During the pandemic and during this phase of reopening across the world, businesses big and small have encountered a variety of difficulties related to maintaining their ability to operate. In the province of Manitoba, the regional government is offering up a number of different programs specifically targeted at helping small businesses, getting people back to work, and providing a safety net in these uncertain times.

Image uploaded to website for use in Nueva Conviviencia page. Katy Kole de Peralta 06/18/2020

This is a news clip from ABS News showing the archbishop of Peru blessing and making the sign of the cross over 1000s of photos representing people who have died from COVID-19 in Peru. It's sometimes so easy to feel like COVID isn't happening and that social distancing is blown out of proportion, or to question if we're overreacting. And then on seeing this video, all I feel is pain. So much pain for the lives lost, both young and old in what seems like a never-ending public health crisis.

Shows how I have handled myself and kept myself busy

The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) Carrier Strike Group prepares to weigh anchor after completing the Navy's mandatory 14-day pre-deployment quarantine; a measure put in place to prevent outbreaks like the one that sidelined the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The Harry S. Truman could not return to port on the East Coast until the Nimitz had completed these added precautions.

Water tower

Secretary Braithwaite welcomes home this aircraft maintenance technician from Attack Fighter Squadron 211 with an arm bump greeting to minimize the risk of exposure. All those present for the Secretary's address to the Truman's crew wear face coverings, especially given the outbreaks the Navy has struggled to contain on board several of their deployed vessels. Nevertheless, social distancing proved to be difficult on board ship.

Masked up and spaced apart, the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) welcomes Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite aboard after they dropped anchor at the Norfolk Navy Yard following a 5-month tour of duty to the Middle East theater of operations and a 2-month "sustainment cruise) off the Virginia coast. The Truman remained at sea after the conclusion of their Middle Eastern cruise due to COVID-19 concerns and the need for deploying carrier groups to quarantine before getting underway and replacing the Truman in the Navy's operational rotation.

Webpage created by the Boston National Historical Park to celebrate the Bunker Hill Monument. The page includes instructions for kids to create their own monument that they can then decorate, and gives an explanation of the battle that the Bunker Hill Monument commemorates. The page further asks kids to reflect on "What do you want to commemorate or remember?" The pandemic has forced changes in how people commemorate important historical or cultural events, items like this illustrate how cultural organizations seek to keep these events in the public consciousness and relate them to present day issues.

These documents outline the proper use of cloth face masks on US military installations per the US Department of Defense and the Department of the Air Force. Also included is a memo to all personnel at Joint Base San Antonio (Fort Sam Houston, Lackland and Randolph AFBs, and Martindale Army Airfield) from the base commander addressing the DOD's COVID-19 responses, and how they will be implemented on base. This resource also includes a tutorial on how to wear and create homemade PPE.

Video produced by the Boston National Historic Park commemorating the 245th Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The video features speakers from several organizations discussing the importance of the battle. https://www.facebook.com/BostonNHP/videos/639899866613819/?v=639899866613819

The Government of Nagaland in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has implemented a statewide lockdown and also initiated the establishment of Observatory Quarantine Centres for native residents who are returning back to Nagaland from other States across India. The returnees must observe a mandatory 14 day quarantine period before travelling on next to their villages or rural home towns. Seen here are returnees who arrived around 9 PM (IST) by train from Chennai, Tamil Nadu waiting in line to enter their Quarantine Centre at Tetso College, Dimapur, Nagaland. They will live here for 14 days or more under strict vigilance and undergo tests to determine whether they are Covid -19 positive. If any of the returnees are tested positive, they will then be shifted to the Covid-19 hospital for further treatment.

Every year, during the Christmas and end-of the-year "blockbuster" (talent show) assemblies, the entirety of the staff at Canterbury High School put on a song and dance. With schools closed this year they took it online and created video of them in their homes dedicated to the students and graduating class in particular. In choosing the song Don't Stop Believin' they shared a sentiment of hope and understand during a stressful time for students. They also made some inside references in the way they changed the words from the original song: the O-train is notoriously inconsistent and often does not run, hence going nowhere (on top of going nowhere because of restrictions due to the pandemic.)

Facebook post by the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, reflecting on what would have been Marathon Monday (the day the Boston Marathon is traditionally run) had the pandemic not force it to be rescheduled. The post mentions the proximity of the library to the finish line of the marathon, and includes a map of where the race begins in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

Social media post on the Facebook page of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library. The post highlights eight different historical maps from the collection, noting that those interested can download these maps and use them as backgrounds on a video conferencing platform like Zoom. Due to social distancing, video conferencing apps like Zoom have become increasingly popular, and cultural institutions have sought to utilize and promote their collections in ways that are compatible with these platforms. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622122709/https://www.facebook.com/bplmaps/photos/a.10150599262740304/10163440288820304/?type=3&theater=

It is a ballad about the virus itself.

