In this picture we can see my daughter and I enjoying a night out at the Arizona State Fair. During this time, we had an exceptionally good time out with perfect weather and atmosphere to enjoy this outdoor event. Coincidentally this picture was chosen on the topic of past and future and in the background of the picture there are dinosaurs. By contrast to this picture and the video link we can see how much things have changed in society to adapt to this pandemic that we are going through now. For this example, we can see how not just my family, but everyone was able to go out and enjoy commodities provided, to revel in and remember. Today this exact same event has had to adapt to these times regardless of individual wants to revert to a time when one can create memories during special events such as the state fair, and so it has had to limit this experience of rides for children and adults alike to a drive-thru of just the food that makes this event so memorable, such as funnel cakes, turkey legs and other carnival specific foods. This is an opportunity to be able to see how things were and how we can move forward in having events like this with added security measures to be able to enjoy the outdoors and socialize during these fun events. This is not an outlier of an example there are many rules and regulations that have been put in place on many events such as sports, religious practices and outings to even how one can spend time at the park with our children. It will be interesting to note how these impacts of societal change will shape not just our future but future generations as well. Covid-19 has affected not only our family or state but the entire world, this will be a time of change for everyone in which at a point in time we will be able to see what kinds of scars this left during the time and see how things have changed to better prepare or prevent such things from happening again and returning to a new sense of normalness.

Everyone has gone through wildly different circumstances in the past 6 months, but due to the single same virus. I never thought a virus would be able to shut down the world as we know it within weeks; and in my young life I have taken a valuable lesson from all this: anything can happen at anytime, and to cherish the time you have. With this I don't mean anything in particular, I relate this to people, enjoying going places freely without fear, enjoying being with your family etc... Anything! Different things can happen in an instant, and learning to adapt to them is simply part of life. The time I had alone allowed me to ponder several issues in my life, such as religion; which is why I chose the Religion 101 class this semester. I could not have asked for a non-biased view and will carry lots of the knowledge I learnt into my life. Although I am personally agnostic as of now, I learned through watching others in the pandemic how religion can serve as something very important in providing faith and hope for many, whereas I thought before taking the course religion was a fraud and causes negative outcomes such as war. I have become more understanding on how it can positively benefit entire communities and change individuals lives, and while I continue to be agnostic I completely respect peoples faith's; as it is their personal relationship with their god. At the beginning of the pandemic, I had no idea I would come out on the other side with this perspective, and maybe one day this curiosity will lead me towards a more religious lifestyle, as I feel it gives life a purpose. Without a purpose, a need to do good and inflict positivity in the world, what is life truly for? These are just some of my thoughts at this time thank you Professor Shoemaker!

Geneva, considered one of the most expensive cities in the world, is going to be introducing a minimum wage of 4,086 Swiss francs (around $4500 USD at the time of posting) in order to help citizens prevent sinking below the poverty level. This is, according to the article, the highest minimum wage in the world.

Although the pandemic temporarily placed a hold on what everyone could do, the pandemic didn’t place a hold on everyone’s life. The pandemic started in March around spring break of the Spring semester of 2020. Due to the pandemic I had to make a choice to stay in Phoenix and continue working and going to school or leave everything move back home. I made the decision to move home and start over. I was fortunate enough to get a job in these hard times which took up a lot of my time and distracted me from what was about to come. In August I had to make the decision of moving back to Phoenix for school or stay home and do school completely online. Although most of my classes are online anyways and this seems like a very small issue it was very draining for me. After many trips to Phoenix, many tears, and many panic attacks I made the decision to move. Due to the last-minute move and the stress that came with it I began to second guess the decision I had made. Every day I try to convince myself that it was the right decision and that I am doing good considering the situation we are all in. I also feel as though my mental health has been rapidly decreasing. With that being said, I know I am not the only one that feels as though the combination of no human interaction and online school that isn’t teaching us anything has caused mental health issues to increase. A good friend of mine created a group of classmates at the University of Arizona and composed a letter to the President, after being asked in a class how they were doing, explaining how bad they were doing. They received no response; it was a very good concept but not enough to make a difference.

