Life during a pandemic is complicated.
However, summer seems a better time for rampant disease. Since COVID-19 is harder to spread outside, the warmer temperatures make it far more agreeable to spend time outdoors.
With the approaching darkness, this winter has an additional layer of chills.
November is not easy in Revelstoke. In fact, it’s my least favourite thing about Revelstoke.
Sure, the month is probably unpleasant in most of Canada, but here the clouds stick, the rain pours and the sun disappears. It’s an aspect of the city not promoted by tourism marketing and for good reason – it sucks.
The winter months after November get better as the snowpack builds and the land becomes a winter wonderland for skiing.
While it’s predicted the outdoors will be busy with more people skiing, there’s also a mist of uncertainty. What if lockdowns return?
Outside Canada, the world is closing. Again.
England will enter a second national lockdown in coming days. That decision came hours after the country passed the grim milestone of one million COVID-19 cases.
All nonessential shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and gyms have been ordered to close until at least Dec. 2.
French President Emmanuel Macron has declared another nationwide lockdown, saying his county has been overpowered by a second wave.
Germany is going into a four-week shutdown and countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Bulgaria and Greece have imposed curfews and/or mandatory mask wearing.
Ireland is on its first week of a six-week lockdown with residents not permitted to go further than five kilometres from their homes. The country estimates the lockdown will cost at least 150,000 people their jobs.
In the U.S. and Canada, practically every region is seeing a rise in cases.
More than 200,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19, which is higher than the number of American deaths from the First World War and Vietnam War combined.
In some areas, such as Alberta, the disease is surging. While some places have imposed restrictions – such as Toronto closing indoor dining, cinemas and gyms – most of Canada is still open for business. But for how much longer?
Some doctors have predicted if Alberta does not contain the disease more aggressively, the province could have more than 4,000 cases per day by Christmas.
Currently, Alberta has over 5,000 active cases, while B.C. has more than 2,000 cases.
It’s possible Canada will not follow the same trajectory as Europe.
Perhaps our governments will resist closures.
Perhaps the number of cases will not rise as dramatically. Perhaps we’ll be OK. Perhaps.
If Revelstoke goes into another lockdown, the darkness of winter could make it much harder than it was during a bright spring. Positively might be hard to find.
Thus, I’m starting to prepare in case I lose my job and can’t go skiing.
I’ve bought wool for knitting, new recipe books for baking and stocked up on novels.
Let’s hope Canada does not follow the rest of the world, but…we did before.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:liam.harrap@revelstokereview.com
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