It's that time again...... check in !!
Here in Canada we seem to be holding our own... the numbers have 'plateaued' and in Ontario (where I am) they say it's a slow 'plateau' ... cause our numbers of new cases are almost the same each day..... down from the 800+ new cases each day to 400+ new cases. I am fighting being discouraged - I keep wondering why we're stuck at 400 - why aren't our numbers going down faster?? Our Premier has a plan to reopen -- but he's moving very slowly (thank god!!) They are opening garden centers and some other non-essential businesses.... but for the most part we are still in lock down.
BUT we're definitely doing better than our neighbour Quebec. Their numbers are still around 800 - 900 a day!! AND the brilliant Premier of Quebec is starting to lift restrictions!! He's opening schools outside of Montreal on Monday!! That's just a mess!! Kiddies who go back probably won't be in the same class - or with their friends or with their teacher. To respect the 2 meter distancing most classes will have to drop from 22 down to 8 per class!! And when I read the restrictions on daily routines it sounds so restrictive I would NOT send my child!!
(OH and for the record on Thursday they had a covid 19 outbreak in a daycare center that is operating for essential workers. 14 of the 20 children tested positive and 2 of the educators!!)
Our little community of 45,000+ has only had 14 cases and they are all 'resolved' with no deaths! AND we've had no new cases in 2 weeks. My anxiety about venturing out has eased drastically. Our masks arrived this week....... and I decided to head out alone on Friday to do some shopping. I REALLY wanted to go to the Dollar Store to get some school supplies for the coming weeks..... and head to the liquor store to pick up some wine!!! This week - on one of my really bad days - Sir Steve brought me a glass of wine outside on the front deck..... it almost felt 'normal' ya know? The sun was shining and warm -- the lil one was riding her bike in front of the house and I was sipping my wine and imagining summer was here! SO in the interest of 'normalcy' I decided to pickup a couple more bottles of wine - cause SURELY the warmer weather will arrive eventually right?? and an afternoon glass of wine on the front deck will become a daily thing..........
I managed to do the two shops - and even popped into the local grocer! to pick up a couple of things I wanted. The difference between now and the last time I actually went IN to a shop was mind boggling. There are line ups to get in to every shop.... one person out - one person in........ hand sanitizer at the doors to all the shops.. plexi glass barriers at all the cashes .......... arrows on the ground showing the direction you must move through the stores....... almost no one is talking to anyone else... it's eerily quiet in the shops.
I had my usual reaction to the mask...... when I first put them on (have had to wear them before when I have been sick and gone to see a doctor) I have a small panic attack - positive I can NOT breath...... but it passes. Yesterday was cold here - like WINTER cold - so every time I went into a store with the mask on my damn glasses fogged up so badly I couldn't see!! But it's a small price to pay to feel safe .... and I did feel safer than I have felt....... though when I got home my shoulders and neck were so stiff !! I am hoping the tense muscles will eventually become a thing of the past the more I venture out............
And that's the update from my end of the world........... how are you all doing???
Hi Morningstar, thank you for the update. I'm glad you are feeling a bit more comfortable and that you managed to visit the shops you wanted to. Yay for wine :) it's just tireing and awful going anywhere with the queues and all the other measures in place.
ReplyDeleteWe find out on Monday whether we will move down to a much lower level of restrictions. Our Government moved early into lockdown to get on top of things and it has paid off. The daily number of cases are now single digits, and by that I mean under 5 on average.
Hugs
Roz
I am unsure where you are getting your Ontario numbers from. As far as I have read, our highest per day number was in the low 600 area. Last week we had several days in the 300s. Though the spike up again is disconcerting, it is to be expected. Unlike to think of the numbers as immunity building. The death toll is heart breaking.
ReplyDeleteWe have only one case in our city right now, so things are good here. Shopping is as you describe. I found that when I wear a mask, the checkout folks don't talk to me. It' seems to be a "stay away" signal to other shoppers too.
ReplyDeleteOur closest beer store is allowing returns on bottles starting Monday - hooray! Our crawl space is filling up with cases of empties - all bottles rinsed as per new regulations.
