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COVID-19 in London, Ontario

Collected Item: “COVID reflections”

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COVID reflections

Creator (put anonymous if you don't want your name to appear)

Philip Templeton

Date

July 2 2020

How are you doing?

I’m fine. This whole experience seems like It’s surreal. My daily routine is the same, mostly.

Are you isolating with someone else, if so who (relationships, not names i.e.. father, sister, roommates, spouse, your children etc.)?

My wife and I are the only 2 humans in the house. We have 4 cats.

How has COVID-19 affected your home life? How are you passing the time?

I have been working during the entire time; mostly from home and sometimes at the office. I’m now tired of this routine

How has it affected your work, education, etc.? Are you an essential worker?

It is harder working from home than being in the office where I have access to all my paper files and have all the equipment I need to do my job efficiently.

What about the outbreak and response to it has you most concerned?

Early on, it seemed like people who should have been tested for COVID 19 weren’t. Now, there’s a push to test (which should have been done in the first place)

Do you know someone who has or has had the virus? How has this affected them?

My neighbour, but he was not tested as he hadn’t been out of the country...

How well do you think the government and other leaders are responding to the pandemic? What do you think about the local, national and international media coverage?

The media coverage has been overwhelming at times. I have to give high marks for our leaders in Ontario and Canada for stepping up. No one is perfect, but they are fairly consistent.

What challenges are ahead? How and how fast do you think normal life should be restored?

The challenge will be a second wave if and when we are open and people become complacent because they have been isolated for too long and tired of the daily routine. As a society, we are natural born shoppers... shopping is a pastime. Open too early and there will be huge consequences with the second wave

What do you think will be different after the pandemic? What do you think should be different? What will be better or worse?

Online shopping has come to the forefront; kindness and friendliness have become more normal between strangers who pass on the street or sidewalk (with social distancing). Limits on the numbers of people in one place will be the norm (somewhat unfortunately).

Do you have anything else to say about the COVID-19 pandemic?

Early in the pandemic, going to work on the road was quieter; as early as May, I noticed a lot more traffic on the roads, but still there was a lot of empty parking lots

What is your address? [private]

[private]

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