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| Toronto Was Obeying Social Distance Rules. Then Came Adorable Baby Foxes. | Toronto Was Obeying Social Distance Rules. Then Came Adorable Baby Foxes. |
| (3 days later) | |
| TORONTO — A crowd of people bunched shoulder to shoulder one recent spring day on a boardwalk overlooking Lake Ontario. They leaned over a waist-high fence, taking pictures with their phones. | TORONTO — A crowd of people bunched shoulder to shoulder one recent spring day on a boardwalk overlooking Lake Ontario. They leaned over a waist-high fence, taking pictures with their phones. |
| Only one wore a mask. | Only one wore a mask. |
| Seriously, Toronto? | Seriously, Toronto? |
| Canada’s largest city has been under coronavirus lockdown since mid-March. Mayor John Tory was the first to go into self-isolation, and the rest of Toronto — a city known for adhering to the rules — soon followed. | Canada’s largest city has been under coronavirus lockdown since mid-March. Mayor John Tory was the first to go into self-isolation, and the rest of Toronto — a city known for adhering to the rules — soon followed. |
| So that scene at the boardwalk? | So that scene at the boardwalk? |
| There was a baby fox, a whole family of foxes, in fact, newly taking up residence beneath the boardwalk. | There was a baby fox, a whole family of foxes, in fact, newly taking up residence beneath the boardwalk. |
| For a few weeks starting in April, it seemed as if all anyone was talking about, other than the virus, were the foxes — mom, dad and four kits. Or was it five? No one was really sure. | For a few weeks starting in April, it seemed as if all anyone was talking about, other than the virus, were the foxes — mom, dad and four kits. Or was it five? No one was really sure. |
| There were reports of people picking up the kits and hand-feeding them. Paparazzi assembled at dusk and dawn, hunting for shots of the kits in the honey light beloved by both photographers and, it turns out, foxes. They made the national news. | There were reports of people picking up the kits and hand-feeding them. Paparazzi assembled at dusk and dawn, hunting for shots of the kits in the honey light beloved by both photographers and, it turns out, foxes. They made the national news. |
| At first, they were a welcome distraction. But they quickly became a full-on attraction. | At first, they were a welcome distraction. But they quickly became a full-on attraction. |
| “I watched a lady trying to take a selfie with the fox in the background,” said Erwin Buck, a retired advertising executive-turned-local-photographer who lives nearby. “People have been locked up for the last six to seven weeks and this is the first excitement they’ve seen. They go overboard.” | “I watched a lady trying to take a selfie with the fox in the background,” said Erwin Buck, a retired advertising executive-turned-local-photographer who lives nearby. “People have been locked up for the last six to seven weeks and this is the first excitement they’ve seen. They go overboard.” |
| The poets and philosophizers of Toronto think there is more behind the city’s captivation with the fox family. | The poets and philosophizers of Toronto think there is more behind the city’s captivation with the fox family. |
| They are wild and free, when the rest of us feel trapped. They are new, beautiful life, while we are transfixed with death. And they offer hope that maybe we can make it through these hard times. | They are wild and free, when the rest of us feel trapped. They are new, beautiful life, while we are transfixed with death. And they offer hope that maybe we can make it through these hard times. |
| Foxes, after all, are highly adaptable, able to flourish in almost any environment. In literature, they are the classic tricksters, emerging unscathed from every deadly snare. | Foxes, after all, are highly adaptable, able to flourish in almost any environment. In literature, they are the classic tricksters, emerging unscathed from every deadly snare. |
| “They are full of courage, full of wit, full of resource and unremitting effort to survive,” said Al Moritz, Toronto’s poet laureate. | “They are full of courage, full of wit, full of resource and unremitting effort to survive,” said Al Moritz, Toronto’s poet laureate. |
| Still, for all their survival skills, these foxes had made their den under the busy boardwalk in the city’s Beach neighborhood, just five miles from downtown. I live five blocks away. While I went there regularly before lockdown, now it is my one precious, daily escape. | Still, for all their survival skills, these foxes had made their den under the busy boardwalk in the city’s Beach neighborhood, just five miles from downtown. I live five blocks away. While I went there regularly before lockdown, now it is my one precious, daily escape. |
| So I worried. | So I worried. |
| Would the city close down the area, as it had High Park across town during cherry blossom season, for fear too many adorers would infect one another? Would it move the fox family’s den to a less open place, where people wouldn’t congregate dangerously around them? | Would the city close down the area, as it had High Park across town during cherry blossom season, for fear too many adorers would infect one another? Would it move the fox family’s den to a less open place, where people wouldn’t congregate dangerously around them? |
| Might the authorities shoot them, as some have in London? | Might the authorities shoot them, as some have in London? |
| That’s not what happened. | That’s not what happened. |
| “We want to protect these foxes,” said Mary Lou Leiher, a manager with the city’s animal services department. She noted that in Toronto, a provincial law ensures the protection of wild animals unless they are destroying private property, which these foxes are not. | “We want to protect these foxes,” said Mary Lou Leiher, a manager with the city’s animal services department. She noted that in Toronto, a provincial law ensures the protection of wild animals unless they are destroying private property, which these foxes are not. |
| City workers put up a bigger fence around the fox den. Then, they extended it all the way down to the water, so the foxes had their own private beach. | City workers put up a bigger fence around the fox den. Then, they extended it all the way down to the water, so the foxes had their own private beach. |
