What’s Going Down in #The6ix – Mar 16 to June 30 – due to the Coronavirus

Absolutely nothing.

At least we hope so… All levels of government, and Toronto’s Medical Officer, are urging residents to STAY HOME. Unless you are required to report to work, and are not showing any signs of illness (whether COVID-19 symptoms or not), you are are asked to practice social distancing and stay home. Today authorities even declared new recommendations for the city after evidence of “community transmission” of COVID-19.

So do your part, stay home, and help contain the virus by simply staying put.

What does that mean?

• No social gatherings… although they have only put a restriction on groups of 50 or more
• Stay home
• Don’t go out to eat (unless you’re picking up — bars and restaurants will now be closed for dine-in, allowing take-out or delivery only)
• Don’t go “panic buying” at the grocery store. Authorities have assured us that the supply chains are well stocked to support the demand at your local grocers.

What are you supposed to do in the mean time?

Here are a few simple ways to keep busy while social distancing due to the Coronavirus outbreak:

• Spend time cleaning up your space, washing your clothes and disinfecting surfaces like table tops, counter tops, coffee tables, bathroom counters, toilets, all handles and door knobs, etc. PSA: don’t forget to wipe down your digital devices, remotes etc too.
• Take the time to organize your closets/space — just in time for spring cleaning. Maybe even go through some Mary Kondo tips and see if it all still “sparks joy”. If not, donate it. There’s someone else out there that could have better use for it.
• In-home Fitness Routines, Yoga, stretches, or meditation. This should help you remain calm, and destress. As such, Planet Fitness is filling this void to keep the public healthy all while in the comfort of their own home through a free online fitness class series (Home Work-Ins). This is for both members AND non-members: Fitness classes will broadcast on Facebook live at 4PM PT/ 6PM CT / 7PM ET every day. The home workouts will offer tools to combat stress, while providing motivation and inspiration sure to keep us all physically and mentally fit. Workouts will NOT require any equipment and will be UNDER 20 minutes.
• Reach out to your family and friends, particularly anyone in the high-risk categories like the elderly, pregnant women, or physically impaired–they might be having challenges with stocking up on necessities due to the craze that is grocery shopping right now.
• Take naps. Catch up on your sleep, and if you are at all under the weather, it will help you recover faster.
• Board games with any room mates (at a social distance). Social distancing doesn’t mean you have to each lock yourselves up in separate rooms — about 1 meter away would suffice. Many times these help you sharpen up your mind too. Just remember to clean off any pieces in-between use.
• Video games, whether it’s Nintendo Switch, Playstation, or whatever new trendy interactive game the “kids” are into nowadays, and by kids, I mean grown @$$ adults…
• FaceTime or video chat with any family or friends. Maybe even unwind with a virtual drinks night.
• Netflix n’ Chill, and get your mind out of the gutter… now is not the time for “that” version of it. Sit back and catch up on a new series. Besides, when else would anyone encourage you to shamelessly binge watch.
• Order-in. What better way to wrap up all of the above than over a delicious delivery meal. It’s a win-win. You get the goods, and local businesses get your support. So avoid the grocery store madness and order in some dinner, or lunch, or both. Who’s judging? We’re not. Uber Eats is even waiving the restaurant’s fees so these local restaurants and shops, now when they really need it, will be getting all the proceeds of your orders. But also rest assured that all of the major options like Foodora, Skip the Dishes, DoorDash, UberEats, etc. are all offering contactless delivery options now too and restricting any cash payments. So just wipe off and quickly toss away the bag after receiving it, and you’re ready to eat. Craving authentic Italian Neapolitan pizza style pizza? Pizza Napoletana has you covered too!
• Learn a new language. Babbel, the top language learning app has a variety of languages to choose from. Due to the closure of schools and universities across the  country, students have the chance to access the app for free for a month. They can apply through here using their valid school email addresses. If you’re not a student, you can avail of the app’s free seven-day trial for all new subscriptions.

PSA: Some great news is that for those of you worrying about the data overload while you work from home, stream Netflix in the background, while watching youtube videos on your phone… all the major carriers, including Rogers, Bell, and Telus have announced that they will be waiving Home Internet data overage charges during this time.

Thanks for listening. We really hope this list helps to keep you busy and de-stressed during these challenging coronavirus pandemic times. At a minimum, if you’re reading this, we at least helped you kill a few minutes of your time. Stay safe, and we wish you all the best, and good health.

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