Once again I have not written here in a very long time. I thought I would use this space to journal the COVID-19 Epidemic in a personal way mostly for myself but if someone out there is reading this fill yer boots! These are my observations of a crazy time in human history.
Early March; we've been hearing about the Novel Corona Virus in China for some time, since January maybe? But it has spread to Iran, Italy and isolated possible community spread in Washington State, still seems far away, no panic yet....
This week finds us taking a trip to Saskatchewan as Gords dad is permanently in hospital, hospice care enduring the final stages of COPD (emphysema). We know that he has been talking about MAID (Medically Assisted something Dying) and when we get there he has pretty much decided to enact this process next week. My first reaction is that the hotel is going to cost too much, we will run out of dog food for Bella the Border Collie and who will water my plants???? I conclude the next morning that I should stay, I can't bail on my in-law family, I have to experience their reactions! We will suck up the hotel cost, it is very comfortable afterall, I can buy dog food and get Gords brother in Calgary to water the plants, he didn't want to come but that story is not relevant now! The background to all this is the evolving pandemic, a cruise ship carrying 237 Canadians is circling off the coast of San Francisco, it doesn't have permission to dock yet, I am following the saga on CNN in the hotel, it's the only damn channel they have besides CTV and CBC for News Networks!We watch the live feed of passengers waving to the helicopter as it passes under the Golden Gate Bridge, so beautiful, so ominous! One of Gord's sisters has just finished a cruise vacation to Belize and area and plans to stay in Florida for a month or so as they are early retirees, bloody Baby Boomers who were the "Freedom 55" set, ugh! I just couldn't think of a more insane situation, having someone come straight from a cruise ship to the old folks home where Gord's mom lives and also to the local hospital, what could go wrong??? She and her husband did arrive later that week where I learn firsthand about the stupidity of Republican/right wing thinking during this plague! The guy, my brother-in-law, doesn't believe the virus is dangerous, says it's no worse than the flu, all Trump talking points. I often have to hide my true feelings (sometimes not well) around Gord's family. The real kicker here is that Gord's sister is the former head health authority for one of Canada's major cities, she was the spokesperson for her region during the SARS epidemic so many years ago, she quietly says to her husband that he is not right while I am saying loudly that "you are wrong, the virus is 20 times more deadly than flu!" Gords dad dies the way he choose on Wednesday the 11th, 3/11 if you like, many tears and goodbyes, it was beautiful really, I'll never forget it, I kept thinking of my dad wasting away from cancer, so much pain, who needs it? At some time during this period those people did get off that ship in San Fran and I remember noticing from the CNN arial footage the nice tent Canada had with the large flag and Canada logo featured prominently while what I assume is the US and maybe UK tents looking like shit blowing on the dock ready to process the people coming off. I just thought well this is how Canada takes care of it's citizens compared to other places especially the US ! Geeze. I remarked to Gord's sisters about my observation but these guys never get what I'm talking about, so dense for such apparently smart people! Oh well!
Gords sister continually checks the Government of Canada to see if there are any restrictions on travel, there isn't and they fly back to the US on that Friday, bad call turns out!
I am already practicing not shaking hands with the many relatives, I keep saying we are not shaking hands anymore! I prefer the Namaste greeting, prayer hands with head nod. Some idiots on TV are doing the elbow bump or the foot tap, that's going to make me fall over I can't do that!!!
With the deed done we're all soon on our way back home, driving first to Saskatoon to spend the night then the 6 hour drive back to Calgary, all the time the virus news getting worse, it's hard to listen to on the radio, mostly I'm mad that the New Wave extravaganza concert we were scheduled to go to in Los Angeles in May is probably not happening! We were also going to stay in a beautiful Art Deco Hotel, The Biltmore in downtown LA and fly first class for once!!! It was going to be great and well deserved, we don't travel or do expensive things! So it was hard for me to listen to my Sirus First Wave channel, everytime an artist would play that was scheduled for the fest I would feel a pang of anger! Another backdrop was the primary race between Biden and Bernie Sanders. Earlier in the trip we had an evening with our youngest niece who is 24 years old and a total Bernie lover! She admonished us for liking Pete Butteigeig, apparently we are mainstream idiots too old and stupid to understand the world! So I was glad Bernie lost badly to Biden and this nonsense would be soon be over!!!As this reality is coalescing I can see Biden as President, I'm not against it, we're going to need consolation after this pandemic for sure, who is better than Biden? Getting home Friday several days later than planned I don't have much to eat in the house and decide to leave grocery shopping for Monday.
