Collected Item: “Pandemic Paranoia”
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Pandemic Paranoia
What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?
text story
Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.
Around June, which was around the time the virus got really bad in Los Angeles, my hometown, my brother's friend tested positive for coronavirus. At the time, I was going to work every day at an ice cream shop by my house, seeing dozens of customers and working in close proximity to my fellow teenage coworkers, who all went home to their families. My brother had interacted with his covid-positive friend outside and with masks; the friend's parents had both tested negative. It was probably a false positive. I remember getting the call from my dad that Ben tested positive. I left work immediately and drove home, trying not to think about what I would do if my parents died. I would consider myself a rational person. I knew that the chances of my brother having it were extremely low, especially because my mom had called multiple doctors that morning to ease her mind. I called every person I'd interacted with even slightly. I told my boss that I couldn't come to work and sat at home trying not to panic. Of course, his test came back negative a couple days later.
Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)
Sophie Penn
Give this story a date.
2020-06-20