June 20th, 2020
Much has changed in the last few months. In Ottawa, the incidence of coronavirus has pretty much gone. There are now only 58 recorded active cases and two people are currently hospitalized. Accordingly, the city has started to open up. Restaurants can now accommodate patrons, albeit outdoors. Parks are open for more than just walking through, although play structures remain closed. Shops beyond essentials like grocery stores and pharmacies have opened, although with social distance measures in place.
Celebrating this gradual opening, my two besties and partner went out for a night on the town. We went to a patio (!!), ate well, then chatted until the stars came out on a large rock in the tundra ecological zone outside the Nature Museum. It was a beautiful evening.
The situation remains more dire south of the border. Over 122,000 people have died there, and president Trump said yesterday at a rally that he told his aides to slow down testing to make the numbers look better. He also continues to refuse to wear masks because he thinks it makes him look weak and flaunt “cures” that have demonstrated to harm more people than a placebo. This is the latest in a slew of bad decisions, such as pitting states against each other for medical supplies.
It is perhaps unsurprising then that the number of new cases has not abated in the United-States like it has in Canada or other countries.
July 20th, 2020
The Ontario government has permitted more businesses to open, and the masks that were once suggested for indoor spaces are now required as of two weeks ago. Cases in Ottawa have also recently increased; active cases have tripled since the last update:
There were also lockdown protests, including on July 1st on Parliament Hill, taking the place of the Canada Day celebrations that would have normally occurred. Much of the messaging there is directly influenced by President Trump, who publicly opposes the use of masks, promotes anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, and promotes the 4chan QAnon conspiracy theory:
Cases continue to increase in the United-States continue to increase, with 4 million infected and over 140,000 deaths:
August 20th, 2020
The pandemic and lock-down continues. There was a spike in cases in Ottawa last month, which seems to have subsided.
Most businesses have re-opened, but, there’s still long line-ups outside of stores as they restrict numbers inside, and restaurants are sitting half-occupied to maintain social distance.
Across Canada, there continues to be new cases, but deaths have collapsed to 4-5 a day from a peak of over 200 a day. Still, there remains anxiety, especially as schools are about to open. There have been 124,000 cases in Canada and 9,000 deaths.
The situation continues to be more dire in the United-States, where there are 5.7 million cases of infections and over 175,000 deaths. As has been the case during the rest of the pandemic, the Trump administration is continuing to downplay the virus while blaming others for the loss of life. The border between Canada and the United-States is still closed, and 8 out of 10 Canadians wants it to remain shut until at least the end of the year.
September 20th, 2020
Ottawa is in a second wave of cases but life continues more or less unchanged. Fortunately, there’s not been a rise in fatalities. Coinciding with the opening of schools, testing centers are overwhelmed, leading to new guidance from the city aimed at reducing demand. There’s also additional restrictions on apartment buildings and condos such as mine now, requiring masks to be worn inside. Existing measures remain in-place for businesses. Positive cases in schools have forced some to shut down.
Cases are going up across Canada, with 143,000 cases, but still at 9,200 deaths. The situation is more dire in the United-States, where Trump continues to oppose even simple measures like wearing masks, fabricating tales to justify his stance. He lies about the vaccine, and publicly contradicts the common sense statements of the head of the CDC. His campaign is holding indoor rallies, openly going against state rules for social distancing. Surprising none, the US is now at 7.0 million cases and over 200,000 deaths.
I’ve been spending the summer turning my place from a glorified hotel room into a home. I had always kept it spartan on account of previously imminent plans to move to New Zealand. I offset the cold utilitarian vibe of the place by avoiding it much of the time – my workplace had a big window by trees, and my weekends were spent in coffee shops or going in small shops.
When the pandemic came, my workplace required everyone to work from home, New Zealand shut its borders, businesses limited most access, and coffee shops and diners were no longer welcome to folk sticking around, forcing me in my home. I needed to work on improving my space or my mental health would suffer. I picked up more art, oil lanterns, coffee gear, plants, a lawn chair, blanket. I really underestimated how the little things would have such a positive big impact on my mood. It’s been great; I like spending time at mine and I balance it out with hikes and camping. In keeping with my aversion to owning things, I still ditch anything I haven’t used in a year.
