I saw this post circulating around facebook and thought it would be a great idea for me to document as well. It’ll be interesting to look back on how this all unfolded at various times throughout this pandemic.
April 2, 2020 ?
Current Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Situation in Ottawa, Ontario Canada on April 2, 2020.
-There are 11,238 Confirmed Cases in Canada on this day and 2,793 in Ontario.
-Gas prices are at a record low at 60.9 cents in Ottawa, ON.
-School was cancelled on March 13th with a 2 week add on after March Break until April 6.
-May 1st is the current expected return date now. Starting Monday (Apr 6) students will get assignments by email to complete to help earn course credits until then. Many don’t think school will return until the Fall.
-“Self-distancing” measures are on the rise.
-Non-essential business are closed or are directed to work from home.
-Grocery stores, banks, pharmacies, restaurants (no dining in), and LCBO are open with restricted hours.
-There is tape on the floors at grocery stores and other stores to help distance shoppers 2m (6ft) from each other.
-Limited number of people are allowed inside stores, therefore lineups form outside the store doors.
-Today they started asking for only 1 person to shop where possible and limit to 1 visit per week.
-Hand washing, cart sanitizing stations and gloves available at some store entrances and pexi-glass barriers are installed around the cashier stations.
-Doctor appointments by phone only, no physio or massage available. Dental by emergency only
-People are wearing masks and gloves everywhere with lots of memes about people improvising (ie scuba mask)
-Restaurants that stayed open are take out or delivery only.
-Parks, trails, entire cities locked up. Swings tied up playgrounds closed. No group gathering.
-Entire sports seasons cancelled (NBA, NHL)
-Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events all cancelled.
-Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings all cancelled.
-No masses, churches are closed.
-No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 5 or more. Even in your own home (families of 5 or more who live in same dwelling are fine)
-Don’t socialize with anyone outside of your home. This includes Moms, Dads, Grandparents, etc.
-We are to distance from each other.
In Canada:
-Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers. People tried to hoard and sell for huge profits. They are being publicly shamed and now under Rob Ford provincial law, they are being fined.
-Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
-Panic buying sets in – started early March when talk of isolation started. Italy was suffering terribly and the only way to slow it down was isolation. Canada listened. The United States did not.
-Now we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.
-Shelves are bare at times and most are being re-stocked nightly.
-Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
-Government closes the border to all non-essential travel, calls Canadians home repeatedly and makes it mandatory to self isolate for 14 days.
-Quebec closes its borders to all non-essential travellers. Can’t drive to Gatineau.
-Stiff fines and Jail time for price gouging on essential items.
-Fines are established for breaking the rules.
-Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
-Videos of large amount of people in coffins in military vehicles comes from Italy. Stories of portable incinerators brought to China to cremate the deceased. New York City is now overwhelmed, makeshift hospital/tents set up in Central Park – military field style to try to tend to the ill. Refrigerator 18 wheelers brought to receive the deceased from hospitals.
-Press conferences daily from Prime Minister Trudeau at 11:15am. Sophie Trudeau got the virus, recovering well.
In Ontario:
-Premier Doug Ford gives daily updates on Ontario’s new cases, recoveries of Covid 19 and any new Bylaws/Rules
-Government incentives to stay home. GST payment increase, CERB benefit $2,000 (taxable) per month up to 4 months if laid off.
-Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
-Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families. Lots of online posts and offers to rent or borrow campers and trailers so they can go “home” but stay outside in camper to keep family safe.
-1,000,000 applications for Employment Insurance as people go without.
This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.
There is good too:
-Neighbours checking in on each other, helping find hard to find grocery items like flour, yeast, eggs, bread
-Neighbourhood facebook groups to keep each other informed on EI, CERB benefit, store hours.
-Birthday parade for kids who are not getting to have family or friend parties. Cars driving by decorated with balloons and signs honking
-More people out walking.
-Appreciation for the under thanked jobs. Ie my kids working crazy hours at Independent and Giant Tiger taking on new roles to help however they can. Restocking. Cleaning. Selling. While constantly washing their hands and wearing gloves. They are receiving $2 extra an hour as hazard pay.
-The general understanding that we are not alone, strangers offering shoulders to lean on when you have a bad day dealing with this.
-TV production shut down so news and entertainment coming from their own homes. ie. Trevor Noah, Jimmy Fallon, Ellen, Conan, etc all doing Skype and Facetime interviews for their nightly shows.
-Signs of encouragement in windows of homes. Chalk drawings on sidewalks.
Why, you ask, do I write this status?
One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious. To not take the things we dearly love for granted. To not take *time together* for granted. To remind myself that I was scared. And stressed. And not myself. And that I made it ok.
We have so much!
Be thankful. Be grateful.
Be kind to each other – love one another – support everyone.
We are all one!
