A nation in sequestration will adapt. We’re buying less lipstick, fewer flowers and more puppies. We’re obsessing over instant coffee and tapping our inner bakers and seamstresses. And we’re giving the planet a break from our shenanigans—apart from some thrill-seeking emissions on empty city streets.
Eat, play, chill out
The percentage of Canadians aged 15 and over who spent more time on certain weekly activities as the pandemic unfolded across the country
Ransomware emails are up 4,000% as criminals take advantage of people being online more often
Netflix has reduced video quality to cut data traffic by 25% in a bid to manage a surge in demand
Online alcohol sales in the U.S. soared past in-store sales, going up by a whopping 243% in late March
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play
While a puma prowls through the streets of Santiago, Chile, and goats race through Llandudno, Wales, Canadian wildlife are also enjoying having the place to themselves. Foxes, coyotes, deer, and even bears and moose have been spotted on streets across Canada as humans hunker down at home.
A herd of goats take advantage of quiet streets in Llandudno, north Wales. (Pete Byrne/PA Images/Getty Images)
On the up
More people want pets. During a half-price promotion in late March, the B.C. SPCA found new homes for 300 animals. Demand remains high.
Good luck getting your paws on a jigsaw puzzle. Due to unprecedented demand, Ravensburger, a major games company, isn’t even taking orders on its website.
Long popular with health-care workers, Crocs, the comfortable slip-on, are now finding wider appeal—first-quarter sales in the Americas were up 14%
Thousands of kids’ dreams come true as trampolines crop up in backyards across the country. So many parents have caved that several prominent retailers are currently out of stock.
That frothy concoction that was taking over your social media feeds—with a 1,700% worldwide search increase in mid-April—is known as Dalgona Coffee (2 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp instant coffee, 2 Tbsp hot water, Whisk and pour over ice and milk)
As riders shun mass transit, online bike retailer Cycling Avenue reports that it expects sales to triple
Dumping food and slowing production
With social activities and consumer habits drastically changing due to the pandemic, many producers were forced to cut production or destroy surplus goods for which they could no longer find a market
— Source
On the bright side
With much of industry shutting down and most commuters off the roads, pollution levels around the world decreased. Mountain ridges, monuments and buildings normally shrouded in smog are now clearly visible. Fish can be seen in Venice’s canals, which are running clean now that cruise ships and motorboats have disappeared.
Venice during lockdown
This picture taken on April 17, 2020, shows a clear canal in Venice, as the nation sought to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic caused by the new coronavirus. (Andrea Pattoro/AFP/Getty Images)
New Delhi before
A view of the India Gate engulfed in heavy smog due to rise in pollution on November 13, 2019 in New Delhi, India. (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times/Getty Images)
New Delhi after
Barricades are kept by the Indian police in front of historic India Gate, on April 29, 2020 in New Delhi, India. (Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)
Infographics by Lauren Cattermole
Sources: Statistics Canada, 100 Mile Free Press, Business Insider, Canadian Running, CBC, CTV, Cycling Avenue, Financial Post, Global News, Globe and Mail, MarketWatch, National Post, New York Times, Ontario Farmer, Quartz, The Canadian Press, The Conversation
