Chapter 10
Hello Everyone,
COVID19, COVID19, COVID19, talking about it never ceases. Canada is now fully immersed in everything to do with this topic. We in Canada are now in the position that you might have been in a few weeks ago in Japan. Or maybe we are in a worse situation than Japan ever was? I don't know. Let me tell you about our daily lives here.
Here are the stats as of Sunday morning:
512 cases in Toronto, 4 deaths
1144 cases in Ontario, 19 deaths
5655 cases in Canada, 61 deaths
Life has changed rather significantly. No more than five people can gather at one time, unless there are more than five members in one family. Can’t get married, at least there are no weddings allowed, but you can die and have up to ten people attend the funeral and say goodbye. Strange times for sure❗️
We are all isolating in our homes unless one provides an essential service and thus needs to go into work. These jobs are of course anyone in the medical field or supporting those that are, grocery store workers, the supply chain workers, workers in the construction area, and others. What was first thought of as a unique opportunity to work from home has become the new normal. Anyone who still goes into the office or workplace may ride an empty train, subway, or bus as not so many are commuting any longer.
The neighbourhoods are empty from the outside vantage point that is, people breaking out of their homes only for exercise or a grocery run at some point during the day. The grocery store visits are not much fun at all other than to get you out of the house for a short period of time. Once at the store you may have to line up to get into the store, practicing Social Distancing every moment. That is two metres apart from any other person except your family members. The store most likely has security personnel at the entrance way, and someone else to hand you a disinfectant wipe as you enter. Within the store, Social Distancing is adhered to in every aisle, dodging people or turning your head away as you pass others. The shelves have been stocked and restocked however products such as toilet paper, cleaning products, some pastas and rice, and canned foods may be limited. Even fresh fish or meats are difficult to buy at certain times. Bakery products and breads seem to be be largely available. Now the fun part, getting to the check-out to pay for your items. First of all we have to line up for sure, two metres apart from each other. We can't move into the cash register area until the former customer has packed up his groceries, and left the area. The cash register staff may not accept cash, nor bag your items, and will not come into contact with you if at all possible, There are Plexiglas dividers now in place between yourself and the staff. If you can, customers try to pay with credit card or debit card, thereby minimizing contact associated with handling cash. This is the experience you will have at our Canadian grocery stores for the time being. Happy Shopping!
All cafes and restaurants have been closed except for take-out or delivery orders. Just recently these places can now also deliver alcoholic beverages along with their menu items. For the last few weeks these businesses could only deliver food items. This should help them continue along for now. These businesses are struggling having lost most of their revenue, down about 80 %. Our government has unrolled a huge financial relief package to help businesses deal with this catastrophe. Many of them cannot survive with closing up for so many weeks, thus taking in no income. People have lost their jobs, or are laid off indefinitely . There is financial support coming starting next week to help people survive.
Exercise, well yes we can leave our homes to get out into the fresh air for some time. We can still walk, run, cycle, or whatever it is you like to do outside to move your body. Even so, one never sees so many people out and about at any given time. Though you do see citizens escaping the boredom of their interior walls throughout the day. I am happy that I like to escape outside, and do, each and everyday whenever I can.
Personally, my location has changed now. I have left my sister's beautiful house, and am now back at our place hibernating with Rachel. We have all of the comforts here too, it is just that we have lost the huge open spaces that my sister has at her home. On Friday we stocked, cleansed, and otherwise left a welcoming place for my sister and her husband to return from Panama. This was no easy task for them under the current COVID19 situation. They were first asked to leave Panama by Canadian directives, then locked down in Panama by the Panamanian authorities, and finally asked to leave Panama by the President of Panama, and finally flown out on a Mercy flight. The problem was, they landed in Montreal, so had to find their own way home to Toronto. Incoming travellers cannot be out in the community at all thereby having to self isolate for fourteen days. You might re-read that word, self isolate, because now the government has introduced authoritative isolation. There is a Snitch Line set up which allows anyone to call in and report if their returning neighbours are not adhering to the rules. It is said that a million dollar fine and/or up to three years in jail awaits those offenders. Yikes! I feel like i am living in a Dictatorship country at this moment.
The school year for the students is in great danger of not continuing any longer. Since our school year goes until the middle of June or so, that leaves only the months of April, May, and part of June left. Now that the return date of April the 6th is no longer a go ahead for the students, April will be lost. Only the months of May and June remain. There is a lot of talk of no more returning to school at all until September!? The government is suppose to be unveiling a plan to have students study on-line. We will hear more on this next week.
On the plus side there are lots of good things happening due to COVID19. What, you might ask? Well, families are having lots of family time together which is a breath of fresh air given our usual fast paced lifestyles. We are cooking more perhaps than ever as many people are working from home. Parents are creating ways to teach children things since they are not in school, like indoor or outdoor education with the family. Others are doing fitness in their homes as the gyms are all closed. Still others are getting outside to walk, run, hike, or cycle. People are even finding ways to "meet up" with each other through Skype, FaceBook, Zoom or other apps that provide social-like opportunities. It is not easy these times, for us here in Canada, and for lots of other countries around the world. But together we will make it through. This just SUCKS!
One last thought, now is as good a time as any to consider an on-line lesson. If you are bored, and stuck inside with even just a little interest in studying English or at least speaking some English, I am out here waiting to be of service. As Nike says, Just Do It.
Stay safe and healthy,
Love Rosemary🌹