Grocery Shopping March 16th; The news is getting quite serious with cases in Canada and Alberta doubling almost overnight everyday. Panic buying of toilet paper at local stores is making the news and I'm thinking is it going to really be that bad? Yes. When I pulled into Superstore it looked like a weekend, almost every parking spot taken and very few carts available yet I got one, maybe the last of 2 in the cart dock. The place is swamped which is exactly what we don't want in this pandemic, why don't they limit the number of people inside the store? I decided to wear leather gloves I got from Gord's dad, I don't want to touch anything! Most people are walking around with no gloves while the Asians all have face masks even tho the experts say they are useless, one couple is in black rubber gloves and face masks while another shopper walks around jabbering in African touching everything like the world is normal. I begin to wish I had a face mask too, it would just feel better, I don't want to be near anyone or breath their dirty expelled air, sheesh! I also begin to understand why Asian markets wrap every single item in plastic wrap, even bananas and avocados that have a peel, I don't want to buy anything people have touched either and opt for packaged tomatoes and mushrooms. I am discovering that not only is toilet paper completely gone so is pasta, beans and canned vegetables, soups but oddly enough not cases of soup, are people this dumb?, yes! I can't complete my list as so many areas of the store are ransacked and empty, I get what I can. The lineups are insane and I am angered after standing in one line the teller walks away leaving me in limbo, I find a better line, all men-few items, I am glad the teller uses gloves and I can use the stylus on the interac machine! I am judgy of those who brought kids or are buying only a few items, who would risk this much exposure to the seething masses? Outside I am almost finished loading the car and a young Asian man wants to give me a loonie for my cart, in normal times this is perfectly acceptable but I don't want to touch other peoples things right now so I tell him no and walk over to the cart dock, he asks again and I tell him this is my lucky loonie and there is a pandemic going around and I don't want your loonie! I get my loonie back and he gets the cart, the last and only one around. I drive home and get cut off by a long bearded red-neck looking guy in a truck, I lay on the horn but he just stares ahead oblivious, I wish him the worst, thanks for assuring my darkest thought about society right now jerk!
Government of Canada tells "Snow Bird Canadians" to get the f*** home! Dollar drops to 70 cents US!
Gord goes to work on Monday, I drive him as he is scared of the bus, he comes home early, this would be the last normalish day.
The news gets worse everyday, live press conferences every morning from Trump and Trudeau, not much to watch on TV.
Stock Market has dropped thousands of points everyday for several days, what will happen with our investments? What of retired snow birds?
The View continues without an audience as do many live taped shows from NY, weird and creepy. Joy Behar says she is not comfortable coming in anymore, the next day the View switches the set to a very large table, Social Distancing becomes the new word everywhere! We should all keep 6 feet from each other. France imposes strict quarantine measures, walking a dog alone is OK, no one is allowed out otherwise. Canada, not as strict is also encouraging Social Distancing at all levels of government. The US however is lagging, some states, all Republican are allowing people to go the beach and restaurants and carry on spring break as usual. Rachel Maddow Show reports Texas, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and Wyoming (as the ones I can remember) are not saying anything about social distancing! New York and San Francisco are on total lockdown as is Canada.
The Canadian border is shut to leisure travel including the US.
In the background to all this Gord and I have a cold of some sort with coughing! I do not believe it is Covid because I was getting it almost before the Saskatchewan trip but I did have to stifle a cough while grocery shopping.
My neighbour who is a primo milennial and on top of everything knew about the toilet paper shortage before it happend he warned us about medication shortages. Since his father is a doctor he told us to stock up on tylenol for fever and cough syrup with DM for coughing if and when you get sick. He explains that in Asia when people started to get sick these items became scarce or nonexistent as people will panic as with toilet paper! The next day I go out to buy these items. At the same time my mom is phoning me about my inheritance, it is currently under lock in investment until May but is supposed to go to me and she is worried that no one can go out or maybe she won't survive, she is 85 for Christs sake! I am also worried, she is mostly concerned about blaming the Chinese and has about the same scientific understanding as the President...none! She is sort of isolated but probably cannot comprehend social distancing, Casinos are still open, they are a gathering place for the elderly, how can the Alberta government be so dumb? A day or two later Casinos are closed, thank god! I am thinking protect old people, shut down their gathering places, cripes!
I cannot imagine this going on for 6 to 12 months!!! I enjoy my private time, how will people pay their bills? mortgages etc? I am used to being at home and am quite antisocial but most people are not, I am worried this will go badly in a few weeks, like people will go crazy, what if they reach the end of the internet? If winter hangs on people could go crazy, more than usual!
Thursday I awoke at 9am, Gord is in his robe in bed playing a game on his phone, I listen to the View until Trump comes on for a news conference, can't stand it, make a coffee and head back up to bed, it is comforting, now I know why Barbra Streisand likes a "few of her favourite things in bed"!
I keep saying "I can't believe this is happening" in the world, what will we all do?
My millennial neighbours have or had a plan to move to Spain on a youth visa for a year and are trying to sell their house, they come over on Wednesday for a showing, I tell them that I find most young people so much alike and totally boring, they are not like them, I don't want them to move, we love them, the dog loves them, I don't like new people, I have to train them all over again!!! I'm wondering if banks will issue mortgages? There is even talk of restricting domestic travel, it is a possibility. Today they said they may have to stay for the summer and change plans, indeed!!!
I knew there would be a consequence to all this world travel! We have been living in total decadence for many years now, the nouveau riche of China travelling all over the world,as interested in the West as we might be over a strange insect collection. Many young people in our society with good jobs travelling to anywhere overseas like no one has ever done in history before, this is the consequence!
It's all so insane now and getting worse!
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