I just arrived home from a 4-week rotation at a jobsite in extreme northern Manitoba. After a month of mask-wearing throughout each 10- or 12-hour day, multiple Covid tests, extreme social distancing, eating alone in my room and absolutely no extracurricular activities (all cancelled, with all facilities shut down) it's almost impossible to describe the simple joy of sitting in my den at home with a hot coffee, watching the birdfeeders and scratching my dog behind the ears. No scheduled to return to work until the end of January and not crying about it either!
Locally, stores are not particularly busy, no excessive waiting periods or line-ups, everyone masked up. I don't feel especially threatened by the virus but my wife and I live in an isolated rural setting; might feel differently if we were in town. I went for a walk along the road this morning with my dog. We covered about 9 kilometers, during which we saw a dozen deer, a coyote, a fox and some ravens and grouse. Not a single car and no other people, although we only passed a few houses and the lack of traffic is typical. In the afternoon a neighbour trudged by on the road; waved at the house, I waved back from the window. Likely would have stopped for a coffee in normal times; not now.
We'll definitely be getting the vaccine when it becomes available to us.
