For me, it's the paranoia which I find a genuine downer; everyone, walking about in zombie-like stares with masks, heads mostly down, fearing that the breath they are currently taking in may be their last. And indeed, for some - it might come to that.
The CDC guidelines haven't been helpful - I find - being rather laissez faire on the whole issue of masks at the outset (not necessary, so we were told), then, absolutely essential, while the shifted focus from contracting Covid as a primarily airborne carrier, as opposed to being spread by shared touched surfaces already contaminated with the virus (which, again, at the outset we were told could thrive on any hard surface well past 72 hrs. but now, it has been suggested, contamination is 'unlikely' to come from surface contact), has spread doubt, panic and fear where I am.
That, and of course, the continued mystery as to why some who contract it don't even know they have it, while others become deathly ill within the first week of exposure and then, on occasion, find themselves fighting for their lives, and living off respirators for weeks - sometimes even months - at a time - a thoroughly terrifying prospect. Nightly, we are shown stories on the news about survivors that continue not to add up to the guidelines as outlined by the CDC. In Canada, I point to the story of a man named Renee, and his wife, and their 3 children, ages ranging from 5 to 11. Here was a man who became infected in the early half of February.
As yet, unaware of his diagnosis or what was in store, he returned to the cramped apartment he and his wife and kids share, lazing on his sofa and by his own, and his wife's admission, spending a lot of time holding his children as they played X-box, and he read stories to them. So, no social distancing there. When, after a week of contamination, Renee suddenly lost the ability to properly breathe, his wife rushed him, first to a clinic, which misdiagnosed him with pneumonia, and then to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with Covid-19.
After 2 weeks on a respirator, Renee recovered. But the health organization were baffled when, upon arriving at the apartment and testing everywhere, they were unable to locate any sign of the virus lurking about. Moreover, none of Renee's children, nor his wife ever became sick or tested positive for the virus.
Now, according to the CDC, we are to social distance even if we do not feel sick, because to do otherwise is to put ourselves and others immediately at risk of catching the virus. How then, did Renee's wife and children escape a similar fate. You can tell a 5, 9, and 11 year old all you want to wash their hands and not touch dirty items around the house and guess what - they're kids. They're going to do it without even even thinking. So, you can't tell me they didn't do it in this case. And by the couple's own admission - unknowing as they were, and therefore blameless - they did not social distance from each other during Renee's infectious stage.
For me, then, I remain conflicted and slightly on edge about Covid and its ramifications. I don't want to catch it, but, as I am not entirely certain how exactly others are getting it, I am never entirely certain I am doing EVERYTHING I can to escape its wrath. That's been enough to put me off my mettle some days. That, and the fact, I require B-12 injections to keep me going, as the pills don't absorb, due to my failing pancreas, and haven't been able to get a shot since February when everything here shut down.
Ontario Canada has now reopened certain business sectors, including mine. I deal with the public daily, wearing a mask and gloves and spraying myself with sanitizer and taking baths more than once a day, all in an attempt to avoid Covid. But will I?
Yes, its true, in life there are no guarantees. But if we reconsider the common flu - as example - we find certain things that can be done to prevent one from contracting it; don't go close to an infected person, as example, and cover one's mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. But since many Covid carriers are not aware they are already infected and spreading the virus, how can we be certain we, who are trying to stay safe, are actually 'staying safe' as a result of our proactive measures? Worse, and I must say this, I find an extraordinary percentage of my fellow Canadians either dim-witted, or grotesquely confident this virus is something that happens to other people. I can't tell you how many grocery stores, banks, etc. I have frequently, bundled up like a mummy from horn to hoof, only to come face to face with someone in shorts and a tank top, looking at me as though I'm from another planet.
And true story, today, at my place of work I encountered 3 individuals who bear shaming for their audacity on this latter matter. The first was a couple in their mid-30's - she, obviously pregnant. Upon entering our work environment, they read our sign which offered them sanitizer, gloves and a mask for nothing before turning to me and asking "Is this really necessary?" When I suggested we could not impose the measure for their own protection, but with everything going on, firmly believed it would be prudent of them to partake of these measures, I was met with an indifferent shrug. "Then, no," I was told, "I'm not doing that."
And they didn't. The third individual was an elderly woman who came in carrying her own mask, strapped to her wrist. A lot of good it did her there! When I suggested she affix the mask to her face I was informed that she merely took it to appease others, but didn't feel as though she had to appease me. She then extended her hands and said, "As you can see, I already have Covid-fingers so what's the point?" I nearly swallowed my gum, thinking perhaps she was quite serious, at which point she smiled and said, "I mean I haven't been able to get to the salon to have them done!"
On the one hand, I suppose I ought to admire her chutzpah. But frankly, given the incredible loss of life incurred all over the world thus far, and the infectious rate rising in Ontario, even as our Premier continues to let down safety measures and re-open the province, I found little amusement in this woman's levity.
