Diary: Living with a pandemic 40 (Sunday 31 May 2020)

Relaunching life…

Here in Calgary we are into phase one of the relaunch strategy. The various phases look like this:

Opened May 14:

·         Retail businesses, such as clothing, furniture and bookstores.

·         Farmers' markets.

·         Museums and art galleries.

·         Daycares and out-of-school care with limits on occupancy.

·         Some scheduled, non-urgent surgeries will resume gradually.

·         Regulated health professions can offer services as long as they continue to follow approved guidelines set by their professional colleges.

Opening May 25:

·         Hairstyling and barber shops.

·         Cafés, restaurants, pubs and bars can reopen for table service at 50% capacity.

Opening June 1:

·         Day camps, including summer school, with limits on occupancy.

·         Post-secondary institutions will continue to deliver courses; however, there will be more flexibility to include in-person delivery once the existing health order prohibiting in-person classes is lifted.

·         Places of worship and funeral services, if they follow sector-specific guidance.

There are still restrictions on group sizes – 15 people indoors and 50 people together outdoors. Everyone must also follow social distancing and other public health guidelines.

But we are gradually moving back to life as we used to know it. As people all over the world are – some quicker than others.

One activity we were pleased to do was to get over the to pub for dinner. Richmond’s Pub has room for 145 people inside and 36 more on their patio. We bring the menu with us on our phones by accessing their website. There are no printed menus. All the staff wear masks and the tables are set apart, even with plexiglass between some of them.

It was nice to see those friendly faces again – at least parts of them!