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Self-Quarantine - First Entry: Isabel's already bored



For the last year I've been saying  that we are living in the shit-storm montage that you see at the beginning of every post-apocalyptic film. (*cue the zombies*)

I have yet to be proven wrong.

This last week, though, we hit the gas pedal. You can't turn on the news without being inundated with COVID-19 updates. Everything is cancelled. Everything is scarce. Everyone is home. (Well, everyone that can be) And so begins the era of self-quarantine - an era, I hope, we'll look back on fondly in a few weeks when this is all over.

Until then, though, guess what? We're all in this together.

The Sullys' have not been exposed (that I know of). We have not been out of the country. (for far too long) But, we will still do our part and I hope you will too. It's going to be a long few weeks, to be sure. But we WILL get through it.

Our families live in the USA. On a good day, I'm worried about them given current affairs. I've been watching the news, of course, but I find it more useful to ask them directly what's going on around them and in their area. That being said, I thought it might be useful for them and for my USA friends to know what's going on around here. It seems there are varying responses to this situation in different countries. I will try to document (archive) what I see happening in my little suburban corner of the Great White North.

So here we go:

What I've seen in Ottawa, ON: (10 confirmed cases)

1. March Break is next week in Ottawa. On Thursday, Premier, Doug Ford, went on the news to say that "children who travel during the break will be allowed to return to school after." As you can imagine, this was immediately met with a shit storm. Schools are notorious petri-dishes and many parents had already decided to keep their kids home after the break, regardless. By that afternoon, the decision was changed to all schools will be closed until "April 5th." Colleges and Universities seemed to have followed suit.

2. My famously cool-headed husband made a comment on Wednesday night, "maybe we should stock up on just a few things." It couldn't hurt, I guess. Not because, we fear doomsday. Mostly because dumbasses are out in hordes emptying shelves of basic necessities. We decided to do our weekend shopping early to avoid this. We got everything we needed (basics+) and the store was pretty stocked. The lines were crazy though. The poor cashier asked me, "What happened that got everyone so crazy?" (school closure announcement)

3. My community has really stepped up. For every few scare-inducing posts, I'm seeing incredible acts of kindness and generosity; people offering to shop for those who can't, people offering goods to those who can't find them, offers of mental-support, and posts for free-websites and home based activities to keep us all busy. People are mostly good.

4. Most people, myself and Matt included, will be working from home. I feel so thankful that we can. I realize there are so many people who just do not have that option. I hope to see measures put into place to support people who live on an hourly wage. And I cannot fully express my gratitude to the folks on the front lines; nurses, doctors, grocery cashiers and stockers, janitors, etc.

5. Yesterday, the Canadian government issued a statement to those who are abroad to basically say, "Get home while you still can." Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, says that closing the borders is still an option at this time. Scary stuff since my family is thousands of miles away.

These are the broad strokes, my friends. What is happening right now is unprecedented. (and if anyone says "liberal hoax," I need you to unfriend me now. I know science is scary *eye roll*) We will get through this. Everyone just keep calm and reach out for help if you need it.

Oh and one more thing:

Go wash your hands. The phone/computer you're reading this on is filthy.













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