What are Canadians googling while in coronavirus lockdown?
Health officials across Canada are urging people to stay home as much as possible to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Some governments in hard-hit provinces like B.C. are even saying it is people's "civic duty" to do what they can to flatten the curve.
Now, after a couple of weeks at home, what kind of stir-crazy queries are popping into people's minds?
It seems, for many people, this is the first time they have made scrambled eggs. Others want to know whether coronavirus will lead to the death of capitalism.
Here are some of the top searches in Canada from the past week, according to Google.
How to apply for CERB?
Money is in short supply for many right now. CERB stands for Canada Emergency Response Benefit, a Canadian government program that offers $500 per week for up to 16 weeks for employed and self-employed people who have been affected by COVID-19. The government has said it will start accepting applications on Monday.
How to beat coronavirus capitalism?
There appears to be no clear answer to this question, but googling pulls up a whole host of results, ranging from Naomi Klein-esque analyses of the COVID-19 crises to blogs about how the virus may result in the end of capitalism.
How many cases in Canada coronavirus?
When will coronavirus be over?
The short answer to this question is: no one knows for sure.
But Canadian health officials say COVID-19 measures around physical distancing and self-quarantine will likely be around for a few more months. In B.C., provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the measures will continue until at least the beginning of summer and that officials are preparing for a possible second wave of the virus in the fall.
Many people have seemingly embraced their new house-bound lives in quarantine, with bread recipes and pictures of new haircuts appearing in social media feeds. So the Star asked Google to pull some of the lighter "how to" queries people are looking for on YouTube. Here is the list:
- How to make scrambled eggs
- How to make pizza dough
- How to make banana bread
- How to draw a unicorn
- How to make slime
- How to draw
- How to play piano
- How to cut your own hair
- How to dye hair
- How to wax eyebrows
Wanyee Li is a Vancouver-based reporter covering courts and conservation issues for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @wanyeelii