Signs of a Pandemic

Things are closed right now.

But different businesses express their closure in different ways.

And with different spellings.

Maybe the owners still recall the AIDS pandemic several decades ago.

But that's ok - we still get what they're trying to say.

Some places are still open. Chocolate is an essential service. Of course.

Books aren't essential, but they can deliver books to you via the little blue door.

Laundromats are essential. This one is selling cloth masks.

Pet shops are also essential. They're grocery stores for animals.

Takeout food is absolutely essential.

As is coffee.

Bad coffee is not essential.

Good bread in the US costs USD$7 (AUD$11 for a small loaf). Good bread is essential.

Bubble tea is 100% essential.

Construction is not essential.

This is not a food service. It sells clothes.

Amanecer Tacos should have gotten the same pink "Keep Calm and Carry Out" poster to match their decor too.

Some businesses are using their storefronts to share positive messages.

Chalkboards too.

Secret Treasures is my absolute favourite shop. I spend so much time and money there. These days I spend my time stalking their online store.

Someone stuck this note on the post office door. I'm not sure why everything is in quotation marks.

There's a poster with a similar message on the local supermarket, but... written by the supermarket itself. That's marketing for you.

Trader Joe's across the road had to close. Not just because of Easter, but also because a staff member contracted Covid-19.

They're back open again now. They have much more stringent social distancing processes than other supermarkets - maybe to protect staff, maybe because they have a smaller physical footprint, maybe because they're more popular than Jewel Osco, or maybe it's a nationwide company policy. The number of people allowed in store at one time is limited, the queue to get in is spaced very liberally, and there is a staff member wiping down the shopping carts.

This wall is an instagram magnet.

Just two steps to the right is a Lori Lightfoot meme. I love it.

"He didn't rise for you to go to Church."

Evanston has a church around every corner, plus a street named Church, but they're all closed. Even Panera Bread and Citibank on Church Street are closed.

Where am I going to get my laundry quarters from?

It'll be okay if all my clothes are stinky. No one can smell me from 6 feet away.

The playground is closed.

Residents are finding other ways to entertain themselves outside.

Long distance neighbourly chats.

Smoking cigars while cycling.

These kids drew the most convoluted hopscotch route.

This hopscotch path is very simple in comparison.

Everyone else is out clogging the lakeshore pathways.

Your resident perambulator is absolutely part of the problem.