Imagining life post-Covid: Trickle me, Elmo

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April 15, 2020 —  Welcome to the hump-day edition of Chronicle's Daily CurveFlattener. It`s Dhiren Mahiban here in Toronto, following and interpreting Covid-19 developments for you this morning.


With Ontario Premier Doug Ford announcing yesterday that the province's current state of emergency (as well as the closure of non-essential businesses) will remain in place for at least another four weeks, you'd be right to wonder what the potential "re-opening" may look like. 

Ford previously hinted that a re-opening will have to be done in "trickles," but not until the pandemic numbers are more favorable. 

What will the trickle look like? Which businesses will be allowed to re-open? Which of our favourite local shops and restaurants will even survive Covid-19?

Twenty-twenty may resemble a year without a summer vacation, following a report from the EU that suggests people should hold off on booking any type of summer travel plans. 

Last week Dr. Zeke Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania told The New York Times that large gatherings are more than a year away from being acceptable. Said he: "Realistically we're talking fall 2021 at the earliest." 

COVID CHRONICLE 04/15/2020

• The Canada-U.S. border restrictions put in place during the Covid-19 outbreak won't change anytime soon, according to a Canadian Press story. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada remains in the control-and-contain phase of its efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19. The border has been closed to non-essential travel for nearly a month in both directions.
  
• Yesterday a temporary recovery site for members of Toronto's homeless community who contract Covid-19 opened. There have been 30 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in seven different shelter and respite facilities in the city. Located at an undisclosed location, the site is part of an effort to limit the spread of Covid-19 in the shelter system. 

• CCM has turned its efforts from manufacturing hockey equipment to producing personal protective equipment for front-line healthcare workers. The Montreal-based company is producing full-head protective hoods to help protect healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

Doctors in both Italy and Thailand have discovered skin manifestations in Covid-19 patients, a finding that suggests coronavirus cases may initially present with a skin rash. Over at Derm.City I wrote about the possibility that a Covid-19 patient might initially present with a skin rash that can be misdiagnosed as another common disease. 

RIGHT NOW WE’RE LISTENING TO…

The Stuff You Should Know podcast, covering everything from student loans and how Jim Henson worked, to bidets, and dog training. The March 26 episode on how Covid-19 works might be something you'll want to check out, given the times we're currently living in.

LATER WE’RE READING...

Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency. The Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is behind many of the movies we watch, TV shows we love and sporting events we attend. James Andrew Miller's book is an oral history of CAA from its inception in 1975 to its rise as one of the most powerful agencies in the entertainment business. 

TONIGHT WE’RE COOKING...

Zucchini lasagna roll-ups. These three cheese lasagna roll-ups are easy to make (15 minutes of prep time) and will leave you with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. 

SO, HOW ARE YOU DOING?

Please make use of the comments section at the Daily CurveFlattener, to let us know what you're up to today. Or feel free to check in via LinkedIn, email, or your choice of connector. By all means, pass this newsletter along to your colleagues, and, when you're done, wash your hands.

That's it. Stay in touch, stay safe. My colleague Jeremy Visser will be here tomorrow.