This tent is where my father and I slept for a couple of nights during the beginning of the pandemic. We camp a couple of times a year because it gets so hot in Phoenix, which is where we live. But this trip wasn't just a heat escape, it was break from all the noise and the fear in the world. We originally were going to an official campsite however they were all closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. This didn't stop us though, we just began driving on random dirt paths with my 2004 Toyota Corolla. After probably 10 dirt roads we finally got lucky and found a place to set up camp. There were even a couple of other people camping, don't worry we kept our distance. There were some points when I thought we would have to call it quits but I am so glad we didn't. If you've never been camping I highly suggest you try it. It's a great place to just relax your mind and focus on the simple things in life. Which is why one of the first things we did was turn off our phones. Being able to just live in the moment is something I don't take for granted anymore. It's so easy to get caught up in news and media, but when you're out in the woods none of that applies to you for that time. My dad loves being outside in nature away from everything, but he has glaucoma and can't drive. I know how much these little trips mean to him. If it was up to my dad he would be camping for months at a time. He's retired so I can see why but I don't have the time to do so. I just want this to me a reminder that doing small stuff like this can really go a long way. Especially in times like these. Thank you for reading my story and I hope you all are doing well during these times.

I would say its pretty safe to assume that the majority of us were unfazed the very first time we heard of a virus breakout in wuhan, even though having played the mobile game Plague Inc. you would know that because of the dense population distribution china & india are two of the best places for a virus to start from. I would say other than the zombie movie like “leaked” videos that surfaced on social media no one really took it seriously until about march. That’s when I want to say the real pandemic fear started to creep in, there were multiple new cases showing up everywhere around the world, this is when things really started to get crazy, to begin with there was a weird shortage of toilet paper worldwide, not only that but grocery stores were a nightmare, it was the prepare for an apocalypse. People lost all sense of rational thinking & started hoarding food in a very animalistic selfish way. For a whole month everytime you go grocery shopping the shelves were almost empty, drinking water was scarce ,finding toilet paper was almost impossible. Personally as a 20 year old fit healthy male that wasn’t surrounded by any family or elders in the area I couldn’t care less If I got it, I was naïve& selfish for thinking that way, I had just suffered the lost of close friend to a car accident so I wasn’t in the best headspace. months go by… and I received news that three of my uncles & aunts got it, it was during that time that school was turning to online classes & terrible would be an understatement for my academic performance at the time, I was very busy & too into my head that a couple days went by & I got a follow up news that my uncles actually passed away, he was one of the kindest souls to me & I cannot think of one bad memory of him, yet I felt a void , I wasn’t sad nor that I cried & that in a way did more damage , It was just the countless deaths around me this year that had me completely numb emotionally, it just all felt so unreal, more than that is the long distance & not being able to travel back to comfort my dad through his hardship was the hardest part. To God we belong and to God we shall all return إِنَّا لِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ‎, On a more positive note my cousin said on her birthday “I am not counting this year in my age because I didn’t use it”.

I never realized how important a simple walk to the store was until Covid-19. To be honest I never realized how important a lot of stuff was. A daily event of going to school was no longer a daily event because of a new virus going around. Going to work was a task I used to complain so much about until I was on quarantine and wished I still had the option to go. Sitting in the house decorating a face mask because the new normal would be to wear them anytime you are outside. The most annoying thing about the face mask would be the scabs I get on my ears from it being too tight. Also,not being able to do a hard activity because the mask will make you struggle to get your breath back. And the worst part of it all is not knowing when it’s going to be over. Everyday we get different results of the amount of cases and different ways we can protect ourselves. The way this pandemic affects you is all based on how you view it in my opinion. Many people took the opportunity to start a business or learn a new hobby. I personally would say a good outcome of it would be having enough time to invest in yourself. During this pandemic I had time to update my resume that way when the first phase was ready I could apply for new jobs. In addition, I got better at braiding hair which is something I felt I never had enough time for. I’ve always wanted to learn since I never liked the way other people braided my hair. When I was younger I would ask for braids just so I could avoid having to get my hair straightened. When I was learning I actually used to just rebraid my hair over and over since we had to be separated from everyone. This outbreak was something that was very dangerous and also hard to adjust too. I'm used to being able to go out to eat every weekend and maybe watch a movie in the theater when I’m done. The corona virus has closed gyms, movie theaters ,indoor dining, casinos and many more. The dining wasn’t such a setback to me because it was summer time but now we’re back to quarantine basically because winter is coming.Sitting outside for lunch will no longer be an option and delivery will become everyone’s new favorite. Being able to do activities outside gave some relief from covid but now it’s all gone. Although it’s a worldwide pandemic, I feel you should always try to make the best out of your situations even if they may seem unable to adjust to. Staying positive and trying to adapt to this new lifestyle is something I’m still growing into. If you take everything as a chance to grow eventually you would look at life differently.

