Those very determined truckers in Ottawa are ipso facto lobbying the Biden
Administration; not a promising affair. Is this really necessary? Where is the
bureacratic analysis of the situation for cross-border trade!? Granted
fighting the epidemic is top priority, but deconfinement may need some
thoughtfulness...
* * *
There is a tragic element in all this: the one thing that pandemic measures have
been aimed at is avoiding close contacts between the unvaccinated. and this is exactly
what this demonstration seems to be delivering. Will it be a cauldron of infection
for Omicron; I hope not. I have bee looking forward to going for a double double
this week - as Quebec restaurants re-open - albeit at a 50% capacity Tim's... Maybe not!!
Of course, natural immunity is also part of the equation. Hard to know who has natural
immunity from a past infection and whether this is adequate faced with omicron... 👳♀️
* * *
DAY 3
For any of the truckers who might be dismayed at the difficulties
of finding food and drink in downtown Ottawa; you have my full
sympathy. Ottawa is not a normal city with shopping and eats at its core; it
is a government town with civil servants crowding in during the week
but a largely empty hull week-ends.
Bottom line, there is coffee and muffins everywhere till noon, but then not.
(Booze picks up later in the day). One can buy lunch in a line-up; there are actual
restaurants in government buildings that serve lunch to departmental employees.
To find a family restaurant one needs to go toward the suburbs, down Bank street
going South or out to the West. The train station off the Queensway is large, warm
and has stuff. There are French speaking folks in the East of the City.
On a normal day, downtown Ottawa is a traffic nightmare early in the morning, and
then around four in the afternoon. The Prime Minister goes to work in a limo with
police escort at nine in the morning because he wouldn't make it any other way...
* * *
Day 4
Real-time map of Ottawa:
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