40 Days of Sheltering In Place
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Title
40 Days of Sheltering In Place
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Question 1: As of this date, in what ways has COVID-19 affected you at work / school / other?
Retired young - yes, I'm very, very fortunate. I worked very, very hard all my life.
Retired young - yes, I'm very, very fortunate. I worked very, very hard all my life.
Question 2: How has it affected you at home? How are you passing the time?
Internet, MSNBC news, Netflix. We are hungering daily for more information & updates about the pandemic, whether locally, in the States where chaos is rapidly unfolding due to horrendous incompetence at the Federal level (White House, POTUS), and worldwide.
Internet, MSNBC news, Netflix. We are hungering daily for more information & updates about the pandemic, whether locally, in the States where chaos is rapidly unfolding due to horrendous incompetence at the Federal level (White House, POTUS), and worldwide.
Question 3: What are your biggest concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak?
At the local level is impossible to find information about Fort Erie - whether it is the number of cases, number of deaths or the severity of community spread. The Conservative leadership -- both the MP Baldinelli and Provincial, Doug Ford -- have really let us down in disseminating information. The Town of Fort Erie has a post about Summer cottagers staying quarantined for 14-days but most Summer residents will never see this information. It needs to be distributed by flyer to each and every mail box & p.o. box, posted at the front of every grocery store and gas station, and nailed up to every door of every cottage that is currently boarded up until May long weekend. I predict a huge spike within 2 weeks of the long weekend when Toronto cottagers arrive and ignore the 14-day self quarantine -- or just don't know about it. The border is closed to all non-essential travellers, but I saw a New York licence plate drive past our home in Crystal Beach the other day - if cottagers from NY are Canadian or dual will they be allowed to cross the border? Will they be sternly advised to self-quarantine for 14-days? There is zero strong or clear leadership at the local level.
At the local level is impossible to find information about Fort Erie - whether it is the number of cases, number of deaths or the severity of community spread. The Conservative leadership -- both the MP Baldinelli and Provincial, Doug Ford -- have really let us down in disseminating information. The Town of Fort Erie has a post about Summer cottagers staying quarantined for 14-days but most Summer residents will never see this information. It needs to be distributed by flyer to each and every mail box & p.o. box, posted at the front of every grocery store and gas station, and nailed up to every door of every cottage that is currently boarded up until May long weekend. I predict a huge spike within 2 weeks of the long weekend when Toronto cottagers arrive and ignore the 14-day self quarantine -- or just don't know about it. The border is closed to all non-essential travellers, but I saw a New York licence plate drive past our home in Crystal Beach the other day - if cottagers from NY are Canadian or dual will they be allowed to cross the border? Will they be sternly advised to self-quarantine for 14-days? There is zero strong or clear leadership at the local level.
Question 4: Do you know someone who has contracted the virus (no names please)? What has that experience been like for the individual(s) and those around them?
That is the problem - we can't get that information. I hear about people only from telephone conversations. My CAA rep was talking to a nurse who works at St. Catharines General Hospital who said one patient dies a day, and floor after floor has to be opened up as "COVID19 only" as the virus spreads. Why can't we get that information more easily?? People are still gathering in St. Catharines, she said, and shunning social distancing orders. People would take this a lot more seriously if they heard that one person a day is dying from COVID 19 in St Catharines hospital alone.
That is the problem - we can't get that information. I hear about people only from telephone conversations. My CAA rep was talking to a nurse who works at St. Catharines General Hospital who said one patient dies a day, and floor after floor has to be opened up as "COVID19 only" as the virus spreads. Why can't we get that information more easily?? People are still gathering in St. Catharines, she said, and shunning social distancing orders. People would take this a lot more seriously if they heard that one person a day is dying from COVID 19 in St Catharines hospital alone.
Question 5: What are your opinions on how the media has covered the pandemic?
Lacking and was outright minimizing the pandemic at first. The U.S. owns the local press and most national press in Canada thanks to PM Harper. This needs to return to Canadian-owned press. And CTV is a conservative news outlet so we refuse to watch their biased, inaccurate coverage. I occasionally check CHCH & Fort Erie Neighbourhood Watch online. However, PM Trudeau is doing an amazing job of updating us daily at a national level online. I never see any coverage of it locally on TV as there are no TV stations in this area and Toronto never covers Fort Erie news.