I feel like this photo is a great representation of what 2020 has been in my life. For me, 2020 started with a bang. At the beginning of January, I was flying across the country to California with about 10 people for my wedding. We were determined to start the year off big and what’s bigger than going somewhere you’ve never been to marry your partner of 10 years?! It ended up being even better than we had planned. Looking back, I am so glad that we decided on a random Wednesday in January to get married because if we would have waited, it never would have happened. This is one of our wedding photos, just the two of us holding hands, looking towards the future, and ready to take on anything…little did we know what was in store. We weren’t even out of the honeymoon phase when February hit and rumors started flying around about news of a deadly virus that was becoming a major deal in most of the world. We worried what would happen if it became a problem in the United States and how would that affect our family. By the end of the month, we were traveling to our best friend’s intimate wedding, while wondering if we should even be attending (my husband was the best man). On our way out of town, I got a text from a friend telling me our city was going to announce a lock down that weekend and would probably take effect on Monday. We stressed and cursed ourselves for leaving but we were only 20 minutes away from our destination. A few hours after the wedding ended, the city announced the lock would be happening. We were so thankful that we had recently gone grocery shopping since we knew a panic would begin. The next days were us waiting to know if I would still have a job. The city deemed brewery production “essential” so off to work I went. It was eerie. The brewery staff met, and we discussed our options on a short-term and long-term basis. There would be a lot of switching to the full-time employees taking over all responsibilities in order to meet salaries and keep our jobs. It seemed like an okay plan and I was just thankful to have a job. While the days, weeks, and months dragged on, each day became more draining and grimmer. Was it worth it to be living in a city we were planning to leave before the pandemic happened? Was it worth it to be working a job with increased stress and less hours/pay? My husband is self-employed, my job is deemed “essential”, but I had qualifications to take those skills anywhere. I’m working on a bachelor’s and my husband is almost finished with his master’s. I did awful in the Spring semester due to work related COVID-19 stress and was ready for a change. We were already going to leave but we became too afraid to follow our plan. After a long night of discussing stress and how our living situation was just causing us depression, we decided there was no time like the present to change our stance in life. We could follow stay at home orders no matter what our address was, and social distancing is the same everywhere. I put in my notice at my current job and we both began the job hunt. I landed a job within a few weeks and that was it. We had to set this into motion. We have been in California for almost three months and it was the right decision. We both have jobs that make us happier, we’re content staying at home in our new place when not at work, and I have all A’s in college! While it is extremely hard to see any kind of light or hope during such a tragic and extreme pandemic, life does continue. My bills and rent are still due every month. I still have to acquire a paycheck and take care of my family. And I deserve to do them in a place with lots of sunshine in my backyard perfect for hanging with the family and studying.

People around the world are paying for the Corona pandemic in some way, some people pay it psychologically, others the price is losing those they love. It affects all of us in some way, and we all have a different story with this pandemic. This story brings what happened to me, one of my relatives, during the pandemic.

