There are few people who could provide a good reason for flying across the country in the time of a pandemic. Dan Sutherland is one of them.
Sutherland and his husband, Keith expect to witness the birth of their new child in Newfoundland via a surrogate at the end of the month.
Sutherland, a registered nurse in Calgary, told the Telegram that he and Keith boarded a plane last weekend and are self isolating for two weeks at a St. John’s Airbnb as they await the child’s arrival.
“We’re hoping that she doesn’t go into labour before we’re out of our quarantine … there’s no indications that she feels like she’s getting ready for labour, but who knows,” Sutherland said, adding that the baby is due May 27.
The Calgarian says that COVID-19 has left him feeling conflicted about being away from his job. His hospital, the Peter Lougheed Centre, is expected to see cases rise throughout the month of May.
He adds, however, that his team has been supportive of him taking time off.
Currently, he said that he and Keith are waiting out their quarantine by reading books and spending time in the back yard of an Airbnb as the weather co-operates.
“We were ready for a lot, ready to get here quickly if we needed to, but this COVID thing really threw a wrench into everything,” he said. “But at least we still got to make it out here.”