How long will social distancing last in Canada? This is a legitimate question many Canadians have been asking as they count down the days until life can go back to something resembling normal again.

Unfortunately, Canada's Minister of Health has some bad news for us: this whole isolation thing is going to last a lot longer than the two weeks some people were banking on.

"I understand that people are frustrated and they're at home... but we will be in this situation for a while," Patty Hadju told the public at a press conference in Ottawa on Saturday. "This isn't about two weeks of social distancing, this is about months of social distancing."

Social distancing measures in Canada could be in place for months, Canada's health minister said today. Patty Hajdu warned that not following the measures in place now could lead to more strict measures later to confine people to their homes. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/WG3c0CYrSb

— CBC News (@CBCNews) March 22, 2020

She added that we won't be able to see if our current efforts to flatten the curve and reduce community spread have been successful for at least another few weeks, and that "now is not the time to take your foot off the social distancing measures."

Other experts have likewise predicted that schools will probably be out through the end of the academic year.

Hadju also stated that various levels of government may have to ramp up measures to "contain people in their own homes" if residents continue to defy calls to self-isolate and stay home as much as possible.

Even though bars, restaurants, stores, attractions, academic institutions, theatres, gyms and venues have been shuttered across the country, it seems that some people still aren't taking the situation very seriously. (We all have those few friends on Instagram who are still socializing and going out and about a little more than necessary these days.)

On this point, Hadju said, "I encourage Canadians to think about their obligation to act collectively right now."

#SaturdayThoughts:

Do your part to help slow the spread of #COVID19 and #PlankTheCurve:

Wash your hands 🧼👏
Cough into your elbow 🗣💪
Practice social distancing and #StayAtHome 🛋️🏠

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 21, 2020

For those who are off work, there are tons of things to occupy time at home, like virtual exhibitions, online classes, guided workouts, crafts and DIY projects, group video chats or Netflix Party sessions, singing from the rooftops, getting into nature (at a safe distance from others) and engaging with ever-dependable artifact, the physical book.