him for ruining their holidays, and accused him of being a drug dealer. The Manatee, an online satirical magazine, posted a tongue-in-cheek article about Mr. Cronk bringing the Ebola virus to the Maritimes. Newfoundland’s The Independent news website ran a story basically riffing on his name.
He didn’t help his case by posting a now-infamous Instagram video on Oct. 31, where he smokes some marijuana, and complains that he can’t taste anything – but says he doubts he has COVID-19. Mr. Cronk, who also owns a marijuana nutrients supply business, was lampooned for boasting in the video about how much he had been travelling around the region.
“Yeah, that looks bad,” he admits now.
Mr. Cronk, who completed his self-isolation by Nov. 8, says he was stunned when he tested positive four days after that video was posted. He was further stunned when he became singled out by hundreds of people online.
Some of the online attacks have mistaken him for someone else, or blamed him for outbreaks in other areas. Others have been more threatening.
“Some of them said ‘Go back to Moncton.’ I’m not even from Moncton,” he said. “One guy said I should be publicly stoned to death.”
Mr. Cronk said he’s frustrated by what he feels was conflicting messaging from the province’s public health officials. He argues it’s not clear what’s an essential service and what isn’t, and said “all businesses are essential” to people’s livelihoods.
He says he now wishes he had stayed home after he took his COVID-19 test, a two-day period while he waited to get his results. Bruce Macfarlane, a provincial department of health spokesperson, confirmed that if a person has no symptoms of COVID-19, but is still eligible for testing, there are no requirements to self-isolate unless directed to do so by public health.
“People said, ‘You’re not a child, you should have known to isolate.’ But no, [public health] didn’t say I had to self-isolate. They never once said that,” Mr. Cronk said.
The province’s opposition leaders argue the province needs to clarify its communication around COVID-19 protocols, and be more transparent about the sources of outbreaks.
Mr. Cronk, meanwhile, says a deluge of online shaming and harassment is part of the reason he and his girlfriend are packing up their home in Rothesay, close to Saint John, and moving to Victoria, B.C. He’s leaving as soon as he can.
“I don’t think we’ll ever come back,” he said. “It’s frustrating how people jump to conclusions and start attacking someone without knowing all the facts. They’re picking and choosing the information they want. They’re keyboard warriors.”
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