Caption: A woman walks past a mural in downtown Ottawa on Jan. 14, 2021, the first day of a new stay-at-home order in Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
Ottawa was quieter than usual under the first day of a new provincial stay-at-home order, but not a complete ghost town.
After all, the order — which came into effect yesterday and is slated to last until at least Feb. 11 — includes a number of exceptions, from buying groceries and walking one's dog to heading to and from work.
Here are a few shots, mostly from the downtown, that give a sense of life under the new restrictions.
Image | COVID Cda 20210114 coronavirus queensway highway stay home
Caption: A highway sign notifies drivers to stay home as they make their way along the Queensway in Ottawa on Thursday, the first day of Ontario's new stay-at-home order. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Image | man phone covid-19 pandemic mask downtown ottawa stay-at-home
Caption: A man checks his phone outside a Middle Eastern restaurant on Bank Street. Restaurants are still allowed to offer takeout under the current rules. (David Richard/Radio-Canada)
Image | homeless lives matter bank street ottawa pedestrian covid-19 coronavirus pandemic
Caption: A pedestrian walks past a handwritten sign that reads 'Homeless lives matter, too.' The province has said the current stay-at-home order does not apply to homeless people. (David Richard/Radio-Canada)
Caption: A woman wears a mask as she sits inside a bus shelter in the city's downtown. OC Transpo has not announced any changes to service since the order went into effect. (Brian Morris/CBC)
Image | covid-19 coronavirus pandemic mask fogged glasses bus ottawa
Caption: A man wearing a mask and fogged-up glasses walks in downtown Ottawa on Thursday during the stay-at-home order. (Brian Morris/CBC)
Image | jogger runner exercise ottawa winter pandemic covid-19 stay-at-home order major's hill park
Caption: A woman runs through Major's Hill Park on Thursday. The province has deemed exercise to be a valid reason to be out in public. (Andrew Lee/CBC)
Image | colonel by drive downtown ottawa empty no traffic street ottawa
Caption: Colonel By Drive in downtown Ottawa is free of traffic on Thursday afternoon. (Andrew Lee/CBC)