2020 was a year that started with a struggle. On December 6th, 2019, my childhood best friend, Collin, died from a drug overdose. He was the first person that was my friend in this world. 3 days before my 21st birthday, he was gone. I have never grieved a person like this in my life. The pain stuck with me like nothing I had experienced. No matter where I was or what I was doing, I could only think of Collin. In February, right before everything shut down, my friend Jeff and I went to New York City. On Collin's birthday, we went to a drag show, and I could feel the world breaking under my feet knowing he couldn't be there. During quarantine, he was always on my mind. I was stuck in a house with 4 other 21-year-olds for months on end. It was suffocating. Processing trauma and grief in a world without distractions as been one of the hardest challenges of my life. I recently moved back to my hometown where I am surrounded by memories of Collin and other past traumas. It is especially difficult to process traumas in a new place during a pandemic. A hug has never felt so cherished. Community has never felt closer but also so far apart. I am grateful for the friends I see and people I am close to in a new way. While the world can feel like its crumbling, there is always a smile to be had. I can now smile when I pass places I went with Collin as a kid. The world slowing down has made sit with these feelings in a way I never could before. I had so much time to feel everything. Collin's name makes me smile and I feel so blessed to have known him. COVID made my world slow down enough to get through this loss.

COVID-19 has taken the world by shock and disbelief. It affected everyone from around the globe to your local neighborhood. Fortunately, I never had COVID, but my life was flipped upside down and I’ve never experienced such a life changing event, while sharing the same struggles with people around the world. In a strange sense, we were separate but fighting together and it really gave me hope that we can overcome this pandemic. I work for a coffee shop and I remember after the hectic holidays, I took a vacation out to Las Vegas with my partner in January 2020. I heard about COVID back then on the news but it was relatively new and was mostly located in China. I wasn’t worried about it because I never thought it would end up like it is now. Around the end of January, COVID started to spread at a fast rate and the death tolls we’re climbing like nothing before. There was no vaccine and medical professionals around the world were struggling to combat the virus. At the same time, I fell ill with the flu. I checked myself in at a clinic and the waiting room was packed! Every single patient was sick with flu like symptoms and were waiting for a doctor. That’s when it really hit me. This was more serious than the flu. This was more than something you hear on the news. This was something that is happening now, at home. Thankfully, I just had the flu and recovered over the week. But even in that week, COVID became the center of attention and grew even more. Before I knew it, the governor of Illinois ordered a lock down and everything closed and everyone was quarantined at home unless you were an essential worker. My work closed for 2 and a half months. It felt like a long and slow home vacation. I stayed busy and my dogs really enjoyed my company at home. Overall, it was so shocking. My life was normal, going to work, hanging out with friends and even going on vacation. To now, everything is slowly opening back up. Mostly everyone is wearing masks but I’ve been more mindful because of Corona. I wash my hands every chance I get and I don’t go out, unless it’s for essentials or work. As much as I would like to travel, I know better than to endanger myself and the people around me. Together we can get through this and we’ll be back to normal in no time.

Many Researchers have known that masks can prevent people from spreading viruses to others. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician made the argument that people wearing face coverings will take in fewer coronavirus particles. They have found the more virus in the nasal plume, the likelier the people were to get infected and experience symptoms. Some researchers have estimated that about 40 percent of coronavirus infections do not produce any symptoms. But when people wear masks, the proportion of asymptomatic cases seems to increase. Wearing a face covering doesn’t make people impervious to infection, but these trends could make a milder disease, reducing deaths.

This is a manuscript published recently in Japan regarding the survival time of COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) and the influenza A virus (IAV). Overall, the results showed that SARS-CoV-2 and IAV were inactivated more rapidly on skin surfaces than on other surfaces such as stainless steel/glass/plastic. However, the survival time of SARS-CoV-2 was significantly longer for than for IAV. Moreover, both SARS-CoV-2 and IAV in the mucus/medium on human skin were completely inactivated within 15 s by ethanol treatment. This showed that the COVID-19 virus we are facing now survives longer on our skin than influenza A virus, and thus it could spread much easier. Also, this paper shows the importance of sanitization, and how ethanol is one method that is useful in helping the virus to not be spread.

