The chaos that has strongly disturbed or interrupted many people’s lives has been nothing but a slight irritation to me.
Luck had it that I had a return airline ticket from Chiang Mai , Thailand dated March 18th. Upon arrival , my companion and I were greeted by no less than 5 Border Officials that were handing out informations sheets on the covert 19 virus. They recommended they we self quarantine . For the second time in my life , I was sent to detention by the officer who took my passport . The first time it was on a return trip from , “The Bahamas “. The attending officer at the time was a Chinese fellow who asked me if I had bought anything. I replied no. One does not go to ,”The Bahamas “ to go shopping. On this trip it was a huge Black woman who asked me if I had any fever etc. I told them it had been taken at the airport in Taiwan and the officer said I was cool. When I was being frisked and checked by the young man down stairs , I asked him why was I singled out. I believe he responded ,”she didn’t like you”. I really wish these greeting officers were a bit more professional. I wonder if any of them have ever taken a trans pacific flight. My feeling is that perhaps that have not and can not empathize with the tiredness and frustration a traveler feels upon arrival.
To be blunt , in both cases , I felt a case of reverse discrimination. Let’s drop that thought for now as this post is about my experience in lockdown.
The self quarantine started well until I ask one of my so called ,”best friend “ to buy some groceries for the second time . In fact it was merely eggs. He was too busy with designing a logo for his motorcycle buddies who he kept whining about he has nothing in common with to help me out.
My partner , desperate for food to eat went to a prepared food place down the street. The fellow above spotted her and after consulting his committee wrote me a scathing letter condemning me and suggested that we order online. He , without saying called my best friend of many years and recounted his tale. He was outraged and has stopped communicating with me. These are two men filled with fear and although , I will miss one of them , it does not detract from my happiness.
I only mention this incident ,because I suspect , that there has been many casualties in this lockdown and social conditioning. I refuse to use the ,”D” word .
After having true loyal friends come to bat and pick up food and quarantine was over -even though it was voluntary- when we arrived- a point ignored by our fearful friends , living in the time of lockdown was merely irrupting at times as in having to return to the house to retrieve a mask.
In the city of Toronto, not by design, but sheer bungling the lockdown was not so severe as many other places in Canada and in the world where many of my friends live.
Because I have my financial life together money has not been an issue as it has been for many people. As a residential and commercial building owner I was always proud of myself that I had a recession proof tenant – a hair salon. I did not in my wildest dreams imagine that it would be closed for three months depriving my tenant of earning a living to pay his rent. It was most likely tough for him , but like everyone else he got through it and is back to work and I am looking at rent this month.
The only concern I have had is whether I shall be able to fly out of here -Toronto, Canada – come November. I do not like the cold . This suppose heat wave -any temperature over 30C. is called a heat wave in Toronto. In Chiang Mai, that is the temperature every day of the year by 11 a.m. every morning. In all fairness , I do live not far from Lake Ontario here in the area they called , “The Beaches” in Toronto. It is 10 degrees cooler here and I receive a steady cool breeze from the lake all summer.
I’m fortunate to be in excellent health and not needing the health services that were virtually closed down unless they could but a covert 19 label on you.
It makes me think that given that Toronto was hard hit by the Sars Virus, one would think that we might have learned something from it. From my own experience and that of many of my friends all over the globe ,Toronto and Ontario in general was ill prepared for another pandemic. The vulnerable should have been protected but the bungling politicians dismantled the safe guards, privatized retirement homes . This led to 42% of the residences dying because of incompetence and oversight.
Sweden , who choose to use common sense and not do a draconian lockdown and high fines-money or the government coffers-BC Health Officer Bonnie refused to use such crassness and achieved superior results.
Happy ,healthy and wealthy in the time of Lockup.
