There is light at the end, but the tunnel just stretches on and on. I'm having Wifi issues again, which makes me extremely irritable, being forced to work from home. It looks like some outdoor recreation will be allowed this weekend, which won't matter much to me but will be good for general mental health in the province. I'm actually quite confused whether Phase 1 starts June 2 or basically a week later. Phase 1 is still extremely locked down, though I guess non-essential retail will be allowed at 15% and presumably Dollarama can go back to selling everything in the store, and maybe small groups get to eat outdoors on patios. What annoys me is that they are being extremely vague about going back to work n offices (on a voluntary basis), though it generally seems that falls into Phase 2, which won't be until early July at the very earliest. I think barbers/hair salons get to reopen in Phase 2 with very limited capacity, which will thrill my wife. It looks like outdoor theatre can go forward in Phase 2 (and probably private art galleries can open up), though the issue is that if they can't rehearse in Phase 1, they probably will be in no position to actually open. I know the Fringe already bailed on the summer, going all digital and the Bard's Bus Tour has also cancelled for the second summer in a row.* Most indoor activities get to start in Phase 3, including gyms and museums, and for sure offices should be open at the same time. This will likely be August, assuming new cases are still coming down and the vaccinations uptake remains strong. So August may just begin to feel a bit more like normal, and there are a very few more things to do in July, but June is simply going to suck. For sure, I am going to feel more crimped and cramped than last summer, which is just so incredibly disappointing.
But I do want to end on a positive note. I was quite surprised to have a text this morning saying that Shoppers had a shot for me ready on Friday, whereas my appointment in the Provincial system wasn't until June 12.** Now I had hoped this would be downtown, but the appointment was at Yorkdale! I thought about it and decided the risk of taking the subway was pretty small compared to the advantage of getting my first shot a few weeks early, so I am heading over around 1. This will be only the fourth time I've been on transit since the crisis really hit (14 months and counting). I've been biking instead, though one evening I had a flat and had to take the subway home (with the bike). I wouldn't say I am actually nervous about the trip (I'll bring Don Quixote along to distract me), but I have been avoiding transit where possible.
My wife was a bit put out and decided to go to a pop-up clinic in East York. Then toward late afternoon she got a text from Rexall for an appointment downtown... I'd say that the supply has finally stabilized to the point that adults 40+ can get vaccinated without as much trouble, though we are still lagging the States (or at least blue states...). Hopefully, the kids can get a first shot by the end of June and ideally the 2nd shot fairly early in September. That would ease a lot of anxiety for returning to the classroom for sure. And the broader return to the office as well, though at this point I am more than willing to take the risk even without being fully vaccinated.
* As far as I can tell, in a fit of wokeness, Shakespeare in the Ruff has decided to dismantle itself because putting on Shakespeare simply reifies whiteness, so there may be next to nothing on offer in Withrow Park this summer, aside from the farmer's market. Sad.
** And of course I will cancel this, freeing up a shot for someone else, but only after I actually have my first dose in my arm!
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