Hugs,
Hermione
Glad to hear all the cases in your community are resolved. I left Canada two months ago and ’m in south east Asia now and in the country where I am at, we have 176 cases total as of today. We are 50 million population. We wear masks and it is mandatory here. The temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit . Yeppp . Can’t complain
ReplyDeleteHi, things have been bad in Belgium. Our total number of deaths so far is just short of 8500 but that is from a fairly small population. If the same percent of the population had died in the UK, for example, that number would be about 51000.
ReplyDeleteBut things are looking a lot brighter now. We hit a target of less than 100 new admissions to hospital for three days in a row (I think that it has been five days now) and the R rate (reinfection rate) has fallen below the magic 0.7 percent. As a result we get some treats as of Monday. I will post about that tomorrow.
Prefectdt
Everything’s a mess in the US, and a vocal minority are doing everything they can to kill us all so... that’s cool. The rest of the world is cooperating to find a vaccine, but our government is sending back cdc guidelines because they don’t like them, and forcing low paid non essential workers back to the work place without requiring businesses to provide adequate protections. I’m sure that’s going to work out great for everyone. Oh, and I almost forgot the part where the current administration is taking the opportunity to roll back environmental protections and trample all over basic human rights (particularly for immigrants) while everyone is distracted by the virus. We are also on a “slow plateau”... with 25k-30k new cases every day and anywhere from 1200-2200 dead each day. Those numbers will go up soon though, because idiots have been protesting and ignoring stay at home orders for several weeks now, and many states are in the process of lifting those restrictions even though our numbers aren’t consistently falling yet.
ReplyDeleteSo... here’s hoping you all remember us with fondness or at least a minimum or resentment when we manage to completely destroy ourselves.
Things are okay here on a personal level (in the UK). both of us worked from home in pre-pandemic days so little has changed in that respect - just our social life has been drastically curtailed - but we're okay with that. Getting a lot of deliveries of things we need and minimising going out, only when we have to. Shops are like you describe. I only visit our local little food shops (one is the post office) and I know people there so they recognise me even with the mask. I made my own out of cheerful friendly material - just some pretty flowers! - so that helps too. (is it worth covering your masks with a single layer of something cheerful? If you make a number of them out of cotton you can chuck them in a hot wash after every use and it'd be quite safe.)
ReplyDeleteOn a country basis things are not so good. Our death rate is now officially the worst in Europe on a pure numbers level (we're beaten by Belgium, on a per-population rate). Yesterday it was 31,587 deaths here, but there's a lot still unaccounted for. ONS (thats the office for national statistics) issue better, fuller figures but there is a 3 week lag on that. Sadly, we're catching up to Belgium in a big way. People are very silly. We just had VE day here and many people were out celebrating. There's a video going around of people doing the conga, holding a rope, 2 meters apart - but none of them are wearing masks and they're dancing in each other's slipstream. Idiocy! Our neighbours are out every day socialising with each other, having BBQs. And there are rumours about what the government intends to do about lifting lockdown. The prime minister is issuing a statement later today but I am not hopeful that they will be doing the right thing. Everyone I know who has some form of intelligence and who keep themselves informed are planning to continue to stay home as much as possible. I'm fully anticipating and preparing for a second wave, if nothing else, because both myself and my husband have those 'underlying conditions'.
Stay safe, Morningstar, and I hope you're able to keep the littleone safer as well.
keth
Hey Morningstar,
ReplyDeleteI am trying not to panic with our dumb Eastern neighbours opening schools, hearing the news through friends that apparently teachers are refusing to work (THANK GOD!!!).
However, I am hopeful otherwise that we are on a downward trend. I expect another spike at or near the end of June as the restrictions are lifted and realistically don't expect us to be back to normal for at least another year or more. Especially since the stupid neighbours to the south are being reckless. And by neighbours, I mean the idiot that runs the country.
However, all in all, I am pretty impressed with how we have done (especially since I don't like our premier and didn't vote for him!).
I am not looking forward to trying a mask, but have a few here for the time when I will do it.
Hugs
Boo