Although I have been fortunate enough to say that no one in my family has contracted the virus thus far, that's not to say that it hasn't had an impact. Since the discovery of the virus, there has been an abundance of mixed information, terrifying rumors, and confusing data. There have been times when one could think there was nothing to worry about, and other times when one could feel uncomfortable leaving his/her home. Overall, the most terrifying part for me is all the things we don't know about what's going on. Along with that, is not knowing when you or a family member might have it. I'm sure we have all had our scares during this crisis, but one in particular really frightened me. My dad has been in and out of hospitals for over 5 years now, and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me and my twin sister. The most recent time he was in the hospital, he was transferred from my small hometown to a hospital here in Phoenix. In his condition, and after everything he has lived through, we knew that he would not survive if he contracted the virus. It sounds pessimistic, but if I were to go in-depth about his medical history, anyone would agree. With that being said, we were terrified about him being in a major phoenix hospital at the peak of the pandemic. Not to mention the medical facilities he would have to regularly go to after the fact. So far, he has not contracted the virus, but the stress remains present even more so than it has been in the past. Sometimes the stress and concern that these types of disaster causes are just as impactful as the disaster itself, and COVID-19 has proved that to be true.

京都府立医科大学の研究チームは、 新型コロナウイルスが、インフルエンザウイルスに比べて ヒトの皮膚上で長期間生存することを明らかにしたと発表しました。 こちらは ヒトの皮膚表面でのウイルス量が時間とともにどう変化するかを示したグラフで、 赤が新型コロナウイルスを、青がインフルエンザＡ型ウイルスを表しています。 研究チームによりますと、 新型コロナウイルスは皮膚上で９時間程度生存することが明らかになり、 これはインフルエンザウイルスよりもおよそ５倍長いということです。 京都府立医科大・廣瀬亮平助教 「ウイルスが付いているものを手で触って、 その後喉や口や目の辺を触ると、それによって感染するので、 手の上で長生きをするということは、 そういう機会が増えてしまうということでいくと、 感染リスクが上がると考えたほうがいいのではないかと思っている。」 一方、研究チームは、 濃度８０％のエタノールによる消毒効果についても評価を行いました。 それによれば、15秒間の消毒でウイルスが完全に不活化され、 「新型コロナウイルスに対する手指消毒の重要性を実証した」 としています。 京都府立医科大・廣瀬亮平助教 「エタノール消毒薬を使用すれば、 （ウイルスが皮膚上で）長生きするとはいえ、 過度に心配する必要はないのではないかと思っている。 ただ、長い時間生存するということは、裏を返すと、 やはり感染のきっかけが把握しづらい。 例えば手に１時間しか付いていないということであれば、 感染のきっかけ、他者に移すきっかけとかも認識できる可能性があるが、 やはり７，８，９時間と長い時間手に感染性のウイルスが残っていて、 どこを触ったかもわからないとか、どこからもらったかわからないという 状態になってしまう可能性がある。 最近、感染した人への風当たりが厳しい部分もあるが、 接触感染という観点から行くと、 なかなか個人の努力だけでは厳しいかなというところがあるので、 そこに関しては周りの方も優しい目で見てほしいと思う。」 ※引用元 ●論文：Clinical Infectious Diseases Ryohei Hirose et al., (2020) Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19 https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-... ●プレスリリース：京都府立医科大のHP ヒトの皮膚上に存在する新型コロナウイルスの生存期間を解明 https://www.kpu-m.ac.jp/doc/news/2020... The research team at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine discovered that the new coronavirus, compared to influenza virus, survives for a longer time on human skin. This is (graph shown on the screenshot) a graph showing how the amount of virus that is viral on the human skin surface changes over time. Red represents the new coronavirus and blue represents influenza A virus. According to the research team, it was revealed that the new coronavirus survives on the skin for about 9 hours. This is about five times longer than the influenza A virus. Assistant Professor Ryohei Hirose, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine stated "By touching something with a virus with your hand, then touching your throat, mouth, or eyes, you will be infected by it. The evidence that the virus lives long on your hands means the higher you will be exposed to the virus and thus I think it's better to think that the risk of infection will increase. " Meanwhile, the research team also evaluated the disinfecting effect of ethanol with a concentration of 80%. According to the research, the virus was completely inactivated by disinfecting with the 80% ethanol for 15 seconds and it "demonstrated the importance of hand sanitizer for the new coronavirus". Assistant Professor Ryohei Hirose, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine stated "If you use an ethanol disinfectant, Although the virus lives longer (on the skin), I don't think we need to worry too much. However, the fact that the virus survives longer means it is hard to figure out how an individual got infected. For example, if you the virus was on your hand for only an hour, It may be possible to track down the cause of infection and the cause of transfer to another person, but the infectious virus can remain on the hand for 7, 8 and 9 hours, and it is hard to tell what you touched that had the virus and where you got the virus from. Recently, there are negative views on people how got the virus, but looking from the point of view of infection via contact, it is difficult for an individual to put in the effort only, and I would like people to be more kind to them.”

