Some observations in Villeray
Went outside for a walk in my Villeray neighbourhood, and to do a couple of brief but necessary errands. Lots of people were out cycling, running, walking dogs. In the street I wouldn’t have noticed much difference, although maybe more working-age adults were around than usual before 5 on a weekday.
I hope most of the little groups I saw were family or otherwise cohabiting groups, and not socializing. I saw a lot of baby carriages and a lot of young kids on small bicycles, but I guess families need to let their kids exercise a bit, even if it means possibly crossing paths with a kid’s friends and having them get too close.
At Jean-Coutu I had to not only sanitize my hands on the way in, but also answer some questions about whether I’d been travelling or had experienced any symptoms. There was plexiglas in front of the cash registers, but they were accepting cash payments.
At the butcher shop there was also hand sanitizer and a sign on the door limiting the number of people inside. Once inside, there wasn’t much policing going on, and no barriers. It was nice to say hi to the guys who are always there, and they said they hoped to stay open.
The florist at the corner was emptied of the plants that used to be in the window, and a sign on the door just said “Fermé. Merci.”
I saw one very old man shuffling along Jarry with a cane and was like OMG, but what can you do? You can’t force people to stay home just because of their age. Maybe he’s made a risk-benefit assessment and knows that a little exercise does him more good than staying inside. He’s safer than the ones living in old folks’ homes, for sure.
One of the neighbourhood fruiteries has closed up, but my usual place was open, with hand sanitizer inside the front door. A spaced-out woman was following the owner around, talking to him in a vague and druggy sort of way, and he was too polite to ask her to back off. I picked up the things I wanted and vamoosed.
La Presse has a brief video of a largely empty city. Not what I saw this afternoon.
Ephraim 17:37 on 2020-03-25 Permalink
Dystopian… sort of like what I think Winston Smith might see on a walk
vasi 18:23 on 2020-03-25 Permalink
Oh, which fruiterie do you go to? When my partner went to Tsikinis last week, it was super crowded and people weren’t keeping a distance.
Tim S. 18:33 on 2020-03-25 Permalink
I don’t know that I would say dystopian, I’m actually kind of encouraged by all the people doing something as low-key as taking a walk. The streets are busyish in my neighbourhood (eastern NDG/ western Westmount) but people are very careful to stand a distance a way when they meet friends. I was commenting to my wife that Canadians are well-suited for this crisis, it’s now a virtue to actively avoid the strangers around you.
I’m also amused to notice all the people walking in the middle of the street, who are more scared of the other pedestrians than of the few cars that are about.
Kate 18:39 on 2020-03-25 Permalink
vasi, the fruiterie closest to me is Lina, on Guizot, and it’s a good one. But it’s the nature of fruiteries to be small and crowded. Tsikinis is like that, as are Fruiterie Forcier, Lina and Fruiterie du Parc (the most recent one in this neighbourhood, which seems to have shut for the moment). They’re all crammed with products and with minimal space for clients to move around. If you have 3 people shopping at the same time, they’re all squeezing past each other or dancing around to make room.
Mark Côté 18:51 on 2020-03-25 Permalink
I was just out for a run (keeping a good distance from others) and I would say the majority of people i saw on the sidewalks (and streets) were also out running. So anecdotally it does seem like people are outside mainly for exercise.
Anon1984 20:09 on 2020-03-25 Permalink
https://mobile.twitter.com/C4Dispatches
People should absolutely be more scared of other pedestrians..if not for yourself or your loved ones, for every vulnerable member of our society. Sorry that this has become a meaningless cliche at this point. I have a small business in NDG and have never been happier to hear Legault force me to close (at total risk of never again operating after over 20 years, with zero accumulated wealth, have always been content to just be able to work/live doing something I love). Why people refuse to drast change their behavior, even with the heartbreaking world news and very real support from our Federal/Provincial gov’ts makes me lose my sanity..how hard is it to stay home for 21 days unless you need food/medicine..