| Soon after, volunteers with the Toronto Wildlife Center, a local charity that rehabilitates sick and injured wild animals, swooped in. They were concerned that the animals were becoming habituated to human contact, which could prove their undoing: If they scratch or otherwise injure a human, the city would euthanize them and test their brains for rabies, Ms. Leiher said. | Soon after, volunteers with the Toronto Wildlife Center, a local charity that rehabilitates sick and injured wild animals, swooped in. They were concerned that the animals were becoming habituated to human contact, which could prove their undoing: If they scratch or otherwise injure a human, the city would euthanize them and test their brains for rabies, Ms. Leiher said. |
| So the volunteers replaced the fence along the boardwalk with an even taller one, and wrapped it in green cloth, and the foxes were spared not just reaching hands but prying eyes. | So the volunteers replaced the fence along the boardwalk with an even taller one, and wrapped it in green cloth, and the foxes were spared not just reaching hands but prying eyes. |
| Giant signs were posted with a warning: “Smile, you’re on camera.” | Giant signs were posted with a warning: “Smile, you’re on camera.” |
| The volunteers began staffing the site, for 16 hours a day, to shoo away both humans and any baby foxes that tried to approach human visitors. | The volunteers began staffing the site, for 16 hours a day, to shoo away both humans and any baby foxes that tried to approach human visitors. |
| It’s known as aversive conditioning, and the volunteers can only hope it works. | It’s known as aversive conditioning, and the volunteers can only hope it works. |
| “They’ve been trained to go to people for food,” explained Nathalie Karvonen, the Wildlife Center’s executive director. “It’s questionable whether we can turn it around now.” | “They’ve been trained to go to people for food,” explained Nathalie Karvonen, the Wildlife Center’s executive director. “It’s questionable whether we can turn it around now.” |
| The city also beefed up its patrols in the area. Jogging by one day in early May, I counted five enforcement officers, tasked with ticketing people who gathered too close together in parks. | The city also beefed up its patrols in the area. Jogging by one day in early May, I counted five enforcement officers, tasked with ticketing people who gathered too close together in parks. |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | Updated June 5, 2020 |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| One officer was yelling at a lone pedestrian for stopping and trying to look over the fence. | One officer was yelling at a lone pedestrian for stopping and trying to look over the fence. |
| “Our chief concern is for the animals’ welfare,” said Brad Ross, the City Hall spokesman. | “Our chief concern is for the animals’ welfare,” said Brad Ross, the City Hall spokesman. |
| As a rule, Canadians have deep respect and fear of wild animals, grown from living in a country of vast forests and few people. The country’s literature is filled with stories of wolves and bears; Canadian coins are stamped with caribou and beaver. | As a rule, Canadians have deep respect and fear of wild animals, grown from living in a country of vast forests and few people. The country’s literature is filled with stories of wolves and bears; Canadian coins are stamped with caribou and beaver. |
| But inside city limits, there’s a different calculus. In Toronto, wildlife is mostly derided as pests that dig up freshly planted bulbs (squirrels), jimmy open city compost bins and strew the smelly contents everywhere (raccoons), or — worst — eat beloved pets (coyotes). | But inside city limits, there’s a different calculus. In Toronto, wildlife is mostly derided as pests that dig up freshly planted bulbs (squirrels), jimmy open city compost bins and strew the smelly contents everywhere (raccoons), or — worst — eat beloved pets (coyotes). |
| Still, in the midst of pandemic, Toronto seems open to making an exception for foxes. | Still, in the midst of pandemic, Toronto seems open to making an exception for foxes. |
| “The fox is a little flash of beauty and resourcefulness,” said Mr. Moritz, the poet laureate. “It manages to live in alleyways and backyards. It’s a fugitive and it’s lovely.” | “The fox is a little flash of beauty and resourcefulness,” said Mr. Moritz, the poet laureate. “It manages to live in alleyways and backyards. It’s a fugitive and it’s lovely.” |
| It is also a little more discreet than some of its fellow urban wildlife. | It is also a little more discreet than some of its fellow urban wildlife. |
| “Foxes are typically more shy and not as obvious,” said Burton Lim, assistant curator of mammalogy at the Royal Ontario Museum, and one of the authors of Toronto’s guide to local mammals — which, incidentally, has a fox on its cover. “They aren’t rummaging around in garbage cans like raccoons, but they are still eking out a living in the city,” hunting mice and birds. | “Foxes are typically more shy and not as obvious,” said Burton Lim, assistant curator of mammalogy at the Royal Ontario Museum, and one of the authors of Toronto’s guide to local mammals — which, incidentally, has a fox on its cover. “They aren’t rummaging around in garbage cans like raccoons, but they are still eking out a living in the city,” hunting mice and birds. |
| But jogging by their den one morning, it occurred to me that in our efforts to protect the foxes, we had locked them into their own quarantine. | But jogging by their den one morning, it occurred to me that in our efforts to protect the foxes, we had locked them into their own quarantine. |
| Had we made them a whole different symbol for the pandemic? Would they be able to fox their way out? | Had we made them a whole different symbol for the pandemic? Would they be able to fox their way out? |
| “The fox is put here to test us,” said Stephen Knifton, who works in documentary video and also jogs by the lockdown den every day. “To see if we can be civilized and rational about this pandemic.” | “The fox is put here to test us,” said Stephen Knifton, who works in documentary video and also jogs by the lockdown den every day. “To see if we can be civilized and rational about this pandemic.” |
| In other words, to remain polite, rule-following Torontonians. | In other words, to remain polite, rule-following Torontonians. |