Montreal, where I live, is going into lockdown again.
The pattern of rising coronavirus cases is by now familiar to people around the world. Countries that had beaten the virus earlier this spring and "flattened the curve" are now struggling with a second wave. France and Spain, which were hit hard in March, are seeing a resurgence of cases rivalling those in the early days. Germany and the Netherlands are in the grip of a second wave. In countries like the US and India, there wasn't even that brief respite.
This week the Quebec government announced a second lockdown in Montreal and Quebec City, as well as some surrounding regions that are hard hit. Only a few countries have reimposed tough lockdown measures a second time, because lockdowns are extremely unpopular, despite the disaster that unfolds without them in place. Israel imposed one earlier this month.
Canada is no exception. Cases in the worst-hit provinces, Quebec and Ontario, are rising as the global death toll passes 1 million. It is a sombre moment, highlighting the relentlessness of this virus.
Quebec recently reported 896 new cases of Covid-19, a figure that competes with spring infections. Most of the new cases are driven by young people contracting and spreading the virus. So while hospitals are not yet overwhelmed by patients, it is only a matter of time before the more vulnerable are affected.
Doctors are worried that younger people will infect older relatives, and that they will take longer to recover when they go to hospital, tying up resources. There have already been a few cases of infections in nursing homes, which were hit particularly hard in March and April.
In total, Quebec, the province that includes Montreal, had over 73,000 infections earlier this week and more than 5,800 deaths. At the prospect of a second lockdown I am experiencing a condensed version of the various stages of grief, cycling between frustration, anger and resignation at various points of the day. But mostly just resignation brought on by exhaustion.
To be sure, the lockdown is less harsh than the measures earlier in spring. Restaurants and bars will be closed, though the former can still offer takeout meals. Museums and libraries will be closed too. But businesses like gyms and hair salons will remain open. In-house gatherings are banned. Schools and day-cares will remain open, even at the highest alert level. There appears to be a government consensus that the social and economic cost of a full lockdown, even one that may arrest this wave in a shorter time, is too great to bear.
Still, it is frustrating. We are barrelling towards winter, which in Canada can be brutal, and without a vaccine candidate that is widely available in the autumn, an impossible feat, I am having a hard time imagining what life is supposed to look like in the coming months.
At least in the summer and fall, there was the panacea of walks in the park, an evening reading on the balcony, socially-distanced meetings with friends, strolls down the city’s boulevards or up the Mont Royal. It is harder to keep that up in sub-zero temperatures, especially with a baby.
I know I am lucky to be here in a country with a functioning healthcare system...
I am also frustrated because crowded bars were allowed to continue operating for much of the summer, despite quickly emerging as hotspots for the virus to spread. Closing these establishments may have allowed for a milder second wave, particularly one that is being driven by younger residents of the city.
I am worried about the next few months. Current infection rates are lagging indicators – they show a snapshot today, but the deaths and further infections that have already happened will show up only in a couple of weeks. As the premier of neighbouring Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, said, the second wave may end up becoming a tsunami.
I know I am lucky to be here in a country with a functioning healthcare system, a pandemic that did not spiral out of control as it did south of the border and where the government's focus has been on tiding people over financially as they struggle with job loss. The cost of health care is not even an issue. And we are spared political and security instability.
But I cannot help but feel sad at the prospect of yet another season without friends, without the laughter and conversation over a warm meal with family, meetings of minds with strangers or a hot cup of coffee while browsing in my favourite bookstore, smiles unhindered by masks, hugs unhindered by fear.
As our reserves are depleted, we will just have to carry on for a while longer, and perhaps we will eventually see ourselves through this whole mess. As Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister, said in a recent speech: “It’s all too likely we won’t be gathering for Thanksgiving, but we still have a shot at Christmas.”
Here’s hoping.
Kareem Shaheen is a veteran Middle East correspondent in Canada
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Forced%20Deportations
%3Cp%3EWhile%20the%20Lebanese%20government%20has%20deported%20a%20number%20of%20refugees%20back%20to%20Syria%20since%202011%2C%20the%20latest%20round%20is%20the%20first%20en-mass%20campaign%20of%20its%20kind%2C%20say%20the%20Access%20Center%20for%20Human%20Rights%2C%20a%20non-governmental%20organization%20which%20monitors%20the%20conditions%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20in%20Lebanon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20past%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20General%20Security%20was%20responsible%20for%20the%20forced%20deportation%20operations%20of%20refugees%2C%20after%20forcing%20them%20to%20sign%20papers%20stating%20that%20they%20wished%20to%20return%20to%20Syria%20of%20their%20own%20free%20will.%20Now%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20army%2C%20specifically%20military%20intelligence%2C%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20security%20operation%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Mohammad%20Hasan%2C%20head%20of%20ACHR.%3Cbr%3EIn%20just%20the%20first%20four%20months%20of%202023%20the%20number%20of%20forced%20deportations%20is%20nearly%20double%20that%20of%20the%20entirety%20of%202022.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESince%20the%20beginning%20of%202023%2C%20ACHR%20has%20reported%20407%20forced%20deportations%20%E2%80%93%20200%20of%20which%20occurred%20in%20April%20alone.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%20comparison%2C%20just%20154%20people%20were%20forcfully%20deported%20in%202022.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Violence%20
%3Cp%3EInstances%20of%20violence%20against%20Syrian%20refugees%20are%20not%20uncommon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJust%20last%20month%2C%20security%20camera%20footage%20of%20men%20violently%20attacking%20and%20stabbing%20an%20employee%20at%20a%20mini-market%20went%20viral.%20The%20store%E2%80%99s%20employees%20had%20engaged%20in%20a%20verbal%20altercation%20with%20the%20men%20who%20had%20come%20to%20enforce%20an%20order%20to%20shutter%20shops%2C%20following%20the%20announcement%20of%20a%20municipal%20curfew%20for%20Syrian%20refugees.%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThey%20thought%20they%20were%20Syrian%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20the%20mayor%20of%20the%20Nahr%20el%20Bared%20municipality%2C%20Charbel%20Bou%20Raad%2C%20of%20the%20attackers.%3Cbr%3EIt%20later%20emerged%20the%20beaten%20employees%20were%20Lebanese.%20But%20the%20video%20was%20an%20exemplary%20instance%20of%20violence%20at%20a%20time%20when%20anti-Syrian%20rhetoric%20is%20particularly%20heated%20as%20Lebanese%20politicians%20call%20for%20the%20return%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20to%20Syria.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).