October 20th, 2020
The second wave got worse in Ottawa, with the number of total cases doubling in the last month. Fortunately, there hasn’t been a commensurate rise in fatality. The Ontario government re-imposing a partial lockdown for the city and other hot spots. Restaurants are closed to indoor dining again.
Canada is also in a second wave eclipsing the first, with 203,000 cases but still at 9,800 deaths. The United-States is in its third wave, with 8.5 million cases and 225,000 deaths. In the past month, Trump tested positive for covid. So too did the Republican National Convention chair, Trump’s press secretary, his campaign manager, his wife, his son, and a number of others who had contact with him. This came days after mocking his opponent in the 2020 election for wearing a mask and stating lockdowns were a liberal ploy against his election.
Trump wasn’t changed for the experience. Even though he was infected and contagious, Trump refused to isolate himself or wear a mask while at the White House. He ordered to kill the covid relief package for Americans, disparaged his political opponent for stating that he would “listen to the scientists“, and called the scientists working to stop the spread of the virus “idiots“.
Despite the spike in cases, life remains unchanged from the rest of the pandemic. Still working from home. Still avoiding going out. Shops are still restricted so everything I’ve been buying that isn’t food has been online with few exceptions. Otherwise I’ve been going out on nice walks and been very busy supporting friends in need and volunteering with church.
November 20th, 2020
There’s reason for cautious optimism in Ottawa. The numbers have declined since the peak of the second wave. The partial lockdown was lifted in town. Two vaccines with 95% efficacy have been announced, though the first doses to highly vulnerable populations likely won’t arrive until the spring. I gave up on my plans to move to New Zealand as the border remains closed; and will instead move to Vancouver. I bought a Jeep Wrangler, sealing the change.
Elsewhere in Canada the second wave continues with a total now of 315,000 cases and 11,200 deaths. In the United-States, Trump continues to insist the virus is a hoax aimed at hurting him politically. He lost the election but is refusing to let the administration that will take power in late January coordinate for the transition, resulting in warnings that this will cause more deaths. Trump skipped the G-20 pandemic preparedness event to go play golf instead, his 303rd time doing so during his presidency. The case count has exploded in the US in the past month, and now has over 12 million cases and 260,000 deaths.
December 20th, 2020
The first doses of the vaccine was administered in Canada, including inoculations in Ottawa. Those highest at risk are being treated first, and current estimates place everyone getting it by September to December of 2021. As such, the lockdown continues. It’s hard to walk downtown and see the city dead like this. My favourite indy movie theater – the Bytowne – went out of business, as did my favourite independent toy and gizmo store – Mrs. Tiggy Winkles, and coveted eateries. When I pass by little restaurants, they’re all pretty much empty despite prohibitions on indoor dining being removed.
In terms of Covid cases, they went down from a third peak in Ottawa. In the past few weeks there’s been an uptick in cases, albeit less severe than what precipitated any of the previous peaks.
Elsewhere in Canada, the case count continues to rise. We surpassed the half-million case mark at 503,000 cases and are at 14,100 deaths. In the United-States, they passed 18 million cases and 320,000 deaths. President Trump continues to ignore the virus which is currently killing 2,600 Americans a day. He hasn’t attended a Coronavirus task force meeting in 5 months, and spends his days repeating conspiracy theories on Twitter about the election he lost. None of the 729 tweets the President has sent since his loss acknowledged the death toll.
January 20th, 2020
Ontario declared a state of emergency, and the lockdown measures were extended to the most restrictive since the pandemic began. Ottawa is in a third and most severe spike. Quebec has instituted a curfew of 8PM. The current forecast is the general population in Ontario being vaccinated starting in August 2021. In the United-States, Trump had his last day in office today. Over 400,000 Americans have died of the virus. Over 3,000 die each day. 25 Million are infected. In Canada, 730,000 are infected and 18,500 are dead. 150 are dying each day.
February 20th, 2021
3% of Canadians have been vaccinated, as compared to 14% of Americans and 21% of people in the U.K. The number of new cases in Ottawa has reduced to levels seen before this third spike. Stay-at-home orders have been lifted. Over 500,000 Americans have died of the virus and 28 million have been infected. In Canada, 845,000 have been infected and 21,500 have died.
April 20th, 2021
Cases in Ottawa have spiked to their highest levels of the pandemic.