Although I have been fortunate enough to say that no one in my family has contracted the virus thus far, that's not to say that it hasn't had an impact. Since the discovery of the virus, there has been an abundance of mixed information, terrifying rumors, and confusing data. There have been times when one could think there was nothing to worry about, and other times when one could feel uncomfortable leaving his/her home. Overall, the most terrifying part for me is all the things we don't know about what's going on. Along with that, is not knowing when you or a family member might have it. I'm sure we have all had our scares during this crisis, but one in particular really frightened me. My dad has been in and out of hospitals for over 5 years now, and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me and my twin sister. The most recent time he was in the hospital, he was transferred from my small hometown to a hospital here in Phoenix. In his condition, and after everything he has lived through, we knew that he would not survive if he contracted the virus. It sounds pessimistic, but if I were to go in-depth about his medical history, anyone would agree. With that being said, we were terrified about him being in a major phoenix hospital at the peak of the pandemic. Not to mention the medical facilities he would have to regularly go to after the fact. So far, he has not contracted the virus, but the stress remains present even more so than it has been in the past. Sometimes the stress and concerns that these types of disasters cause are just as impactful as the disaster itself, and COVID-19 has proved that to be true more than ever.

I look at this photo of my granddaughter wearing a mask and cannot help but think this might be her future. When I was her age, we did not have to worry about such horrible things like a deadly virus taking lives locally and globally. But if this is to be her future, then it will be second nature to her, because she will have grown up with it. I still find it hard to believe that my granddaughter at three years old, and my three grandsons have fallen in line with the protocol of changes this pandemic has brought to our doorstep and what they now have to endure. Sure, they may have some complaints about missing their friends. Who wouldn’t? But in today’s world, we have the luxury to still communicate through technology. I am not saying it replaces social interactions, but it does keep us connected to our friends and family, which is so crucial in all aspects of our lives. They did have a choice to attend school physically or virtually; they chose to take classes online. By staying inside and only going out when necessary, they are protecting themselves and others. The rest of the world needs to understand how serious Covid-19 is, and I know so many do. But some still do not believe it is real or that serious. Some of those people I know personally, and it drives me insane! But do you blame them when every day you see in the media many high-profile political leaders stand in front of the camera before the masses and make fun of other high profile politicians for following the CDC Covid-19 protocol so as not to spread the virus? What examples are they setting? There is no respect shown for those who have lost family and friends or those infected with Covid-19. Why are we told not to worry the virus is not that bad when thousands have and still are leaving this world because of being infected with the virus. So, it is no wonder this type of influence has caused such unrest between officials trying to control the virus and those fighting against them. Here in NC, the populous are fighting our governor on closing the doors of different establishments, such as retail stores, restaurants, salons, non-essential establishments, churches, etc., when the pandemic is at its highest. If the virus has leveled and not spiking, he will go into one of the softer phases, more lenient to the establishments and all in lockdown. What is surprising and so disappointing is in so many church leaders' attitudes—how they have handled the pandemic from the very beginning. You can expect a lot of rebellion from some of the retail industry, restaurants, clubs, and so on. But when you witness on the news a church with its community, not following the Covid-19 protocol, passionately holding a rally against the governor’s mandates, you wonder what the logic really is behind their actions. Apparently, it is not about spreading the virus. It is disturbing, like a scene from a bad movie; it is so unbelievable. It confuses me because we learned in church to love and care for one another. Still, these churches' leaders chose to sue the governor, instead of protecting the parishioners and others from a worldwide pandemic, leading by setting a good example. The virus hit the state hard. The governor mandated the closing of all church doors. He did not have a sinister plan to take people's rights away. The governor is desperately trying to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and asking the cooperation from NC. Once all settled and under control, the doors will open to the churches as well to life itself. The churches' leaders are not thinking of their people's wellbeing or the rest of the world when a virus of this proportion is spreading worse than the flu. The leaders of the churches that are suing are causing unrest between their congregation and the governor. They should be following the guidelines set by the governor and the CDC by using new and inventive ideas to service and protect their communities from getting through these difficult times. Some religious communities are coming together and putting their brains to work, coming up with creative ways to continue to carry on their religious traditions. Documentaries have shown religious organizations across the globe, organizing ways to continue their spiritual practice and rituals. Friends have shared their experiences of what their churches are providing for them to keep the connection of faith alive. These stories are refreshing and give me hope, but it does not make up for the injustice because a federal judge overruled the governor's mandate and opened the doors. So, are we mixing religion with the government? I am so proud of my grandchildren for understanding and being more compliant with this horrific pandemic than the adults we see on social media. If one has true faith, one can worship anywhere because my understanding is the god these parishioners believe in would accept praise and worship from anywhere - not exclusively a church. The question is, who really has the power and who has always driven that power?

