For Kelsey Arsenault, the hardest part about having her university classes moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been losing her program's social element.

The second-year master's student at Wilfred Laurier University moved to Waterloo, Ont., from Newfoundland to study music therapy and found herself abruptly cut off from her social network when restrictions set in this spring.

The 25-year-old is now settling into a new semester of remote learning, bracing herself for the isolation that can come with it.

"My lifeline was really my class and getting to meet these people and interact a couple of times a week, so having all of that in my computer in my small apartment is a big adjustment," said Arsenault, who's taken to exploring nature in and around Waterloo as a form of relief......

As a method of novel coronavirus disease transmission suppression and an attempt to reduce the risk of infection, social restrictions – such as social distancing and sheltering in place – have been put into place and remain active in the majority of the United States. Such measures have isolated many older adults at home, leaving them with limited contact and social interaction for the duration of the outbreak. As evidenced by global statistics revealing higher death rates among this demographic, the COVID-19 pandemic has been disproportionately affecting older adults.

Parents have prioritized the physical health and safety of students when they go back to school, but what about their mental health? Dr. Aline Yamashita was on K57’s Mornings with Patti discussing just that.

Yamashita, a former senator and an early childhood expert, is greatly concerned over how social distancing and home learning are having a negative effect on the students’ mental health as well as their educational and social development.

Also, one of her biggest concerns is that parents with special needs children and those with very limited resources may have a tougher time with the home-learning program as they need much support......

Governors across the U.S. are allowing restaurants to reopen, some limited to outdoor dining but others at full capacity. A new survey shows one reason why there’s pressure to get Main Street businesses like dining back to normal: over half (55%) of small business owners are worried that continued social distancing measures that limit business capacity will harm their survival chances.

That’s according to a new survey from Verizon Business, released on Monday, that was conducted by Morning Consult and focused on 600 small- and medium-size businesses that are currently open or plan to reopen. The national study was done Aug. 26 through Sept. 4, 2020 and surveyed businesses in a wide range of industries from construction and retail to restaurants, bars and real estate. A little over half (52%) of small business decision makers reported concerns about their own job security, down from 56% in the previous wave of the survey conducted in April......