Throughout its storied history, the 82nd Airborne Division prevailed over the Nazis in World War II, tangled with the Viet Cong in Vietnam's verdant jungles, clawed through Afghanistan's Hindu Kush Mountains, and twice stormed across Iraq's desolate deserts. Now the "All-Americans" soldier on in the face of a global pandemic that has shuttered businesses and sealed off bases like Fort Bragg from the outside world, but despite all of this, there is one thing COVID-19 cannot disrupt: the time-honored divisional "Battle of the Burgers" contest.

With in-person meetings restricted, the US military switched to video conferences to conduct business, like this live streaming teleconference posted on the Army's Facebook page. A reflection of the Digital Age's technological acceleration, these four officers, one of whom is a major general, discuss in real time updates to the Army's Combat Fitness Test, all the while avoiding exposure to themselves or their fellow soldiers. Since the pandemic erupted upon the global landscape, video conferencing has proven to be invaluable in the struggle to continue day-to-day functions, as schools, universities, businesses, companies, and military bases all sealed their environs.

This private first class deploys the US military's newest weapon, as the Army continues to train to fight the enemies of the future while defending against an enemy it cannot see. Prior to the pandemic, mask-wearing proved exceptionally rare in the USA, but with no mitigation effort being spared in the quest to arrest COVID-19's global march, both civilians and soldiers alike rely on them to keep the contagion at bay.

This screenshot of the 101st Airborne Division's (Air Assault) Facebook page reveals some of the counter-measures the US Army is taking against COVID-19. These soldiers of the 2nd BCT (Brigade Combat Team) undergo temperature checks before a training exercise, even though some medical professionals had voiced concerns about the reliability of handheld temperature guns. Furthermore, this image also reflects how the Army is continuing to maintain their training regimen and rotation schedule in the face of the pandemic, as these soldiers prepare to embark for the JRTC at Fort Polk, Louisiana, a state that had been a COVID hot spot just weeks earlier.

“It’s very different. We’re not used to being this slow-paced. It feels really strange compared to the mayhem and craziness we usually work in. We’re still trying to stay busy with deliveries and stuff like that. We’re adapting as best we can, but sadly we did have to lose a few employees. We’re very grateful to still be open and getting customers, so I’m not complaining. Somehow there’s still that community feel, with regular customers continuing to come, but we aren’t seeing as many of the older faces. The staff are happy to be working and there’s lots of support going on. If all shops are forced to close, it would affect our family heaps - it's what we do. We’ve been doing it since 1992.” Instagram post on Haikal,, manager A1 bakery, and their experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.

“I’ve been feeling fully immobilized by this pandemic. I’ve noticed many people jumping into new interests and hobbies, and I'm just struggling to work out: who am I outside of work? What hobbies do I have? What are my interests? I just don't know! I’ve been observing my friends and family who have lost the jobs and livelihoods that gave them a sense of purpose. An important part of self-esteem is drawing it from multiple sources. If all of your eggs are in one basket and it gets taken away, then you will have a massive drop in self-esteem. But right now, people have lost multiple sources of self-esteem, which puts intense strain on mental health. Perhaps we need new structures and more supportive systems. The working-at-home thing has revolutionized able-bodied peoples’ lives, and could be used in a really productive way post-pandemic to make careers more accessible to people with a disability. Hopefully we learn something from this.” Instagram post on Ani Jordens, a university student, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.

“What has changed the most is definitely not going to football. The season would have just started and I guess not having that big commitment. We’re still supposed to be doing a little bit of running and weights as best we can, with the equipment that we have. I actually quite miss it to be honest. I enjoy a break at the end of each year, but not at this time of year, purely because we’ve done a lot of hard training over the summer. The timing is what it is, but I do miss it a little bit. I'm going to really appreciate, and not take for granted, seeing my girlfriend properly. At the moment we have decided that keeping the 1.5m gap is the best decision for us. Like we’re still going for a few walks and that, but in terms of actually giving her a big hug when I see her. It’s only been a couple of weeks since we’ve decided to do that, but it’s still pretty rough. I wont take that for granted, and I’ll definitely appreciate that, when the restrictions lift and we’re able to do that again.” Instagram post on Campbell Walker, VFL player & landscaper, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.

“Like everyone else, I was feeling a bit gloomy and today is actually the anniversary of my brother passing away, so I wanted to do something that would bring sunshine to people walking past. I’d like to see my friends and my god-children. And my family. It’s a month since I saw my mum - I don’t think I’ve ever not seen her for that long! I work in the events industry, so that was one of the first areas to get hit pretty hard. The simplicity of it all is something I’m discovering I like, yet never knew it… the slow breakfasts, extra time cuddling my son, not rushing everywhere. Ironically the team I’m in is closer than ever before, linking up from all around the world. That’s another unexpected. Life throws you curveballs every now and then. You just got to go with it” Instagram post on Nicole, events, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.