First off, I have to say that so far I have been lucky, if one can call it that, to not have lost anyone in any of my circles to this terrible pandemic so I view any of the misfortunes I have had during this time were all only minor inconveniences compared to the way too many others out there. First off, the industry I worked in got pummeled. I had two jobs. I worked for an Audio Visual Company in New Hampshire who did a lot of work for pretty much every presidential candidate producing quite a few of the events such as town halls and rallies. If you saw any news feeds from New Hampshire, there's a good chance the audio you were hearing was from us. My other job was being a tour manager for a French guitar player. I happened to be just starting the tour as Covid was known to be hitting our shores. It was odd time because the tour started in the south and traveling through North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee got pretty interesting with many peoples' opinion of the pandemic. Anyway, what was supposed to be a four month tour got cut short to about a week and half and during this time I was also informed that there was not anymore work to be had being that all in person campaigning had stopped. So the ended and I did not have a job to return to heading back to my temporary home. I had the "good" fortune of getting to live in two hot spots. My wife was in her last semester at Harvard Divinity School and Boston was hit pretty hard in the beginning. It was an interesting time, but things got a bit more under control as mask and social distancing mandates took effect. As the pandemic slowed down, it was really weird watching my home state of Arizona deciding not to learn lessons from the areas that had been hit early. After my wife's graduation, we came home to a governor who finally was forced to order mandates because covid was getting out of hand. It was quite frustrating to witness this after coming from a hotspot in which many lessons had been learned. Here is where I have to say, nothing was bad as it could have seemed. Being that there was no work to be had, I took advantage of my extra time off. I took the opportunity to practice guitar more seriously than I had for the decades before. I honed my skills in the kitchen. Between getting the bug to restart my education by getting to sit in on classes with Cornel West, E.J. Dionne and quite a few other world class educators as well seeing that this pandemic would be sticking around for a while, I decided that now was as good as a time as any to finish what ended up being only two more semester of classes to get my bachelors in both History and Religious Studies. The program has changed a little being that it was about 15 years ago so there's some new core classes that I need take because not all the classes I had taken before completely translated, but I have appreciated them so far and am very much enjoying being back in school. I feel rather fortunate to feel that I have been fortunate enough to be able to make the best of this time of somewhat chaotic transition.

