Camp Quarantine : Confirmation Day (pt. 2)

Sunday, March 29

I shout out the instructions on how to make the perfect cup of coffee to my husband from our master bedroom. “Take the Caramel Bliss from the bottom shelf in the fridge and put some in the frother!” … “Um… I dunno, maybe 30 ml?” … “Yeah, and then just hit the top button. It should go red…” Part of me thinks that I could get used to this kind of service … but the other part thinks that it would be easier if I could just do it myself.

I received confirmation that the suspected case of COVID-19 that I was in contact with is positive, and that I’ll have to stay in isolation for two weeks from my last point of contact with this individual. That extends my sentence from two to ten days of solitary confinement – April 9th is my set parole date. Exactly four days after my son’s thirteenth birthday. I had already been racking my brain for creative ways to celebrate as an isolated family but now I have to figure how to make his day extra special as a self-isolated mother confined to a bedroom. It’s saddening to realize that I’ll be celebrating my son becoming a teenager from behind a piece of tape that’s placed in the hallway, which reads “DO NOT CROSS”.

* * *

Once the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in New Brunswick, it only took one week before the province was forced to declare a state of emergency. It was like something out of an apocalyptic movie. People were panic buying, shelves were empty, jobs were lost, and our community’s resources quickly dwindled down to only the essentials. Restaurants gradually decreased from 50 percent capacity, to take-out only, to being closed until further notice. Traffic was sparse until it was eventually non-existent. And local businesses closed, leaving nothing but a door littered with COVID-19 signs and a vacant parking lot behind.
There’s an unnerving silence. The kind of silence you would expect in a rural area but not in the middle of a city. As I walked the dog, I recall there being no sound except the cawing of a nearby crow. Cars were at home and houses were occupied but the city lacked any signs of life. This pandemic has caused the pulse of our charismatic city to steadily slow down until it eventually flatlined.
We all must realize that we’re living through a crisis which requires absolute compliance and cooperation. Unforunately, those who choose to dig in their heels and forego their social distancing are contributing to heightened tensions worldwide. Finger pointing on how others are responding to the COVID-19 directives is resulting in a widening of the generational gap.
Globally, we must continue to break down boarders. Help our neighbour. Spread kindness. Speak the universal language of compassion. And work together for a universal cause. In this situation, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts but equal – meaning that our individual actions are just as important, if not more, for overcoming this pandemic together.

Please, continue to stay home and stay safe!

To Be Continued…

Author: wanderingmandy2018

I am a travel blogger from New Brunswick, Canada and am very passionate about travelling and adventure! I absolutely love going to new places, trying new foods, meeting new people, and having a lot of fun! My adventures range from catching a wave on the North Shore in Hawaii and being breathless on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, to living in a Westfalia van on Vancouver Island and being awestruck by the starry nights in the Sahara desert! I look forward to blogging my adventures and hearing your comments, feedback, and own personal stories! Cheers 🤙 View all posts by wanderingmandy2018