How long will it last?
Apr. 13th, 2020 09:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blogcutterHow long is a piece of string?
We've been told it may take weeks, it may take months. And a vaccine is likely 18 to 24 months away.
Meanwhile, we practise (and are getting pretty good at) physical distancing. We listen to the instructions of Theresa Tam, Vera Etches, politicians and anonymous public service announcers. We hope that in the near future, restrictions may ease somewhat, even if we're not completely out of the woods - or our homes - just yet.
I'm trying to interpret the clues. We now know that city recreational facilities will be closed until June 30. Beyond that, Canada Day festivities are going to have to take place behind closed doors - or if we're lucky, in the front or back yard. The Jazz Festival is cancelled for sure, and probably the other summer festivals as well - Music and Beyond, Chamberfest, CityFolk. Neither the Fools nor Bear & Company will be performing Shakespeare plays in outdoor parks - or indoor ones, for that matter. We won't be taking tea on the lawn outside the Billings Estate or Laurier House. And if we're in for a major heat wave, I fear for the health and safety of those stuck in non-airconditioned homes, unable to escape to the cooler climes of libraries, movie theatres or shopping malls. Or to splash about at beaches, swimming pools or water parks.
Even the genealogic BIFHSGO conference, which was not to occur until the end of September, has been cancelled.
Yes, Covid19 is a serious public health problem. So are poverty, homelessness, cancer and heat stroke. We can't ignore those, just because we're battling coronavirus. I'm hoping for a measured approach and a gradual easing of restrictions. But the way things have been going, I fear that restrictions may get even MORE stringent before they loosen.
It's said that failing to plan is planning to fail. But how in the world are we supposed to plan, when we don't know what we'll be able - or allowed - to do next?
We've been told it may take weeks, it may take months. And a vaccine is likely 18 to 24 months away.
Meanwhile, we practise (and are getting pretty good at) physical distancing. We listen to the instructions of Theresa Tam, Vera Etches, politicians and anonymous public service announcers. We hope that in the near future, restrictions may ease somewhat, even if we're not completely out of the woods - or our homes - just yet.
I'm trying to interpret the clues. We now know that city recreational facilities will be closed until June 30. Beyond that, Canada Day festivities are going to have to take place behind closed doors - or if we're lucky, in the front or back yard. The Jazz Festival is cancelled for sure, and probably the other summer festivals as well - Music and Beyond, Chamberfest, CityFolk. Neither the Fools nor Bear & Company will be performing Shakespeare plays in outdoor parks - or indoor ones, for that matter. We won't be taking tea on the lawn outside the Billings Estate or Laurier House. And if we're in for a major heat wave, I fear for the health and safety of those stuck in non-airconditioned homes, unable to escape to the cooler climes of libraries, movie theatres or shopping malls. Or to splash about at beaches, swimming pools or water parks.
Even the genealogic BIFHSGO conference, which was not to occur until the end of September, has been cancelled.
Yes, Covid19 is a serious public health problem. So are poverty, homelessness, cancer and heat stroke. We can't ignore those, just because we're battling coronavirus. I'm hoping for a measured approach and a gradual easing of restrictions. But the way things have been going, I fear that restrictions may get even MORE stringent before they loosen.
It's said that failing to plan is planning to fail. But how in the world are we supposed to plan, when we don't know what we'll be able - or allowed - to do next?
