Family walking at Macau’s Senado Square wearing protective face masks due to coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. Photo by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash
Less than a week ago, my nine-year-old niece rejoiced when she learned that March Break would be extended by two weeks, in a bid to stall the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario. It was a sentiment undoubtedly shared by many kids across the province, although perhaps not by their parents.
Since last Thursday, the seriousness of the situation has become clearer day by day. Announcements have been coming fast and furious: the cancellation of major league sports seasons, the closure of all City of Toronto daycares and community spaces, the postponement of major conferences, the shutting of bars in Quebec, the closure of schools and daycares in Alberta, the shut-down of borders to foreign visitors. This morning, Ontario declared a state of emergency, and the Prime Minister urged all Canadians to stay at home as much as possible.
From office to home
Architecture firms across the country have scrambled to make arrangements for their employees to work from home, quickly getting acquainted with remote access and collaboration tools like Zoom, Splashtop and BIM360. In some cases, employees have been asked to take desktop computers with them from the office. Many firms are used to some degree of remote work, so in these cases, it?s a matter of scaling things up to a daily way of operating, rather than establishing entirely new systems....