Pandemic Update around Cloverdale, BC – September, 2020Wow September!

Back in March who’d have thought we’d still be dealing with a worldwide pandemic?

The reports back in March were the coronavirus was flu-like symptoms and once the warm weather hits in the summer, the virus should ease up. Just like with the flu that happens in the winter months.

I didn’t buy it back then. If all we needed was warm weather, that didn’t explain why places like Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, and other destinations with year round warm weather were having escalating Covid-19 cases.

British Columbia does not have a mandatory law about wearing face masks, but I notice many people wear coverings when they’re inside stores. Walmart and the Great Canadian Superstore now require customers to wear face coverings. Face masks are also required when traveling on buses.or the sky train.

Shortages at the store

There were definitely shortages at major grocery stores in March and through April as people were panic shopping and stockpiling. There were some things I couldn’t find. Namely barley, condensed milk, and Jamieson Exotic Tropical Fruit Vitamin C.

For the most part I was able to find what I was looking for at the stores, though sometimes the lower priced product I usually buy was sold out.

The produce store I shop at, Fruiticana, I was able to buy things as usual. I bought a 10 pound bag of potatoes on sale for $3 even though I don’t normally eat potatoes anymore. Usually I buy most of my dry beans at this store and my spinach, mini carrots, and bananas were always in stock.

I noticed they were out of ginger one day, but I don’t normally buy that. My only need for ginger is when I make my Spicy Apple Green Tea Smoothie.

However, I have been noticing shortages at the grocery stores again these past few weeks. I urge everyone to put an extra item or two into the grocery cart to stock up. There’s no need to be greedy and clear the shelves. Just make sure you have enough food in your house to cover a few weeks in case you can’t get to the grocery store or shortages happen again.

If you need inspiration, see Things to Stock Up on NOW in Case there’s a Round 2 of Shortages

Around Cloverdale

Aside from the last half of March, most of the stores in Cloverdale, except hair and beauty salons, stayed open. However, for many of them business was slow. People just aren’t out shopping and browsing like they used to. Covid-19 has hit many businesses really hard.

Life around Cloverdale, British Columbia and Beyond during Coronavirus PandemicA couple of places have closed down, including the Rustic Rooster coffee shop. It’s hard to pay rent, cover payroll, and other bills when only a small trickle of customers are coming in. There’s another coffee shop/gift store planning to open there. In fact, their new business was announced on the store within a week of the Rustic Rooster closing, early June.

The Cloverdale Library appears to have reopened with very reduced hours. I found this out the other day when a driver pulled over to ask directions – she was about a block away from the library. When I mentioned I thought the library hadn’t reopened, she said it just did. Sure enough, the Cloverdale Library is open 10am to 4pm, but closed Sunday and Monday. On Wednesday, the hours are 1pm to 7pm.

The Surrey Museum, located in Cloverdale is set to reopen on September 9, with a limit of 40 people inside at a time. The museum is free, and you get what you pay for. It’s gone downhill since it moved to its new location behind the library. When the museum was at its old location on the fairgrounds, it was a much better representation of the area’s history. What happened to all those wonderful old exhibits???

Some of the restaurants on 176th Street have gotten the OK from the City of Surrey to block off part of the street parking and put in outdoor tables. Great idea! As long as it’s not raining! Right now, al fresco dining is available at the Hawthorne, the Henry, and the Vault.

Pandemic Update around Cloverdale, BC – September, 2020Elements Casino and Fraser Downs horse racing

Casinos are in the phase 4 plan of reopening. That means when a coronavirus vaccine is available.

Quite a few horse racetracks have been operating over the summer, not all with live fans in attendance. Fans can watch on their computer and place off track bets.

So far there has been no announcement on the Elements Casino webpage or Harness Racing BC webpage or even Standardbred Canada when/if horseracing will resume at Fraser Downs, in the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

Nothing on any of their social media accounts either.

However… on the Harness BC website, they posted that qualifers are set for September 14 and 21. For those of you not involved in Standardbred racing, all horses must “qualify” before they can run in an actual race. The horse must be able to run aka “pace” a mile under a set time. If they can’t run a mile under that minimum time – they don’t qualify to race.

