Pandemic allows Canadian to spend quality time at home

Given the opportunity, actor Doug Chapman left New York City and came home to a place he loves.
A complete change to the way he lives and works has afforded Chapman the ability to relocate to the family farm in Clearview, where he is making the best of a bad situation and supporting his family during a difficult period of isolation.
He has been impressed by the gentle, yet thorough process of follow ups from the government to make sure he was following the rules.
Chapman recalls one year ago when the bustling New York City went into lockdown.
He said it was like, a descending cloud of concern and worry about an unknown enemy that was invisible.
“It was shocking,” said Chapman. “People were living in fear and without a lot of information or a real understanding of the virus.”
Subways were empty and Times Square abandoned, at the same time theatres and restaurants were closing.
At that point, Chapman became very busy with work, and had little time to worry about anything other than keeping up with the increased workload.
Chapman teaches voice and speech at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan and Creative Thinking at Montclair State University in New Jersey but he also works for a company that does historical tours of the city. At once, all of the classes and programming were shifting online.
“It’s been interesting, just trying to create valuable learning experiences for these acting students online. It’s working, but it hasn’t been the easiest thing to do,” said Chapman.
He was also getting requests from people looking for coaching on how to present well in their new online meeting platforms, and doing auditions online.
As a Canadian, living and working in New York, Chapman was able to return home to ride out long stretches of the pandemic.
Last summer he got a car to avoid air travel, and minimize contact with people as much as possible, in preparation for the journey home in July. He returned to New York in the fall and then came back to Canada late December.
To make sure it was safe to make the trip both times, Chapman said he took extreme precautions. He quarantined at home, got tested for COVID-19 and quarantined again on this side of the border.
Chapman said the experience was very positive. At border patrol, they wanted to know where he was going and made sure he had a quarantine plan.
Chapman was impressed at the level of customer service from the Canadian government. He had several phone calls and e-mails from agents who checked in and made sure he was following the rules.
He said some of the calls were from real people, who were very professional and courteous.
“The last one, eight or nine days into the quarantine, was a person calling from the government, and they wanted to know, did I have everything that I needed?”
Chapman said it felt like a very sincere question.
“So, I felt very supported,” he said, although he did have everything he needed. “The tone of the call was not punitive, it was supportive. Which I was surprised by only because it’s a government service and you don’t expect emotional support.”
In contrast, when crossing the border back into the United States back in October, Chapman said he wasn’t asked a single question about any of it, which he found surprising.
All in all, Chapman said he is grateful for the time he has been able to spend in the area, a time to see family when family seems like a really important thing to focus on.
“I’ll remember this time for the rest of my life,” said Chapman. “It’s a time of great suffering, there’s no two ways to experience that, but I am very grateful that I was able to be in this place that means so much to me.”