blogcutter

Today the temperature is supposed to reach 32 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow, 33. With humidex factored in, it will feel much hotter. We're definitely getting into extreme heat advisory and air-conditioning weather. Meanwhile, as we segue into the first stages of re-opening, conventional wisdom has it that outdoor spaces are definitely less risky than indoor ones. What's a cautious person to do?

We're lucky in that we do have things like central air-conditioning (in both home and car), fans and a coolish basement. But for those who are not so lucky, so many of the classic retreats are unavailable. I'm thinking here of shopping malls, movie theatres, libraries, community centres, museums and art galleries and indoor swimming pools.

Apparently drive-in movies are making a bit of a comeback, although the former infrastructures in most cases are no longer there. Probably involves PYOP (Port Your Own Potty) and maybe your own snacks too although from what I can gather, it's sales from concession stands where cinemas make most of their money.

Some restaurants are lucky enough to have semi-shaded patios and there seems to be a move afoot to expand their patios and allow a certain amount of dine-in-outside service with physical distancing. But that often involves shrinking sidewalk and pathway space, which exacerbates the lack of accessibility for those folks with mobility issues, who may rely on walkers, scooter or wheelchairs to get around.

It's going to be an unusual sort of summer, to say the least.