This is a wonderful story of a couple that got married during a BLM protest in Philadelphia. Due to the Coronavirus, the couple had to postpone their wedding, but they were able to make up for it for sure! The bride and groom were beautiful and very happy! I love this article because it shows the resilience of people as well as their creativity. And, it celebrates love in a turbulent time. Some things never do change no matter what is happening in the world.

“Certainty. These are very uncertain times. We don't know what restrictions will be in place in a few weeks' time, let alone a few months’ time, or even in a few days’ time. I have a lot of uncertainty with my work, which will impact my family. I’ve got work booked up, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it. Makes things tricky. I wouldn’t say relationships have changed exactly, maybe bit more involvement and strengthened. Family time has increased incredibly, especially with seeing a lot more of the twenty-year-old (the others are seventeen and ten). Playing Monopoly, Squatter - long-term games, and jigsaw puzzles…” Instagram post on Paul Crusi, a painter, created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.

The travel industry took one of the biggest economic hits during the pandemic, with the airline industry being particularly hit hard. As a gradual reopening has spread haphazardly across the country, many airlines are taking similar precautions: mandating masks, running planes below capacity, and other health precautions. The newest announcement to come out is that the sale of alcohol on some major airlines is either being banned completely, or restricted only for certain groups. This is intended to limit time without a mask, as well as the need for passengers to move about the cabin or go to the bathroom.

Reopening has proved to be a double edged sword, as the economy slowly begins to recover while infection rates seem to rise congruently. President Trump had planned a rally in Tulsa, OK that has drawn backlash because of the current racial/policing issues present in the country, in addition to the health concerns that are present with a packed arena. The tweet summarizes the Politico article, which mentions the following: injunction to stop the rally until safety guidelines are put in place, rejection of the injunction, and the reassurance that all proper safety precautions will be taken into account for the proposed rally.

pandemic and racial related entries

pandemic and racial topics

pandemics, protests and CV

pandemics throughout the centuries

racial issues that truly make this the year of the plague and fire

pandemic and racial issues

pandemic related world events

various news stories impacted by pandemic

Just something funny I saw

Protesting during a pandemic is definitely new for a lot of people- including me. The protective gear such as masks have been emphasized by all people organizing these events.

Pandemic and start of racial issues

pandemic commentary

take on pandemic and related world news

entries related to pandemic and world affairs

When trying to remember the year, I think of the last few weeks before we left. There was something in the air that made this semester — this particular semester — feel like the end. And so, maybe we laughed harder and louder than we did before. And we cried so much more and we tried to do what we could to enjoy ourselves — to hold onto what we had left. And we had dance parties and dinner parties that made us feel alive and supported — no one was alone. Although we’ll be back at some point, it will feel like starting over again. And maybe that’s good, maybe that’s necessary. And maybe we’ll come back and say, “Hey, it’s nice to meet ya! My name is ...” because things have changed. We all will have changed. But maybe, just maybe, it will be better than before.

COVID-19 Black lives matter : June 1, 2020 The news of the riots and looting that have broken out at BLM protests is horrifying. There are so many supremacists, instigators and fame whores trying to remove the message that Black Lives Matter. There also seems to be a misunderstanding in the slogan. All lives should matter. They don't. Black lives matter, too. Despite the agitators, I was so pleased to hear that the Marches in Decatur and cities around were peaceful. Last night, I talked myself out of participating in a March out of fear of violence. The very violence I want to be standing against. I'm disappointed in myself. Age and illness have cost me some of my fearlessness. The Freedom Fighters traveled the segregated South, facing beatings and possible death. Such courage they had. I kept my phone away purposefully today. It seems every hour we have something and strange to react to. Space Launch! YAY!!! Riots! WTF!!?! Two hours later, more info is available that modifies the initial reaction. Then, by the evening, reactions change again after we're bombarded with opinions and news links from social media. We try to get our bearings and then we're confronted with something new and equally mindboggling. UFO's? Barely a mention. Conflicting opinions abound, with no consistency from our state and federal governments. It's hard not to long for the days when I trusted Walter Cronkite and thought the government was looking out for my best interests. Illinois Governor's Kerner and Walker shattered that pipe dream. Watergate ground the pieces into dust. It was another gorgeous day, today. Bright, sunny with a gentle wind. I kept the windows open and putzed around the yard. We found a new home for our old pool. It will have five playful kids enjoying it, rather than sitting in pile outside our shed. It can join it's Toy Story buddies and return to its life as a pool filled with children. I needed to be outside today. Away from humanity. I'm out on my sleeping swing, listening to wind. At times, it almost sounds waves rolling in. The moon is just bright enough that I watched Rocky Raccoon searching for grubs, not ten feet from me. I didn't disturb him. He slowly meandered across the yard. I think a Mama Deer may have a fawn stashed in the ditch across the road. I heard a huff and stomp. Maybe Rocky got too close. The stars are bright and fireflies are all over the place. The other night the grands were convinced they were falling stars. Nights like this, during times like this, I wonder why humans were given dominion of the earth. Then I remember I'm just a tiny grain of sand. A grain of sand that helps forge canyons. I'm grateful I can find peace and calm under Mother Nature's mantle.

