Go back

Friends social distance by walking in giant “body walls” occupying whole sidewalk

Vancouverites block disease by blocking all living things from getting to their destinations

Written by Zach Siddiqui, Humour Editor

VANCOUVER, BC — An increasing number of Vancouverites are keeping contact to a minimum by forming “body walls” as they walk down the street, repelling others who might approach.

“No one will bother coming near us if we destroy all hope of pedestrian movement in this direction,” says Rudy Walker. 

Body walls are traditionally formed by assembling a group of friends to walk in a horizontal line, connecting the two sides of the sidewalk. The body wall phenomenon, according to health experts, can happen “anywhere infested with self-serving, Tindered-out millennials” and therefore especially in the Yaletown region of Vancouver. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the problem; the six-foot rule means that body walls can reach a breadth of 30 feet.

“Last week we actually had a stare-off with an opposing body wall,” said Tati Lespich, a member of Walker’s six-person unit. “Very Romeo and Juliet, or as Rudy put it, Red Rover: Pandemic Edition. We made it through all right, but we lost Ken to those bastards.”

Ken Cushion, the friend in question, told The Peak in an email interview that he was safely at home, recovering from a migraine. He had bumped into someone from the other friend group and fallen, hitting his head. He attributed his absence of mind, which led to the incident, to everyone else on the sidewalk being beneath his notice. 

In the meantime, Walker and his remaining friends have continued their circuit along Vancouver’s breeziest waterside walking paths. At press time, at least three joggers had been absorbed into the body wall, never to be seen again.

Was this article helpful?
0
0

Leave a Reply

Block title

Calls emerge for increased program funding for BC sex workers

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On December 16, 2025, 10 organizations — including sex worker-led groups, feminist organizations, and First Nations groups — released a statement marking the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers. In their statement, the groups called for the provincial government to increase funding for programs serving BC sex workers.  The push comes amid a crisis in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where centres serving unhoused women, those who face gender-based violence, and support for substance use are closing. In July, the PACE Society, a drop-in centre in the area, permanently closed down. In February, the WISH Drop-In Centre closed temporarily. Most recently, The Tyee reported that the Kingsway Community Station, Vancouver’s last drop-in centre for sex workers, was on the brink of...

Read Next

Block title

Calls emerge for increased program funding for BC sex workers

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On December 16, 2025, 10 organizations — including sex worker-led groups, feminist organizations, and First Nations groups — released a statement marking the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers. In their statement, the groups called for the provincial government to increase funding for programs serving BC sex workers.  The push comes amid a crisis in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where centres serving unhoused women, those who face gender-based violence, and support for substance use are closing. In July, the PACE Society, a drop-in centre in the area, permanently closed down. In February, the WISH Drop-In Centre closed temporarily. Most recently, The Tyee reported that the Kingsway Community Station, Vancouver’s last drop-in centre for sex workers, was on the brink of...

Block title

Calls emerge for increased program funding for BC sex workers

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On December 16, 2025, 10 organizations — including sex worker-led groups, feminist organizations, and First Nations groups — released a statement marking the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers. In their statement, the groups called for the provincial government to increase funding for programs serving BC sex workers.  The push comes amid a crisis in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where centres serving unhoused women, those who face gender-based violence, and support for substance use are closing. In July, the PACE Society, a drop-in centre in the area, permanently closed down. In February, the WISH Drop-In Centre closed temporarily. Most recently, The Tyee reported that the Kingsway Community Station, Vancouver’s last drop-in centre for sex workers, was on the brink of...