COVID-19: What Life is Like Right Now

I feel like I should write something about what is happening in the world right now, because I know future Renee would want to know how I was feeling, what was happening, etc. etc. 

I don't really know what to write though since things are changing so rapidly.

The COVID-19 virus is a pandemic. There are currently 400+ cases in Canada, with 5 deaths. There are 103 (as of yesterday) and 4 deaths in BC alone. All 4 of these deaths are from one care home in North Van. The focus of our country right now is "flattening the curve". Everyone is encouraged to stay inside and practice social distancing as much as possible. All community centers, libraries, schools, etc are shut down. Churches aren't allowed to meet. It was just announced that schools will likely remain closed until the fall. At this point daycares are still open, but it is a rapidly changing situation, and I predict by the end of the week they'll be shut down too. There is a ban on all public gatherings of 50+ people. I know people who have had to cancel their wedding and many who have cancelled vacations. 

There is a travel ban, which bars anyone who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or a US citizen at this time, to enter Canada. Anyone exhibiting any signs of the virus will not be allowed on a plane (this includes Canadian citizens, who will have to recover fully before coming home). If you are abroad, or even cross the border to get gas, you have to self-isolate for 14 days upon returning home. 

This all happened in less than a week. Last Wednesday our small group met and we found out the church was going to have a meeting to discuss the possibility of cancelling our service. By Friday gatherings of 250+ people were banned, and over the weekend closures of public venues started. Every couple hours I get a notification from News 1130 on my phone about more closures, more cases, more panic. 

A few weeks ago everyone in the world started panic-buying toilet paper. I still don't entirely understand why toilet paper was the target, but now grocery stores stress me out. First of all, Independent, where we usually shop, is almost always empty. Now there is a lineup of people with full buggies at every open till. The shelves are nearly bare. I was there yesterday to pick up a couple small things and there was no paper products, no hand sani, no lysol wipes, one box of waffles, no potatoes, no cucumbers, large gaps in the bread shelves, no rice, no pasta, hardly any canned goods... those are just the aisles I went to. Dairy and meat are being hit hard, too. People are just stock-piling food, which makes it tough for those who are trying to be responsible, or who have young kids, or who are older, or who have disabilities. 

Our personal life hasn't been impacted significantly at this point. David is still getting shoots, I am still able to work, and could work solely from home if it came to it, our kids aren't in daycare or school, and we don't really get out much. We have a vacation to Osoyoos planned for this weekend, but if the resort gets shut down or something, we're prepared to reschedule; we won't lose any money other than the two jobs David had booked in the Okanagan that weekend. 

How am I feeling? Honestly, I am not afraid of getting sick. I'm very afraid of spreading sickness to loved ones, particularly those who are older, undergoing treatments, or who have autoimmune diseases. I am feeling anxious more just about the unknown. Daily life is changing by the day/hour, and there are many people who are out of work or will be stuck with young children who can't go to school or daycare anymore. The government will be announcing financial help tomorrow, but then I can't help but wonder how many people are going to take advantage of the system, whatever it is, and abuse it, taking away benefits from those who may need it more. The air is full of anxiety and uncertainty. Everyone looks at everyone else with a sense of caution. Lord help you if you cough in the grocery store. Suddenly you're patient 0! Even if you're not coughing, everyone gives each other a wide berth at a grocery store in the aisle. 

I don't work in a hospital, and hopefully don't have to go to a hospital at any point, but that's a whole other thing. They're all under outbreak protocol, and have cancelled thousands of surgeries. Anything that isn't urgent/emergent has been cancelled. They are freeing up beds in anticipation of an onslaught of COVID cases. In Italy there are so many sick people who require ventilators, but not enough ventilators. They're having to prioritize treatments based on age. If you're over 65, you pretty much don't get a ventilator. If you're younger but have other health issues, they'll pick the person who's around your age, but is more likely to recover quickly to treat. 

We are living in a movie. Dave and I actually watched "Contagion" the other day on Neftlix. It made me feel yucky, but a lot of it was really interesting since we're living through it right now. 

I know I should probably turn off the news and just go through life and check in once a day, but I can't look away; it's like a car accident! 

*Please note, facts in this post are ones I've heard on the news or from what I consider to be reputable sources, but please do your own research!*

This is the toilet paper and cleaning supplies aisle, but many others looked similar yesterday. 

We played a very appropriate game of Pandemic the other night. We lost...