When I took this photo of the message on the Paradise Theatre’s marquee a few days before Christmas, I wasn’t thinking that just a couple of weeks later we’d be locked down again… students back to remote learning (less than a week after the Ford government insisted in-person classes would start up after only a two-day delay), indoor dining banned, gyms closed, good vibes waning. 
The restrictions of course are meant to slow the rapid spread of the very contagious Omicron variant that is wreaking havoc on our healthcare system- Ontario has paused non-urgent surgeries starting tomorrow to deal with the surge of Covid-19 cases. Ontario is facing staffing shortages in hospitals and health-care workers are pushed beyond their limit… exhausted, broken and under extreme pressure. So despite the difficulties and terrible stresses another lockdown brings (made worse by a provincial government that communicates so poorly) it’s in the best interest of our public health and the protection of our health-care workers to stay home if we have the privilege to and reduce the strain on our hospitals. If you need some perspective, this article offers the point of view from nurses who are demoralized and defeated… not a great holiday, or new year, for those working so hard to take care of us. Let’s try to take care of them. Rosie 🙂