A10 FOLIO OTHEGLOBEANDMAIL | FRIDAY,MARCH13,
SELF-ISOLATION
“It’s strange. I’ve never been told, ‘Don’t come to
work because it might be dangerous for those
around you,’ ” says Peter Klein, a 30-year-old who
has been in self-isolation with his wife in their Cal-
gary apartment since coming home from their hon-
eymoon in Japan nearly two weeks ago.
Both their employers – Mr. Klein works for
Sportsnet960,hiswifeisapromotionsco-ordinator
for another radio station – told them to self-quaran-
tine when they returned from their trip.
The only time Mr. Klein has left his 800-square-
footapartmentsincethenhasbeentogroceryshop.
He always goes at non-peak hours.
“Any time you leave the apartment you feel
guilty. I get quite a bit of anxiety any time I leave
here because I feel fine, but I don’t know if I’m fine
and I don’t know if I’m giving something to some-
one,” he says.
He and his wife are both able to work from home.
In the evenings they’ll watch a movie. The other
night his wife made cupcakes.
“We’re trying to keep things as normal as possi-
ble,” Mr. Klein says. But, he says, the experience is “a
bit of a mind mess.” He’s bored, and it’s hard not to
have cabin fever at times.
Whatishelookingforwardtowhenhistwo-week
isolation period is over this weekend?
“I’mprobablyjustgoingtogoforatwo-hourwalk
to get some fresh air,” Mr. Klein says.
DAVEMCGINN
FAMILYDOCTOR
For Nadia Alam, a family doctor in Georgetown,
Ont., the arrival of the novel coronavirus has meant
scrambling to get supplies that are often on back or-
der. It has also meant warning patients to stay away
if they have a cough and fever, the telltale symp-
toms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
It’s a tricky message for patients who are used to
turning to their family doctors first when they get
sick. But Dr. Alam said it’s critical that patients who
think they have the coronavirus call a public-health
hotlinefirstandgetscreenedoverthephone,other-
wisetheyriskforcingDr.Alamandhercolleaguesto
temporarily shutter an office that serves 7,000 pa-
tients in the town west of Toronto.
“If a patient came in, coughed all over the place
[and later tested positive for COVID-19] we would
actually have to shut down for 14 days and be isolat-
ed,” Dr. Alam said. “That’s why so many family doc-
tors are working so hard to get information out.”
In the meantime, Dr. Alam’s office is offering pa-
per surgical masks to patients with a cough, a pre-
caution the office has been taking since long before
the rise of the coronavirus.
KELLYGRANT
THEATRE
Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 started to
truly affect the Canada’s theatre companies on
Thursday when Quebec Premier François Legault
ordered all indoor events with more than 250 peo-
ple to be cancelled.
Up to that point, theatres in the rest of Canada,
from the Arts Club in Vancouver to the Confeder-
ation Centre for the Arts in Charlottetown, were re-
porting they had not seen a significant impact on
ticket sales – and that they were adding additional
sanitation measures in lobbies, bathrooms and the-
atres.
The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre was enjoying
a sell-out final week of Frances Koncan’s satirical
history playWomen of the Fur Trade– while offering
audience members the opportunity to exchange
their tickets for March performances if they were
feeling unwell.
At the tourist-oriented Shaw Festival, a small up-
tick in ticket sales over the past few weeks was even
observed. “I suspect the quieter, small-town nature
of Niagara-on-the-Lake has been a draw for people
looking for a closer summer getaway as their plans
for travel have changed,” executive director Tim
Jennings said. But, he cautioned, “the situation is in
a constant state of flux.”
J.KELLYNESTRUCK
‘Tryingtokeepthingsasnormalaspossible’:
ScenesfromlivesinterruptedbyCOVID-
Asthecoronavirusspreadsacross
thecountry,dailylifeforsome
Canadiansisbeingtransformed.
Theeffectsofthepandemicare
notjustchallengingthosein
self-quarantinetofindwaysto
passthetime,butalsoinspiring
someindividualstohelpinthe
efforttostopthespreadofthevirus
PeterKleinandKimCarsontakeinsomefreshaironthebalconyoftheirCalgaryapartment,wherethey’vebeeninself-isolation
sincereturningfromatriptoJapan.Bothhavebeentoldnottocomeintotheirradio-stationjobs.TODDKOROL/THEGLOBEANDMAILFamilyphysicianNadiaAlamtalkswithapatientonWednesdayinherGeorgetown,Ont.,office.Dr.Alamhasbeenoffering
papersurgicalmaskstopatientswithacoughsincelongbeforetheriseofCOVID-19.J.P.MOCZULSKI/THEGLOBEANDMAILDespitecoronavirusfears,audiencesinManitobahavebeenflockingtothefinalweekofFrancesKoncan’ssatiricalhistoryplay
WomenoftheFurTrade.SHANNONVANRAES/THEGLOBEANDMAIL