Personal opinion, of course, but I sincerely think it fool-hardy to re-open anything while the virus is still very much with us. While I can certainly appreciate the need to re-establish the economy, I sincerely wonder what sort of economy we will have if masses have to die - needlessly - in order for the survivors to make a buck - a very cruel price to be paid. I don't know how much clearer our elected officials can be about pointing out the obvious - that Covid-19 does not discriminate. It strikes a devastating blow regardless of age, creed, sex, etc. It claims those with pre-existing afflictions more readily - but not all. And let's face it, by the age of say 35, how many of us can sincerely say we have NO preexisting conditions that might allow the virus to thrive and help to fell us?
Now, having realized I have taken up far too much space with these thoughts and experiences, I will conclude and thank those who have indulged my reflections, simply by adding that my coping skills, while generally good in a crisis, have been pressed to the edge during this pandemic. Realistically, I don't see 'normalcy' coming back any time soon. Even if a vaccine is implemented as early as October of this year, we have already lost most of 2020 to the ages - a devastating setback as, in the grand wrinkle of time, none of us is getting any younger. And a vaccine is not fool-proof, folks. None are. Some are just more effective than others. That is all. How effective will this one be? And what will be its side effects? Again, more anxiety.
While I've read a lot and seen a lot of coverage on this virus thus far, virtually all of it is flawed reporting - the goal posts for outlining contamination methods constantly changing so that now no one can really say for certain how the spread is occurring. Why it claims some, and leaves other simply feeling lethargic, or perhaps, feeling nothing at all. It's a crazy virus - period. And even after it passes, its impact will long be felt in the modern world. Our very core has been shaken.
Cities around the world have been transformed from thriving metropolises into ghost towns, or worse, mass morgues where thousands have died. Personally, I don't think I ever want to go to Manhattan again. It's just too painful to remember it the way it was, and the way it likely can never be again - crowded, bustling, full of life, and, optimism - truly, the city that, until recently, never slept. Basic activities taken for granted - going to the beach, park, movie theater, etc. have been made either obsolete or, at the very least, a dangerous prospect.
I mean, do I want to sit on a bench that may have been contaminated by another just before me. And will I contaminate myself if I sit on it unknowingly. Taking hot showers after every outing to the grocery or drug store, washing hands until one's skin is raw, cracking and blistering, and wearing a mask (that is damn near impossible to breathe through for prolonged periods during any sort of physically exerting activity (sorry, but I still can't cut my lawn, jog or ride a bike wearing one of those things) is not an option. Forget going to a ballgame, having a pool party, or sitting comfortably at your favorite restaurant without a care in the world, enjoying a warm summer afternoon. It's not going to happen. The devil-may-care acceptability of a mostly stable world has been taken from us forever. Even when things reopen, will we really feel free to accept the crisis is over? And honestly, will it ever be over for some?
Post Edited by Moderator!
The CDC guidelines haven't been helpful - I find - being rather laissez faire on the whole issue of masks at the outset (not necessary, so we were told), then, absolutely essential, while the shifted focus from contracting Covid as a primarily airborne carrier, as opposed to being spread by shared touched surfaces already contaminated with the virus (which, again, at the outset we were told could thrive on any hard surface well past 72 hrs. but now, it has been suggested, contamination is 'unlikely' to come from surface contact), has spread doubt, panic and fear where I am.
That, and of course, the continued mystery as to why some who contract it don't even know they have it, while others become deathly ill within the first week of exposure and then, on occasion, find themselves fighting for their lives, and living off respirators for weeks - sometimes even months - at a time - a thoroughly terrifying prospect. Nightly, we are shown stories on the news about survivors that continue not to add up to the guidelines as outlined by the CDC. In Canada, I point to the story of a man named Renee, and his wife, and their 3 children, ages ranging from 5 to 11. Here was a man who became infected in the early half of February.
As yet, unaware of his diagnosis or what was in store, he returned to the cramped apartment he and his wife and kids share, lazing on his sofa and by his own, and his wife's admission, spending a lot of time holding his children as they played X-box, and he read stories to them. So, no social distancing there. When, after a week of contamination, Renee suddenly lost the ability to properly breathe, his wife rushed him, first to a clinic, which misdiagnosed him with pneumonia, and then to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with Covid-19.
After 2 weeks on a respirator, Renee recovered. But the health organization were baffled when, upon arriving at the apartment and testing everywhere, they were unable to locate any sign of the virus lurking about. Moreover, none of Renee's children, nor his wife ever became sick or tested positive for the virus.
Now, according to the CDC, we are to social distance even if we do not feel sick, because to do otherwise is to put ourselves and others immediately at risk of catching the virus. How then, did Renee's wife and children escape a similar fate. You can tell a 5, 9, and 11 year old all you want to wash their hands and not touch dirty items around the house and guess what - they're kids. They're going to do it without even even thinking. So, you can't tell me they didn't do it in this case. And by the couple's own admission - unknowing as they were, and therefore blameless - they did not social distance from each other during Renee's infectious stage.
For me, then, I remain conflicted and slightly on edge about Covid and its ramifications. I don't want to catch it, but, as I am not entirely certain how exactly others are getting it, I am never entirely certain I am doing EVERYTHING I can to escape its wrath. That's been enough to put me off my mettle some days. That, and the fact, I require B-12 injections to keep me going, as the pills don't absorb, due to my failing pancreas, and haven't been able to get a shot since February when everything here shut down.
