Diary: Living with a pandemic 18 (Tuesday 31 March 2020)

Self-Isolation. . .

. . . means limiting your contact with others.

Normally that phrase applies to someone who has symptoms of Covid-19 or is close to someone who does. It is called MANDATORY SELF-ISOLATION and it means you HAVE TO STAY AT HOME for 14 days.

Most of us won’t be in that situation, but we will and should, keep ourselves at a physical distance from others – for as long as this crisis persists.

When you are retired, it is perhaps a bit easier as you are used to not going to work and are involved with activities or hobbies that you generally do alone. What trips we have made to the outside world have mainly been only to get groceries. I will say that our local Safeway has been great at providing a special time in the morning before regular opening hours for seniors like us to shop. And they have kept their shelves reasonably full. It seems the rush for toilet paper and other goods has abated somewhat.

We have been staying home for most of the month of March, partly I will admit because winter refuses to give up its grasp on this area, making going outside less attractive. It also means, unfortunately, that there have not been many days when it was comfortable sitting on the patio.

We have heard from many friends and family around the world of their similar plight. The ones we worry most about, of course, are our children and grandchildren. They are maintaining their lives, also at home for the most part, in Vancouver, British Columbia (Vancouver Coastal Health Region – 472 cases), Chilliwack (Fraser Health Region – 323 cases) and Amsterdam (500 cases).

Here in Calgary, there are 442 confirmed cases – not a lot considering a population of 1.6 million, but you never know who you might be in contact with who has been in contact with who has been in contact with someone who might have the virus. So, we are careful! Even on the same floor within our condo complex we all take pains to keep our physical distance.

Meanwhile, in our isolation, friends continue to send us notes, cartoons and videos to brighten our days. This one, The Broadway Coronavirus Medley is well worth watching.

Stay well, stay safe and WASH YOUR HANDS!