Lacking and was outright minimizing the pandemic at first. The U.S. owns the local press and most national press in Canada thanks to PM Harper. This needs to return to Canadian-owned press. And CTV is a conservative news outlet so we refuse to watch their biased, inaccurate coverage. I occasionally check CHCH & Fort Erie Neighbourhood Watch online. However, PM Trudeau is doing an amazing job of updating us daily at a national level online. I never see any coverage of it locally on TV as there are no TV stations in this area and Toronto never covers Fort Erie news.
Question 6: Do you feel like your local leaders - medical, political, business - are doing a good job in responding to COVID-19? What about at the provincial or national level?
PM Trudeau is knowledgeable, compassionate, working tirelessly to provide income for those who are struggling and he is a daily calming presence. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has earned the nickname "President Cuomo" for his daily briefings bringing intelligent, compassionate updates, frequently with much needed moments of levity about his family and their struggles with the pandemic. Gov Cuomo's brother Chris Cuomo, a CNN broadcaster was stricken with COVID 19 and has a harrowing & well documented story of how painful the illness is.
PM Trudeau is knowledgeable, compassionate, working tirelessly to provide income for those who are struggling and he is a daily calming presence. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has earned the nickname "President Cuomo" for his daily briefings bringing intelligent, compassionate updates, frequently with much needed moments of levity about his family and their struggles with the pandemic. Gov Cuomo's brother Chris Cuomo, a CNN broadcaster was stricken with COVID 19 and has a harrowing & well documented story of how painful the illness is.
Question 7: When do you think this will end? What challenges are still ahead? What will be different? What will be better?
At first I ignorantly thought this might last only a few weeks. But the more I read about pandemics, the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918, and the uncontrolled spread throughout the U.S. due to incompetent leadership in the White House I now think this will last 1-2 years or until we have mass testing and hopefully a vaccine.
At first I ignorantly thought this might last only a few weeks. But the more I read about pandemics, the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918, and the uncontrolled spread throughout the U.S. due to incompetent leadership in the White House I now think this will last 1-2 years or until we have mass testing and hopefully a vaccine.
Question 8: Is there anything else that you would like to say about the COVID-19 pandemic?
Overall, we are quite fortunate. This is not like what I've read about WWII where food was rationed - yet. We are just being told to stay home, go out only for groceries - only once a week if possible. We have hydro, the internet, television, I have someone I love to shelter-in-place with and two dogs. One pet is a positive outcome of this mess; we had been searching for a Golden Doodle for almost 2 years but the wait lists were so long. Then, right before the Stay At Home order, I found a pup on Kijiji from an actual breeder who was getting cancellations due to the Coronavirus. This puppy needed a home and we were more than happy to oblige. It is a perfect time to raise a puppy; we can put our full attention into training her and she is an endless amount of love and hilarity. I have heard people are adopting pets from shelters in record numbers which is fantastic. I think folks with pets are probably coping quite better.
Overall, we are quite fortunate. This is not like what I've read about WWII where food was rationed - yet. We are just being told to stay home, go out only for groceries - only once a week if possible. We have hydro, the internet, television, I have someone I love to shelter-in-place with and two dogs. One pet is a positive outcome of this mess; we had been searching for a Golden Doodle for almost 2 years but the wait lists were so long. Then, right before the Stay At Home order, I found a pup on Kijiji from an actual breeder who was getting cancellations due to the Coronavirus. This puppy needed a home and we were more than happy to oblige. It is a perfect time to raise a puppy; we can put our full attention into training her and she is an endless amount of love and hilarity. I have heard people are adopting pets from shelters in record numbers which is fantastic. I think folks with pets are probably coping quite better.
Date
April 25, 2020
Spatial Coverage
Crystal Beach, ON
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This item was submitted on April 25, 2020 by Heidi Schneiderman/heidistoronto@hotmail.com using the form “Questions and Answers 1” on the site “Documenting COVID-19 in Niagara”: https://exhibits.library.brocku.ca/s/COVID-Niagara
Click here to view the collected data.