COVID-19, BLM Notes June 11, 2020 It's hard to put my thoughts in words. The news and social media are swirling in a constant maelstrom of things that seem like they should be false. Yet they're not. In the middle of the BLM and COVID-19 crisis, President Trump announced that he would be holding his first rally since Covid-19 in Tulsa Oklahoma. It will be on the anniversary of the massacre of the black community in Tulsa by the KKK. It also is a holiday marking the end of slavery in the US. This can go so wrong. 1968 Democratic Convention wrong. With semi-automatic weapons wrong. I'm sure supporters can make the argument that Trump is planning to make a speech that will help heal wounds. I hope that is the case. I sincerely doubt it. Even if it is, his administration has to understand the tinderbox they are laying fuel for. I simply don't understand. Additionally, COVID-19 cases are on the rise as states begin to reopen. So many people gathering for rallies and protests will up the ante even more. 😔😔 I'm angry about seeing my former law enforcement community painted with the same hostile brush that should be pointed at the bad cops and unions that protect them. It's damn tough to be a cop, even in a small community like mine. I still bear some scars. Cops are underpaid for the shit they have deal with. Mental health services may be offered if a department is large enough, but it would go on ones permanent record. Mental health is still stigmatized, so why would a cop want treatment for depression on their records? When Ron and I were dating, I had to undergo, on separate occasions, a herpes test and two AIDS tests. Imagine the fun that it is to tell my new boyfriend that kissing isn't allowed because I may have gotten herpes after giving mouth to mouth to someone I just cut down. (His response : If you have it, I already have it, so it doesn't matter. You marry a guy like that. I did). Then we had a another suicide. We didn't wear gloves back then. I'm sure we had them in the trunk but it would be wimpy to wear them. I got blood on my hands. Then the coroner found the suicide note. AIDS. I'm a nail biter. I had hang nails down to my knuckles. I went to Springfield for my tests because I didn't dare have it done in my community. AIDS was a very dirty word back then. I'm a chatterbox. The phlebotomist and I would be joking and laughing until they saw what the draw was for. A cold chill over took the room as they loudly triple gloved. Snap, snap, snap...... glaring at me. I was a junkie or a prostitute. Once I explained, they were so kind and emphatic. That's when I decided to try and treat everybody with kindness and respect. I don't know their back story and what led them to be in the position they are in. Be an asshole to me and I can be one right back but you get more peas with honey. Turns out, it wasn't AIDS. False positives were common back in the early days. Strangely enough, these aren't calls that bug me. That's what cop do. There's only one that eats at me and I'll unpack that some other time. I'm still processing the ghosts of that one. I bring them up because this is the kind of emotional crap cops deal with. Every single god damn day we clean up humanities mess. Yet there are people who want to vilify the entire law enforcement community, a community that includes people like me. I remember comforting a two year old toddler at another suicide. Mom thought the sitter would show up before the child woke up. She didn't. I'm holding this little girl who spent the morning putting popsicles on her dead diabetic mother's chest to get her to wake up. 36 years later I remember exactly where I standing, trying to comfort that poor child as I tried to process what was going on. So, as you shout to defund the police and tear down every single police agency that has ever represented you, think of me as a young adult from the age of 22 to 24, holding that child, wondering if I was going to die from AIDS, almost getting herpes from a corpse. I still had almost five years to go. I'm the people you are denigrating. I'm proud of the work I did. If you're looking for the bad, that's all you're going to see. Be cautious in the wording of any negative comments you might leave. I'm not much in the mood to keep my peas on my knife.

A news article discussing a journalist's experience switching from reporting on sports to volunteering for Food Banks Canada. the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays, left largely vacant by the shut down of professional sports, has been turned into a massive warehouse for the accumulation of goods for Canadian food banks which are seeing a shortfall in donations during the pandemic. There is also a shortfall in volunteers which is being filled by Blue Jays' staff and reporters among others.

How Covid-19 is being battled in Bhutan.

Reference for Future

A tweet joking about the common complaint that the direction of condensation from breath is causing people's glasses to fog up when they wear masks.

A tweet from Keith Egli, Ottawa city councillor for Ward 9 (Knoxdale-Merivale) and Chair of the Board for Ottawa Public Health shared this image of a Lego Yoda wearing a mask with the caption "To protect those around you wear a mask you must ."