COVID-19 updates Saturday morning
CBC says Saturday morning that there are still only 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Quebec. This piece has other updates on related stories.
The STM is still running as well as doing more cleaning, and Bixi is considering launching early this year to allow more people to get around town in a socially distanced way. It’s not a done deal yet, and there’s still crusty remnants of old snow lying around in spots where Bixi stations are often placed: there’s a reason Bixi doesn’t usually open till April.
Kijiji is banning the resale of in-demand products like face masks, hand sanitizer and, God knows, toilet paper, in an attempt to reduce profiteering.
Food banks and homeless shelters are facing particular problems when considering contagion, self-isolation and social distancing issues. There have been lots of reports of panic buying and toilet paper has become a reliable punch line to all kinds of jokes.
The exhibition baseball games scheduled at the Olympic stadium March 23 and 24 have been cancelled.
TVA reports that a surgeon at Notre-Dame hospital has been quarantined after one of her patients was diagnosed with the virus.
denpanosekai 09:05 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
Two days ago I saw a guy riding a Bixi on the Verendrye. So I guess it was a stolen bike?
Kate 09:09 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
Whoa. Yes, I suppose it must have been.
jeather 10:26 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
At the Super C and Atwater Market this morning: store is packed, mostly out of meat, bread, rice, low on frozen goods, entirely out of bananas, flour, sugar and yeast (but the store is almost always out of yeast so not sure that means a lot). Long lines but people don’t seem to be buying crazy amounts of food. Didn’t check TP (I bought a pile last time there was a sale and I am still good) but there was a fair amount of kleenex left.
Atwater Market is deserted and seems to have lots of everything available. The en vrac store has lots of flour and sugar; the stalls all had bananas and piles of fruit and veggies.
denpanosekai 10:34 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
Jeather, is it any crazier than usual? The Lasalle Super C and IGA (on champlain) have always been nuts on the weekend pre-coronavirus. I’m going to take a wild guess that by Wednesday next week, things will be back to normal. Or so I hope.
Kate 10:46 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
Thanks for reporting, jeather – that’s useful data.
Thursday I was at Rachelle-Béry on St-Laurent in Little Italy and you would not have known there was an impending crisis. The cash lines were a little long, but given it was a little before 6 p.m., not especially crazy. Of course R-B is kind of pricey so not everyone shops there – I’m always amazed by the people I see getting a week’s groceries, while I wait patiently in line with my one or two special treats.
Friday I went to a little Intermarché store where I often shop, given it’s between work and home. It was not crowded, well stocked except for toilet paper (which I didn’t need, but I noted the empty shelves as I passed by) and rice.
Janet 11:05 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
Thinking this was a good stimulus to get back to baking my own bread, I picked up a nice bag of whole wheat flour at the en vrac store at Atwater yesterday. Then it occurred to me that this maybe isn’t the best time to be buying food from open bins. But those chocolate peanuts I guzzled down would probably get me first…
jeather 11:31 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
It was absolutely busier than usual, I generally shop every Saturday morning, and the Super C is noticeably busier and emptier of food. I waited 26 minutes for a cashier, which I know is not much lately, but more than usual; also I was there before 8 when it opened and in line at 8:23. I checked the time because I was curious. The cashier said it had been like this since Wed night. They were also out of most cooking oils, which is annoying.
Everyone is very polite and friendly (at a distance) and understanding, it’s just long waits. I also anticipate that by mid next week grocery shopping will be normal again.
CE 12:23 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
I was talking to a couple friends in the neighbourhood who said Provigo was super busy yesterday. I went to one of the little Greek grocery stores near my house and the lady at the counter said it was busier than normal but there were maybe 10 customers in the whole store and they weren’t out of anything (lower than normal on meat though).
Tim S. 13:33 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
Going through my pantry, I have to do a lot of figuring out to do about about the difference between expiry and best before dates, keeping in mind that it’s a bad time to get food poisoning.
EmilyG 14:31 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
If/when I can go outside again, I might go to Rachelle-Béry (thanks for the tip.) I go there sometimes anyway because of my very limited diet.
Jim Strankinga 18:32 on 2020-03-14 Permalink
Dunno for today, but did my groceries yesterday(Friday) afternoon at Provigo, LaSalle, and SuperC Newman LaSalle. Not particular busy at all. Water shelf and TP empty (What is with toilet paper anyway?), but for the rest business as usual.
vasi 02:44 on 2020-03-15 Permalink
Went to a Pharmaprix in Villeray to pick up toothpaste and a prescription, and it was much more crowded than usual. All out of TP, and nobody really trying to keep a distance.
Dhomas 06:11 on 2020-03-15 Permalink
Reporting from a little further east: I passed by Costco Anjou on my way to the Saint-Méthode bakery Friday morning. The was a huge crowd of people waiting at 9h05, though the store only officially opens at 10h. There were reports of violence at that Costco I read about later. The Saint-Méthode store was fully stocked on bread, every shelf was full (it had just opened). Plus, they sell it for quite cheap at 6$ for 4 loaves.
I passed by the Maxi on Jean-Talon close to Langelier on Friday around 16h and saw a crowd of people outside the store, though I didn’t investigate to find out why. The Provigo on Sherbrooke next to Radisson metro had no crowd outside, but quite a few people inside. No toilet paper and no fish, rice, flour, UHT Milk (Grand Pré), bread. There was very little meat left, though the butchers were getting some out, which shoppers were grabbing as it came. Facial tissues (Kleenex), was being sold directly from the shipping box. Lineups at the register were longer than usual, and the cashiers seemed tired.