Once a horse has raced in a qualifier, that time is good for one month. The horse must be in a real race within one month, or they have to qualify again.

Usually horseracing starts up in Cloverdale in October. Maybe the horse people know something the rest of us don’t know.

Don’t plan on parking at Elements Casino to watch the qualifer races! Click the photo below to find out why!

The Sad, Empty Cloverdale Fairgrounds Parking LotFilming

The TV and movie industry in BC has been pretty much shut down for a few months, but has recently been given the go-ahead with proper Covid-19 precautions.

There was a conflict with the American Screen Actors Guild, and BC film unions over frequency of Covid-19 testing. The SAG wanted daily testing for everyone if an American member of SAG was on set. BC unions said weekly testing is adequate. That seems to have been resolved or at least to the point where some filming has resumed.

I haven’t seen the crew for the TV series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, where they usually film around the old Dann’s bike shop, now known as Cederus Books.

Life around Cloverdale, British Columbia and Beyond during Coronavirus PandemicIn late August, the TV show Supernatural took over a public parking lot in Cloverdale on the corner of 176A Street and 58A Avenue. They spent about a week building this gas station set. They filmed for a day, and then spent a couple of days taking down the set.

Pandemic Update around Cloverdale, BC – September, 2020Pandemic Update around Cloverdale, BC – September, 2020Pandemic Update around Cloverdale, BC – September, 2020Covid-19 numbers in British Columbia

The number of people in British Columbia who were infected with coronavirus remained low compared to other parts of Canada and America. New cases were usually less than 20 per day.

Unfortunately, with people, especially younger people, partying over the summer, the Covid-19 cases in British Columbia is on the increase, hovering between 80 and 100 daily.

Bending the curve in the wrong direction!

I expect we’re about to see more restrictions come into place.

The big issue right now is whether or not children should be returning to school. In BC, schools go back into session the day after Labor Day, the first Monday in September. Schools are scheduled to reopen in about one week and there’s a huge outcry about health and safety standards. The health department thinks schools have taken appropriate measures. Teachers are whining about it not being good enough. So are some parents.

School is not returning on a full time basis and attendance is not mandatory. Parents have the option of keeping their kids at home.

Home schooling is not a new thing. It’s been part of the BC curriculum for decades. Right now it should be a parental decision whether or not their kids attend live classes or home schooling.

Pandemic Update around Cloverdale, BC – September, 2020Stricter government regulations came into effect over social distancing and hosting indoor parties with too many people in attendance. Violators are being fined $2000, and that’s both private residences and businesses.

As of September 2, 2020, British Columbia has 1,127 active cases. A record! And not a good one.

Around 2,800 people are currently in self-isolation due to possible exposure to someone who has been confirmed with the coronavirus.

There are 33 patients in the hospital, and 14 in critical care. There have been 209 Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began.

Seeing as how British Columbians have been ordered to shrink our social circles, it probably is a wise idea for schools to return only on a partial basis with fewer students in class.

How’s life in your part of the world?

More reading:

Life around Cloverdale, British Columbia during Coronavirus PandemicLife around Cloverdale, British Columbia and Beyond during Coronavirus Pandemic

2 Comments

  1. I certainly never thought we would still be talking about the pandemic six months later. It seems like such a different world. A sad one. Looking at these images and rcognizing that look because it is the same around here is just disheartening. It seems like something we can’t shake.

    The youth here are racking up the infection rates as well, and now the government has gone stricter but l don’t know what effect making the hours shorter will have. The just believe themselves to be invincible and you can’t convince them that they are risking other peoples lives. Sigh…

    1. I think a lot of people are getting cabin fever and suffering from depression and feeling the effects of isolation. Sure, there are a lot of things I’d like to do and things to see, but I’d rather not take any chances with my health. I’m thinking of going zip lining in 2 weeks at Grouse Mountain, which is about an hour’s drive from here. Just to have something fun and different to do!

      It’s disheartening that a lot of people are violating instructions surrounding Covid-19 and putting other people’s health and lives at risk. Everywhere in the world.

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