Suddenly, I awake in a cold sweat. From nightmares of dodging zombies, COVID-19 style. And they're everywhere! On top of me! Eating away at my brain!
It's my first major COVID-19 anxiety attack! My heart beating like crazy. A zillion pressing questions and nagging doubts racing through my head. As the nasty reality of the pandemic hits home. Leaving us trapped. The walls crashing in.
Sadly, it isn't just a bad dream. Far from it!
A sad realization: We are living the zombie apocalypse! Here and now!
I know. I'm no Rick. And Janet's not Michonne.
But even our weekly grocery and supply run to Costco Vaughan has become a very disturbing exercise in dodging the walking dead. Lots of folks are just pure, plumb dead from the neck up!
Get this -Late last night Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua of Vaughan announced on Twitter that 7 employees at our local Costco store have caught the virus! [Links below]
When did they get infected? Over two weeks ago! But we're only being told now! Trump style via Twitter!
Sadly, Costco Vaughan is our main source of food and supplies, located just north of us in Toronto, at Highway 7 and Weston Rd. Maybe 5 km from home.
Good Lord! So many of us have been going there; my family, most everyone in our building, throughout the pandemic, little knowing ....
Sure we saw lots of hoarding going on. And angry, surly crowds. But I'd figured Costco was probably doing a good job of following the proper health and safety procedures. And sticking to them. Relatively speaking. Compared to most of the stores near us.
Of course, what's relative mean anymore? What's the new normal?
With social distancing? Gloves?? Masks??? PPE's?!?!
It seems pretty clearcut, no? Keep 2 metres/ 6 feet apart. And wear them!
Try telling that to a zombie! The walking-soon-to-be-dead!
Beware: They are everywhere!
In retrospect, I recall that all the staff at Costco Vaughan didn't wear PPE's. They'd stand around and mingle in clusters at the desk, on the floor. Plus God only knows what conditions were really like in the warehouse, staffroom and office. We still don't!
Check out the York Region Public Health Alert below. They're still "reaffirming" to Costco management that staff shouldn't be working while they are sick! Plus reviewing and reinforcing the "proper infection and control measures and social distancing" procedures they should've had in place too.
Yiiikes!
Janet and I saw that the customer line-up's sometimes got bottlenecked, kinda unruly and tight packed. Who knew what else was going on?
Costco was our best choice, from what we've seen, during our rare outings around here.
So I figured, well, everybody's still trying to figure out the new rules of survival. Put them in practice, on short notice, as we go along. Let's be patient.
Hell. Further up Weston Road, Longo's groceries, unlike Costco, was constantly in the news. Closing and reopening. As more and more staff were getting infected.
Absolutely no way I'm going there!
So I briefly let my guard down. Risked trusting the powers that be. Hoping against hope that they were looking out for us, during the crisis, as the death toll continues to grow.
Duh. I should've known better. It's one thing to talk the talk.
But walking the walk? How widespread is that? Not very much it seems.
We'd planned to go shopping today. But now? Where? Who to trust???
Not Costco! Or Mayor Bevilacqua of Vaughan. Nor for that matter the York Region Public Health .....
Forget that BS! We still don't know what's really been going on in the store. Not from any of them!
So instead, Janet and I decided to just take a nice stroll through the Humber ravine. It's right across the street. We'd get outside for a change. Enjoy the fresh spring air. Maybe even tire ourselves out a bit. Shake the blues. Calm down. Get a better sleep.
The trail wasn't busy though there were a fair number of walkers, runners and bicyclists. But only about two thirds wore masks and gloves. And practiced social distancing.
The other third were madly weaving and racing about us, way too close; huffing, puffing and peddling up a mad COVID-19 sweat. The bikers and runners for the most part, without any masks or gloves.
Also dodged a few hellbent bikers weaving to and fro. Plus lots of runners, sweat in their eyes, brushing up waaaay too close.
Can most people even visualize what 2 metres/ 6 feet means?
Well two thirds did. But the rest?
Nope! Scary. Scary. Scary. A new dawn of the dead.
A nice walk outside is much needed, but something we can avoid.
Going out for groceries and supplies? We've cut that down to once every week or two. And most of the delivery services we've tried, basically suck.
After all is said and done, our politicos don't always walk the talk! Neither do the boards of health. Nor our local businesses. No matter what they say!
Sadly, even a lot of everyday folk, once they leave the safety of home!
Think the pandemic is going away any time soon?
Dream on ....
And beware the walking dead! Lest we become one too!
David C
NEWS LINKS:
On Costco Vaughan: Includes The Mayor's News Tweet @ City
York Region Public Health Instructions Re: Costco Vaughan @ YRPH
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