Kate 21:35 on 2020-03-25 Permalink
Anon1984, thanks for your thoughts. I am sorry you’re at risk of losing your business.
I’m running into conflicting ideas about whether simply going outside for a walk is risky. I didn’t walk a long way today, but going out for an hour’s walk did me good, both physically and mentally, after staying strictly inside for three days. Are you of the opinion people should not be out at all?
Michael Black 00:32 on 2020-03-26 Permalink
If walking was bad, they’d have put limits on it already.
Even if someone passes close, it’s minimal danger. It’s over in an instant. Go to a store, and you’re inside with endless surfaces that you have to touch, and waiting in line,or waiting for someone to move on so you can reach that item. You’ll be in c!oser contact with more people than you’ll pass outside. And the longer you wait in line, the itchier your nose gets, and the more likely the virus gets passed.
Everything is risky, at any time. But there’s no way to eliminate all the risk. If I stay home, it means someone else has to be out there. “I’ll order from amazon” but someone has to deliver it, and someone has to pack it.
The government has decided that we can go to some stores, and go outside. Density is low, so going to unneeded places (especially full of people) is going to limit things travel of the virus. It may be different later. You can cut out the easy stuff, and any more will have diminishing returns.
This virus is easy to pass, and no cure or protection yet. But look at the figures. People are recovering, and few have died yet. The virus in itself isn’t particularly dangerous, but for some people other issues kick in. And if too.many need hospitalization at the same time, the resources aren’t there. That’s the danger.
So there’s a balance between making it easy to pass the virus, and making it so hard that people ignore the rules, or suffer because of the rules. Going to a concert makes it easy for the virus to spread, locking people inside could mean starvation or mental breakdown.
Walking is better than going on the bus, and not everyone has a car to bubble themselves in when going to the store.
It’s a bit over a year since I’ve been out much. Sometime in March last year to the beginning of Dec, about 9 months inside. And in the past four months, short trips to the grocery store, and a few to the library. It took a long time to get back to.walking, indeed not being able to walk was far worse than being close to death at the end of March last year. That’s as important or more important to my health as the pills and chemotherapy. I had no choice about being in last year, now it’s really hard that there’s nowhere to go. I don’t know whether it’s easier or harder for me, but I hope it never gets to the point where people are mostly made to stay inside. It’s asking too much.
Anon1984 01:59 on 2020-03-26 Permalink
Thank you Kate, we’re all in the same situation and hopefully we all pull through together. And thank you for this website. Walking wouldn’t be a problem if everyone was social distancing which is not what I have been seeing. I don’t drive (so not in a bubble) and I have been walking to and from work until yesterday, taking side streets where there were not many people so could easily keep the 2 meter distance. (Especially when it’s pouring rain). What makes me so worried and really anxious is I was seeing far far too many people on the main commercial road not complying. I do understand that everyone, especially families with children, need fresh air and exercise for mental/physical health.
Kate 10:44 on 2020-03-26 Permalink
Michael Black, they’ve definitely put limits on walking in Europe. You can’t be out meandering around in France, Italy or Spain right now. Police can stop you and verify that you have legitimate cause to be outside – an essential job, medical needs, things like that. You’re not meant to stray more than 1 km from home in Paris – there’s even a website for working out where your perimeters are.
Alex L 15:57 on 2020-03-26 Permalink
At my Provigo, there was a hand washing station at the entrance with a security guard, everyone had to wait in line to wash their hands before entering. The cashier sanitized the counter between each client. It’s nice to see they are taking this seriously.
vasi 18:56 on 2020-03-26 Permalink
Kate: Yup, definitely not blaming the fruiteries for anything, nobody knew anything like this would be happening. But right now we’re telling folks with symptoms or who travelled to self-isolate, without any good grocery options for them.
Quebec’s trying to expand food banks, which is good. And if we’re lucky, some grocery stores and fruiteries will move to a delivery model. Hopefully that will all help.
Apparently in Singapore anybody who tests positive can go live in a special quarantine hotel for two weeks, where food is placed outside their room doors.