Ontario Canada has now reopened certain business sectors, including mine. I deal with the public daily, wearing a mask and gloves and spraying myself with sanitizer and taking baths more than once a day, all in an attempt to avoid Covid. But will I?
Yes, its true, in life there are no guarantees. But if we reconsider the common flu - as example - we find certain things that can be done to prevent one from contracting it; don't go close to an infected person, as example, and cover one's mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. But since many Covid carriers are not aware they are already infected and spreading the virus, how can we be certain we, who are trying to stay safe, are actually 'staying safe' as a result of our proactive measures? Worse, and I must say this, I find an extraordinary percentage of my fellow Canadians either dim-witted, or grotesquely confident this virus is something that happens to other people. I can't tell you how many grocery stores, banks, etc. I have frequently, bundled up like a mummy from horn to hoof, only to come face to face with someone in shorts and a tank top, looking at me as though I'm from another planet.
And true story, today, at my place of work I encountered 3 individuals who bear shaming for their audacity on this latter matter. The first was a couple in their mid-30's - she, obviously pregnant. Upon entering our work environment, they read our sign which offered them sanitizer, gloves and a mask for nothing before turning to me and asking "Is this really necessary?" When I suggested we could not impose the measure for their own protection, but with everything going on, firmly believed it would be prudent of them to partake of these measures, I was met with an indifferent shrug. "Then, no," I was told, "I'm not doing that."
And they didn't. The third individual was an elderly woman who came in carrying her own mask, strapped to her wrist. A lot of good it did her there! When I suggested she affix the mask to her face I was informed that she merely took it to appease others, but didn't feel as though she had to appease me. She then extended her hands and said, "As you can see, I already have Covid-fingers so what's the point?" I nearly swallowed my gum, thinking perhaps she was quite serious, at which point she smiled and said, "I mean I haven't been able to get to the salon to have them done!"
On the one hand, I suppose I ought to admire her chutzpah. But frankly, given the incredible loss of life incurred all over the world thus far, and the infectious rate rising in Ontario, even as our Premier continues to let down safety measures and re-open the province, I found little amusement in this woman's levity.
Personal opinion, of course, but I sincerely think it fool-hardy to re-open anything while the virus is still very much with us. While I can certainly appreciate the need to re-establish the economy, I sincerely wonder what sort of economy we will have if masses have to die - needlessly - in order for the survivors to make a buck - a very cruel price to be paid. I don't know how much clearer our elected officials can be about pointing out the obvious - that Covid-19 does not discriminate. It strikes a devastating blow regardless of age, creed, sex, etc. It claims those with pre-existing afflictions more readily - but not all. And let's face it, by the age of say 35, how many of us can sincerely say we have NO preexisting conditions that might allow the virus to thrive and help to fell us?
Now, having realized I have taken up far too much space with these thoughts and experiences, I will conclude and thank those who have indulged my reflections, simply by adding that my coping skills, while generally good in a crisis, have been pressed to the edge during this pandemic. Realistically, I don't see 'normalcy' coming back any time soon. Even if a vaccine is implemented as early as October of this year, we have already lost most of 2020 to the ages - a devastating setback as, in the grand wrinkle of time, none of us is getting any younger. And a vaccine is not fool-proof, folks. None are. Some are just more effective than others. That is all. How effective will this one be? And what will be its side effects? Again, more anxiety.
While I've read a lot and seen a lot of coverage on this virus thus far, virtually all of it is flawed reporting - the goal posts for outlining contamination methods constantly changing so that now no one can really say for certain how the spread is occurring. Why it claims some, and leaves other simply feeling lethargic, or perhaps, feeling nothing at all. It's a crazy virus - period. And even after it passes, its impact will long be felt in the modern world. Our very core has been shaken.
Cities around the world have been transformed from thriving metropolises into ghost towns, or worse, mass morgues where thousands have died. Personally, I don't think I ever want to go to Manhattan again. It's just too painful to remember it the way it was, and the way it likely can never be again - crowded, bustling, full of life, and, optimism - truly, the city that, until recently, never slept. Basic activities taken for granted - going to the beach, park, movie theater, etc. have been made either obsolete or, at the very least, a dangerous prospect.
I mean, do I want to sit on a bench that may have been contaminated by another just before me. And will I contaminate myself if I sit on it unknowingly. Taking hot showers after every outing to the grocery or drug store, washing hands until one's skin is raw, cracking and blistering, and wearing a mask (that is damn near impossible to breathe through for prolonged periods during any sort of physically exerting activity (sorry, but I still can't cut my lawn, jog or ride a bike wearing one of those things) is not an option. Forget going to a ballgame, having a pool party, or sitting comfortably at your favorite restaurant without a care in the world, enjoying a warm summer afternoon. It's not going to happen. The devil-may-care acceptability of a mostly stable world has been taken from us forever. Even when things reopen, will we really feel free to accept the crisis is over? And honestly, will it ever be over for some?
Post Edited by Moderator!