Rekindling friendships at a two-metre distance
Caution is required, but this weekend Quebecers have something to celebrate
The words had barely left deputy premier Geneviève Guilbault’s mouth Wednesday afternoon when I picked up my smartphone and did something I haven’t done in months.
I texted our friends and asked if they want to get together this weekend.
We will meet outside, of course — in a park or maybe their backyard, since we only have a balcony. We will stand at least two metres apart. No hugs will be exchanged, even though it’s been ages since we last saw each other. It won’t be like the weekly dinner parties we enjoyed prior to the pandemic. But a face-to-face gathering promises to be a major improvement on the rowdy video chats we’ve attempted in confinement, featuring bad lighting, old sweatpants and screaming kids.
As of Friday, Quebecers, including Montrealers, will be able to resume their social lives — in part. Restrictions apply. Guilbault, flanked by Quebec public health director Horacio Arruda, announced this welcome news, which will open the door to backyard barbecues, play dates, picnics or just hanging out this coming weekend.
We’ll all have to adopt a new etiquette, which includes sticking to the great outdoors, staying at a socially safe distance and ensuring no more than 10 people from a maximum of three households are present at any gathering. This will minimize the risks of propagating COVID -19 beyond a restrained circle, while also permitting the pleasure of in-person conversation.
Still, Guilbault called on Quebecers to exercise common sense. Arruda warned that adherence to the new rules will determine whether the privilege of being in the company of others is back for good, or a temporary respite from our prolonged solitude. So forget about throwing a big party, sitting around the dining room table or holing up in the rec room, no matter how tempting. (Don’t worry, the weather promises to be glorious.)
Regardless of this potentially awkward waltz of socializing while social distancing (an oxymoron), the loosening of the protective measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will lift downtrodden spirits. The move is recognition that the loneliness epidemic is taking a toll on Quebecers. It’s also a tacit acknowledgment that many people, especially teens and families, have started seeing each other again from front porches, over backyard fences or at the park anyhow. We’re all starved for human contact.
For some, it will open the door to joyous reunions with family members. Grandparents and grandchildren, parents and children, aunts, uncles and cousins, brothers and sisters will finally be able to meet up again.
For adults, especially singletons, widowers and others who live alone, it will allow for the reigniting of bonds that were put on hold. The phone calls, emails, text messages and video chats with friends have been cold comfort compared to true companionship these long, lonesome months.
For teens, it will mean connecting in real life with the peers they have only been able to meet online at an age where they are desperately seeking more independence from their families (and already spending so much time on screens).
For small kids, it will offer an opportunity to play with other children again. They’ve no doubt grown close to their siblings (and fought with them ruthlessly), but interacting with someone their own age will be a treat.
The government stopped short of requiring Quebecers to commit to socializing with just one other household, a measure New Brunswick pioneered. But getting together with one group of 10 people from three households one day and another the next would violate the spirit of this precious new freedom. So caution is required.
For some, this might entail tough choices when it comes to which friendships to rekindle first, since we can’t see everyone all at once.
Still, with sunshine in the forecast and the chance to catch up with good friends on the horizon, this weekend we will have something to celebrate — for the first time in a long while.