COVID-19 has transformed our world. The Walrus explores these changes and asks what comes next

Record of a Pandemic

COVID-19 has transformed our world. The Walrus explores these changes and asks what comes next

With the global spread of the new coronavirus, we are facing challenges on a scale unprecedented in most of our lifetimes. In addition to the losses of life, health care shortages, and economic disaster, the pandemic has also had dramatic repercussions for the structure of our daily lives.

In our ongoing coverage of the outbreak, The Walrus examines what it means to live at a time when we’ve suddenly had to change many of our everyday behaviours. From the challenges of co-parenting and home-schooling to the power of community aid and digital collectives, we will continue to track these rapid transformations and unpack what they mean for Canadians. We’ll also turn an eye to the future, toward disruptions we may continue to experience in our finances, governance, technologies, food systems, and relationships.



Health Care Workers Still Fear Bringing the Pandemic Home

BY MITCHELL CONSKY

We may have flattened the curve, but nurses, doctors, and staff can’t relax—the worst may be yet to come


Is Dining Out Dead?

BY COREY MINTZ

Some experts predict that 60 percent of restaurants won’t survive the lockdown. Here’s what chefs, owners, and their employees are doing to stay alive




The Spanish Flu Rewrote History. Will This Pandemic Do the Same?

BY SIMON LEWSEN

Disease magnifies inequality, brings social turmoil, and offers a shot at meaningful change


How COVID-19 Infected the Publishing Industry

BY STEPHEN HENIGHAN

The pandemic has pushed booksellers and publishers to the brink




My Son Peed Onscreen in a Zoom Call, and Other Tales of a Working Parent

BY MIHIRA LAKSHMAN

In a pandemic, our economy is sending a clear message: you can either work or parent


A Warning from the Chickens of the World

BY DAVID WALTNER-TOEWS

How our reliance on mass-produced food increases the risk of pandemics




A pair of hands points at a black and white photo containing a woman and seven young children.

The North Knows What It’s Like to Fight a Pandemic

BY ELAINE ANSELMI

The region isn’t equipped to fight infectious diseases. That doesn’t mean it’s not prepared


A Muslim woman in a headscarf and hijab kneels in a mosque. Her hands are held up in front of her body prayer.

Locked Out of Your Place of Worship

BY STEVEN ZHOU

Some members of spiritual communities felt isolated from their faiths long before quarantine




Photo illustration of a waterfront boardwalk with a thin crowd of people. Some people are encased in translucent bubbles to maintain social distancing.

How to Lift a Lockdown

BY DANIELLE GROEN

From immunity passports to mass testing: the science, logistics, and ethics of recovering from COVID-19


Illustration of a woman on a couch playing guitar. In front of her is an open laptop on a coffee table; behind her is an easel with a painting of a sun. Scattered books and vases are around and beneath the table.

If a Book Is Published in a Pandemic, Will Anyone Read It?

BY KATRINA ONSTAD

We already undervalue our artists. COVID-19 has only made it worse




Aerial view of a dense crowd of people crossing the street at a major crosswalk.

How Universal Basic Income Will Save the Economy

BY MAX FAWCETT

Until recently, the idea lived on the political margins. Then the pandemic changed everything


Illustration of two people wearing leopard-print jackets and running down the aisles of a supermarket. The woman is pushing a cart.

Your Brain on COVID-19

BY CAROLYN ABRAHAM

Fear, denial, panic buying: why our minds are not designed to process threats like the coronavirus pandemic




Illustration of two bottles of bleach with large red X's behind them and yellow letters saying, in all capitals, "DO NOT DRINK." The background is turquoise blue.

Don’t Drink The Bleach

BY JUSTIN LING

Medical scams are bad enough in ordinary situations. During a pandemic, they can be deadly


Illustration of an interconnected network of people, separated by a blazing yellow network that resembles a cable and separates the people into different boxes. The colour scheme is green, orange, and purple––a conceptual illustration of the internet network.

This Is the Internet We Were Promised

BY ANGELA MISRI

The World Wide Web hasn’t felt this supportive since it was invented. Why did it take a pandemic?




Black-and-white illustration of a grid of apartment units containing tenants trying to connect with people in other units––some are linked by phone cables, some are waving to one another, others are bringing one another food.

Do Good Landlords Even Exist?

BY ZACHARIAH WELLS

In the current rental crisis, landlords have a chance to step up. But too many of them are failing their tenants


A black and white photo of a row of four empty phones mounted on a chain-link fence.

Social Distancing Is Impossible in Prisons. Why Are They Still Full?

BY SIMON LEWSEN

Bail courts have gone virtual and trials are suspended. But prisons, which pose a severe public health risk, are still open




A family silhouetted in orange against a dark purple background. A woman stands at the far left of the frame, and a man at the far right. In between them are three young children standing in close proximity.

Divorce Can Make Flattening the Curve Even Harder

BY ELISABETH DE MARIAFFI

The challenge of social distancing when staying home involves two different places


Illustration of two hands reaching for one another across the frame and unable to touch. Behind the hands are blocks containing text that says "Quarantine: Contagious Disease" in all capital letters.

The Plague Story We’re Living Through

BY MICHAEL LISTA

Romeo and Juliet reminds us that all the best human things are unhygienic—sex, kissing, a touch from the person you love




A blue plastic sports arena chair, empty but for a few pieces of popcorn. Several pieces of popcorn are on the ground. The background is light blue.

Sports under Quarantine

BY BENJAMIN HERTWIG

With the closure of arenas, a sports fan laments the loss of community


woman on laptop looking over apartment square

Family on the Front Lines of a Pandemic

BY JUDY ZIYI GU

Until my uncle was sent to care for patients in Wuhan, the outbreak didn’t feel real to me. If only we had all paid attention sooner




An illustration of a person peeking through their fingers. Their eyeball is the shape of the COVID-19 germ (a small round microbe with protrusions that look like the spokes of a crown).

Anatomy of a Pandemic

BY KEVIN PATTERSON

Like major contagions throughout history, the new coronavirus causes fear as well as illness. The remedy for both, it turns out, is the same


Q&A with Kevin Patterson

BY HAMUTAL DOTAN

Answers to your questions for ICU doctor Kevin Patterson, posed by our own senior editor Hamutal Dotan



We are committed to curbing the spread of misinformation. Learn more about The Walrus Lab’s fact-checking initiative focusing on media coverage of COVID-19.

 


The Walrus Staff