TORONTO -- A little more than a month ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic. Since then, politicians have partially locked down the country in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, shuttering non-essential businesses and making it illegal to gather in large groups.

Here’s what has changed in Toronto since the declaration:

Kids are no longer going to school

Parents are now in charge of either educating their kids or facilitating their online learning from home. Publically-funded schools in Ontario were shut down for two weeks after March Break, but now aren’t slatted to reopen until at least May 4th. The provincial government has launched an e-learning tool for high school students and has partnered with Television Ontario to provide educational materials for younger learners.

Parents have been offered a $200 subsidy by the provincial government in order to help deal with the financial ramifications of keeping their kids at home. A select number of daycares have remained open for children of essential workers, but not everyone is able to make the cut.

People can no longer get together with those outside their households

Throughout the last month, health officials have slowly decreased the number of people allowed to gather in places. It started with more than 250 people, and then was reduced to 100, 50, and then five. Now, politicians are urging people not to meet up with anyone they don’t live with and to remain at least two metres away from others.

In Toronto, anyone not following this rule in a public park or square can be fined about $1,000 under a new bylaw. If convicted of the offence, a person can face a penalty of up to $5,000.

Park playgrounds, dog parks are being tapped shut

Anyone who does go outside for some fresh air can no longer use any outdoor recreational facilities, including playgrounds, sports fields and off-leash dog parks. Both city and provincial officials have roped off those areas using caution tape and put up large signs to indicate they are closed. Toronto Mayor John Tory even announced a ticketing blitz in order to prevent people from using the facilities.

Usually crowded parks and streets in Toronto are now almost empty because of these new rules. Drone footage taken in late March showed the city’s barren beaches and vacant shared spaces.

People can no longer dine-in at restaurants or go shopping

Dine-in restaurants were the first to be hit by a slew of emergency orders shutting down businesses in Ontario. Residents can still order takeout or delivery from a select few restaurants that have been able to stay open throughout the process, but many small businesses have been forced to close until the pandemic blows over.

A week later, the province shut down all businesses classified as “non-essential.” That list was recently reduced further from 77 categories to 44 last week.

According to Statistics Canada, the pandemic has resulted in 400,000 Ontario jobs lost in March. About 227,000 of those jobs were in the Greater Toronto Area.

Grocery shopping has become a much longer process

Since no one can go out to eat, more people are making their meals at home. Grocery stores remain open as an essential service, but most have reduced their hours and restricted the number of people allowed to enter at once. This means that customers have to line up outside in socially-distant intervals in order to gain access to the store.

Officials are also urging households to only send one person to do the shopping in order to prevent further people from contracting COVID-19.

Vacations have been effectively cancelled

The federal government slowly shut down international travel over the last month, closing the border to most people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Any remaining travellers were forced to fly into designated airports, including Toronto Pearson International Airport. Anyone who returns from outside the country is asked to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days.

Residents have come together to support essential workers

Amid the chaos of the pandemic, Torontonians have come together to perform acts of kindness for their neighbours and community. Some people have been delivering food to hospitals for health-care workers or sewing masks to help with the shortage of protective equipment in the city, while others are standing on their balconies or front yards every night at 7:30 p.m. clapping, cheering and banging pots in support of essential workers going about their daily routines despite the risks to their health.