Triggered by Covid

December 13, 2021

I was walking along the street towards some people when they suddenly crossed to the other side. Surprised, I wondered if I looked unwholesome or unshaven or what. Why would people avoid me by crossing to the other side? Were they afraid of me? No, I decided it was Covid. They wanted to avoid me. And they wore masks. Aha! That was the key. Now, my understanding was that outdoors was reasonably safe, and just walking by people a few feet apart would suffice. At any rate, I had read you had to spend fifteen minutes talking to someone close to get infected by airborne particles. But the experience of meeting people who avoided me on the streets has become common and was triggered by covid fear.

Coming home, I met a neighbor, working in his yard instead of being at work. He explained he worked at home now but he was waiting for his secure computer set up in his house, required for his work. He said working at home seemed great at first. But by now, waiting for his secure computer, he was getting extremely bored. Later on, I learned that the installation of the secure software took over three months.

I discovered the neighbor across from me also worked at home. He found this arrangement convenient and more efficient than working in the office, he said. He confided in me he would never want to go back to the office, having his secure computer installation at home. I noticed he was busy fixing up his house, with contractors coming daily. I wondered if he found more free time during work hours at home. During a subsequent discussion, I asked him how staff meetings were held. He explained that there were many “team” meetings on the computer and the system worked well; people sometimes did not show themselves on the computer; they were in their pajamas, but that was alright with him. I asked if he had some turnover in staff. Yes, he affirmed, and he proudly described that he hired some people remotely whom he had never met in person. To me, this was quite astounding; I always thought that one would hire people by personal interviews. But the world has changed. Hopefully, the performance of these people in such an organization can be judged by the quality and amount of work completed remotely.

There is no question working at home is popular with many who advocate this new working model. But I think there may be limits to remote work. First, not all work can be performed remotely. Consider dentistry. Second, there is something to be said for teamwork, for getting to know your fellow workers, for exchanging ideas with, and learning from, them as well as getting to know what else is going on in the office outside your tasks. And teamwork inspires loyalty that can lead to cooperation. I could write about the benefits of teamwork, cooperation, and the exchange of ideas at the cooling fountain. But working at home is a popular practice for many companies; it saves on office space.

But covid went beyond isolation, resulting from the fear of infection. When it became possible to see friends with the loosening of the rules between surges, in our backyard and properly distanced, one friend came clothed close to a hazmat suit. Fully covered, including gloves, he sat down and refused to touch the food offered, explaining that he had just eaten. It was early afternoon. It was obvious he was stressed. At another time, we sat out in our very open backyard and he brought his drink and a bottle opener so that he would avoid touching our equipment or bottle. And of course, he did not touch our food offered. He also proudly explained that he does not go to the grocery stores anymore; he orders all items online and the delivery cost is minimal. The purpose, he said, was to avoid people and touching objects. This is what covid did to us: isolation by desire, that grew into the norm.

We do not order food from grocery stores; we have kept going to stores with our masks, use hand sanitizer, and distance. We have not found these requirements onerous except during the cold winter months when with capacity limits in stores; we had to line up outside. The line-ups have allowed us to socialize with people and share our misery verbally. And the stores created graphic footprints on the floor, inside the stores, to show distancing, leading up to the cashiers. I found the footprints pleasing for the eyes and relaxing to know we were following safe practices.

Arguably, the most important in the fight to tame Covid was vaccination. With huge fanfare, when the vaccine finally arrived in Canada, governments announced a schedule, according to age and health condition. With military precision, governments established locations and provided time-slots for appointments. We all jumped on our computers to sign up for a jab. When opened, the government computer system was so overwhelmed that it broke down in the first half-hour. But in time, we all got our vaccines.

I found it interesting that in contrast; the US had the pharmacies and stores deliver the vaccinations with no appointments. People just lined up at Walmarts in the US; sometimes loudspeakers in Walmarts advertised vaccines were available. Not in Canada. We had a huge government infrastructure of people directing traffic at vaccination sites, and we all had to have appointments. And the government still follows the appointment model, although I just went to a pharmacy in Ottawa and received my booster shot with no waiting at all; I made an appointment at a community center for the booster on the government system, but discovered that I could get my booster sooner and with no waiting at a local pharmacy.

I found the elaborate delivery system matched in complexity the continuously changing policies opening up, and constraining, people’s mobility. With surges, government agencies locked us down. With better infection figures, the opposite happened. It was frustrating to find restaurants and my gym open up and close in a matter of days. Was this constant change useful? Could the governments not take a more nuanced approach and gear policies towards specific regions? Where the virus was virulent, closures would have been relevant and where the numbers did not warrant closures, facilities could have stayed open. I suspect the governments did not want to publish where the virus was spreading, making people avoid those areas. I also suspect that the troublesome areas had a high density of people with lower educational levels and those who could not speak English. It would have been politically incorrect to identify these people.

And there are the anti-vaxxers. I cannot understand them. I heard all of their theories: the vaccine is yet to be proven; the government can not mandate what I can to my body. And some think they are invulnerable and never get sick, like the roofer who put a new roof on my house a month ago; he said that he works outside and never gets sick. I do not buy any of that. I am outraged that those who do not get vaccinated and spread the virus dictate to the rest of us to stay home because they did not get vaccinated and the virus keeps spreading by them. It is time for government-mandated vaccination. This is a public health issue and not a political or philosophical matter. We do not question seat belt laws. We follow smoking regulations. So why not make covid vaccination mandatory?

But Covid triggered some positive effects: I learned to use the QR code system. We went to “Local Heroes”, a popular restaurant chain in Ottawa, and instead of a menu, they had a note on the table to download the menu via the QR code provided. New technology for me. Luckily, I have a cell phone and downloaded a QR code reader, but doing the actual download of the menu overtaxed my mind and the waitress came to help us. Clearly, this is an attempt to avoid touching a menu. The waitress explained if we use a menu, she has to clean off all the surfaces for the next customer.

Another positive effect: we have had no colds in a year. Isolation certainly helps with avoiding viruses. And staying home helped with cleaning up the house and improving some furnishings. While the Covid rules were restrictive and isolating, there were some positives: becoming more computer literate, learning about screenshots (proof of vaccinations needed to visit restaurants were required and I took a screenshot of the government issued certificate to show entering premises where needed) using QR codes, and socializing via zoom. meetings.