Ontarians are under a new stay-at-home order and checkpoints have been erected with Quebec and Manitoba. People can be fined for being with others not from their household outside and the checkpoints resulted in traffic being backed up 10 km on the highway:
20% of Canadians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as have more than half of American adults. 32 million Americans have been infected and 580,000 have died. 1.1 million Canadians have been infected and 23,600 have died.
I’m really feeling the effects of the isolation. My studio sized apartment faces a brick wall; to be stuck inside like with no natural light like this is hard. I haven’t been able to sit in a coffee shop in over a year. Traveling outside or even within Canada has not been possible for over a year. Everywhere is restricted; you can’t even just go in a store. Soon this will be over; but right now, it’s hard.
June 20th, 2021
I was vaccinated today with my first of two doses. 66% of Canadians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as have 52% of Americans.
Cases in Ottawa have collapsed to their lowest level in a year. The lockdown has eased; last week the border between Ontario and Quebec opened up, restaurants can have guests on the patios outdoors, and stores have opened at reduced capacity. When I went for a drive this weekend I saw long line-ups outside that would go around a building for anything from beer to clothes.
Over 600,000 Americans have died of the virus. 34 million have been infected. Over 26,000 Canadians have died. 1.4 million have been infected.
The virus will make this summer the second to have everything more or less inaccessible. They’re talking about a vaccine passport in the fall.
July 20th, 2021
I’ve received my second dose of the vaccine! An anti-vaxxer was shouting about Jesus at the mass vaccination event. The musicians on the side started to play louder, and we all clapped to the music drowning him out. At this point 70% of Canadians have received one dose of the vaccine, 49% have received two.
The numbers in Ottawa have continued to decline, paralleling the rest of the country. The state of emergency in Ottawa is being lifted, and as I went about town, life seemed back to normal in a way I hadn’t seen since March 2020.
The United-States are in a new wave of infections though 99% of deaths are of the unvaccinated. Republicans continue to oppose simple health measures to curtail the spread of the virus.
October 20th, 2021
I’ve obtained my vaccine certificate, which is required to be at restaurants, or even attend a vernissage as I did last night. It’s a QR code that people can then use an app to validate my status as vaccinated. There was another wave of infections in Ottawa, but it was the smallest yet, and there was no further lockdowns.
Meanwhile, the US has surpassed the death toll of the 1918 pandemic, making it the worst mass death event in their history. Over 730,000 have died. Republicans are legislating bans on measures that mitigate the virus’ spread.
January 20th, 2022
I’ve gotten my booster shot, but we’re in the worst wave yet – though the most protected. We’re in another lockdown. Quebec imposed a curfew, which has just been lifted. The US has over 860,000 deaths and 70 million cases. 1% of all American seniors have died of covid-19. Canada has 32,000 deaths and 2.8 million cases.
We’re going into our third year of this. I’m finding living in my 400 sq. ft. apartment that faces a brick wall all day, and doesn’t have any sun, emotionally draining. No restaurants, no common areas, no third spaces to be.
May 20, 2022
The US has surpassed 1,000,000 deaths. Canada, 40,000. There’s barely been any acknowledgment of these milestones. My sense is that people are largely unconcerned now; perhaps because the last wave infected almost half of Canadians but the fatalities were relatively low. Perhaps it’s a fatigue with it all, some two plus years in. Whatever the cause, people are now desensitized to one of the worst mass death events in the past century.
Other than public transit and health care settings, it’s a toss up whether people mask anymore. Most spaces are open as they were. In my personal life, I moved into a new place that gets lots of sun, so no more tiny dark studio facing brick walls for me.
Of note since the last update was the protest-come-occupation against measures to control the spread of the virus and of Trudeau specifically that paralyzed downtown Ottawa, which I covered here. There was a lot of conspiracy theories, general misinformation, and harassment of locals. Not a great time.
February 7, 2023
There have been over 50,000 deaths in Canada from Covid, 1.1 million in the US. For Canada, that’s more than the losses in WW2, and about on par with the Spanish Flu of 1918.
Other than a few people masking in grocery stores, and the few Convoy-types that parade their ignorance every weekend, there’s really no indication in mainstream culture of the virus’ existence. As far as the general public is concerned, it seems, it’s over.