The Current Situation - WTF

It is easy to forget about what is going on when I am roaming the farm with the animals, but when I stop and think about it, or check in with the online world, I am quickly reminded that things are very different right now. Things I could not have dreamed happened, have happened. Death is hunting human life on earth right now, and I am trying to hide from it. We do have what it takes for most of us to survive. Stay home, wash your hands, social distance seriously, and keep yourselves alive and sane. It is not the same for everyone, I recognize that. Then there are the idiots of the world that are still out there gathering for parties, going camping together and having big gatherings in the woods, going to the store every single day for one or two things because they are bored, and then we have Donald Trump, who has to be the biggest moron on the planet right now. Demanding that 3M ship no more masks to Canada anymore. He is such an idiot that he doesn’t realize the ingredients for making said masks come from CANADA. So if you stop exporting them to Canada, you will also stop MAKING them for Americans. Why is this moron allowed to speak in public? Arrrggghhh, I can’t even...

So the current situation as I know it to be in Canada:

- all schools and universities are closed, some indefinitely. Some to be determined at a later date. 

- all parks, campgrounds, recreations areas, playgrounds and such are closed. 

- all non-essential businesses are closed. No open date in sight. Things like nail salons, hair salons, dentists, eye doctors, etc, anything with close contact - closed. 

- many businesses are trying to manage by offering delivery of items from their stores if you pay up front. Or you can go pick up your order outside the store, all from a distance. 

- essential businesses have very strict social distancing rules in place as well as rules about item limits on essential items. There are lines on the floors telling you where to stand and some stores have directional arrows on the floor so you can only travel in one direction and not pass someone in the narrower aisles. They have all the bulk food sections and any self-serve open stock are all closed and covered up with big sheets of plastic. Some form of barrier is between you and the cashier at checkout - either plexiglass, or a table is placed in front so you can’t physically get that close. At the drug store - where normally there is a row of chairs or more for people waiting for their meds, now there is a single chair. No one can sit beside you but if you must wait, here is one chair. Shopping carts at some grocery stores cannot be returned to any corral - just the one that is being manned with someone in gloves with sanitizer to clean it for the next person. Security guards are posted at all grocery stores and drug stores to maintain order, social distance, control traffic flow into the store, and if need be, slow the traffic. When it is busy, there are lineups outside the stores, often around the building as people put great distances between them. Paper and plastic bags are available and free and you must not bring your own bags. Certain things are hard to find - hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, masks. People everywhere are wearing gloves, many wearing masks, scarves, anything to cover themselves. Most are doing it wrong.

- All restaurants and pubs are closed to inside dining and only a select few are offering delivery or take-out. Take-outs often require more sanitizing, gloves, distance, tap only, no cash. 

- all stores are working on much shorter hours. They often offer seniors hours - the first hour of business is for seniors to get in and out without having to see too many people that may carry the virus and crowd them out. 

- renters cannot be evicted for non payment of rent if they are laid off due to the pandemic. There is rent assistance available if needed, and mortgages are given a deferral. BC Hydro is giving everyone 3 free months of power since we are all stuck at home. Bell Canada is giving everyone unlimited data both at home and on cells. 

- the streets at night are empty except for the homeless who wander, trying to find what they need for the night. 

- some ferries have been cancelled altogether, and others have cut their service by half due to low numbers. They are asking only those with essential travel reasons to use them. I was lucky to get to Salt Spring when I did. 

- if you have any symptoms of the virus you are NOT to go anywhere but to call their emergency line and a team will come to you. Do not go to the hospital or any medical clinic. In some provinces they are doing drive through testing for everyone with results in an hour. 

- borders are closed. International borders are only permitting Canadians to cross and supply trucks. No inessential travel. Everyone entering from any other country must self-quarantine for at least 14 days. Anyone coming from another province into certain provinces must do the same. There is to be no travel for pleasure whatsoever. Stay the hell home. 

- People are engaging with others online like never before. There are school programs, science programs, museum tours, free university classes, free language courses, you name it - the world has opened up to everyone. There is a lot of pressure to accomplish something great while we are in self-isolation, however many experts would rather we just tried to stay sane and healthy and not push ourselves too much as the entire ordeal is going to be stressful enough. This is not going to be over in a couple of weeks. Not even a couple of months. 

- people have turned on each other as well as turned up for each other in record numbers. There is always someone out there to help and looking for help and looking to take advantage of either of them. Beware. 

- people are celebrating the essential workers with cheers, song, music, clamouring, honking and whatnot every night around 7pm or so all over the world in many countries. Tears me up every time. 

- gas prices have fallen to lower than anyone has seen in decades. Now I can afford to travel in the RV, but I am not permitted. Murphy’s Law. 

It is easy to feel despair for the world and the situation facing human life on earth. I know some of my friends are struggling being home day after day with children. I feel for you, I really do. I hope you find something interesting every day to keep the family spirits up. There are a ton of great ideas out there, and a ton of great initiatives to join in with. You are not alone. No one is alone in this. For the first time in a very long time, the world is facing something together. This is not a problem facing one or two countries that share a border. This is a problem facing earth and its inhabitants. We need each other to make it through. We cannot afford to turn on one another. We will persevere. We are strong enough together. There is reason to hope.