トランプ大統領が新たな動画を公開。「感染は神からの祝福だ」と話しました。 　7日、ツイッターに投稿されたメッセージ。トランプ大統領は自らに投薬された未承認の抗体薬を絶賛しました。しかし、この動画には批判の声も。 　そもそも、こうなったのは誰の責任か。副大統領候補による討論会。現副大統領は上司の擁護に追われます。 　共和党・ペンス副大統領：「皆さんに知ってほしい。大統領は最初から皆さんの健康が第一だと考えていた。ワクチンなどもまもなくできる。大統領のリーダーシップで」 　果たして、そうなのか。例えば、マスク。大統領がしていなかった期間はあまりに長く、感染発覚後、スタッフの前で外す様子も確認されています。対策は十分なのか。トランプ大統領はいまだに陰性かどうか明らかにされていません。その一方で、バイデン候補との討論会には意欲を示しています。新たな動画でこう主張しています。 　トランプ大統領：「抗体薬は無償化する。皆さんの責任ではないのです。中国の責任だ。中国は大きな代償を払うことになる。 [I have personally translated the debate from Japanese to English and thus, it might not be the exact meaning/words from the actual debate.] President Trump releases a new video. "Infection is a blessing from God," he said. The message posted on Twitter on the 7th. President Trump has praised the unapproved antibody drug he had been given for treatment. However, there are criticisms against this video. Standford University, Subramanian said she was appalled by Trump’s comment that his diagnosis had been a blessing from God. “It really makes my stomach turn,” she said. “So would he say that the 210,000 Americans who died, they were cursed by God?” In the first place, who is responsible for this situation? Kamala Harris: “On January 28th, the Vice president and president received the information that this pandemic will cause death and yet they did not tell the citizens. Debate by Vice Presidential Candidates. The current Vice President is busy defending his boss. Republican Vice President Pence: "I want you to know. From the beginning, the president thought that your health was the number one priority. Vaccines will soon be available. Under the leadership of the president." Is that actually true? For example, a mask. The period that the president was not wearing the mask was too long, and it has been confirmed that he removed it in front of the staff after he was known to have the virus. Are the measures sufficient? Moderator: “(Last month) During the even at the White House, people in the front row were not social distancing, most did not wear a mask, and a lot of people from that event was found to be infected. Do you think the citizens will follow the president despite this incident?” Vice President Pence: “There are great deal of speculations. But a lot of people who participated did receive the test.” President Trump still has not stated whether he is a negative or not. On the other hand, he was enthusiastic during the debate with Biden. In the new video, he insists "The antibody drug will be free. It's not your responsibility. It's China's responsibility. China will pay a big price. Please remember that."

What I have learned the most through COVID 19 is how much hate there is in the world. I am a miniscule piece of this planet and if I can strive and share a positive attitude, I would want that for everyone else. Life isn’t perfect, but we can try to be more respectful, caring, and understanding of others. This time of quarantine has really shown me how much I needed to slow down. Slow down and really reflect and meditate what is truly important to me now, and what is important to me and for my future. The hate that we focus on in our society comes from years and years of hurt and hatred. But it’s time for a change; it’s time for us to learn about each other and get to a point where we can all respectfully understand each other. You can never understand what everyone is going through, but they go through it every single day. It’s important to make sure others aren’t alone, and that healing takes time. The constant grind that we live going to work, being social, going to school, and traveling gets tiresome and the quality time of it all gets drowned by the stress and drama. We can use this time of quarantine to stop and realize what truly is important for our health: mental, physical, and spiritual.

I hope people can relate to my message and see that it takes all of us to succeed.

This picture is of me taken after an EOSS Social Roundup interview about my experience with school, work, and life during the COVID- 19 pandemic. This picture was also uploaded to the Arizona State University Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation Instagram page (asunursingandhealth) and scholarship page. This interview will be incorporated to a video that will be shown to incoming first year students. The goal of this project was to clarify any questions that any future students may have and provide comfort to them through the firsthand experiences of multiple students at Arizona State University. Students were taken to various parts of the Downtown Phoenix Arizona State University campus and were asked questions pertaining to their involvement in campus, class, and how they incorporated safety measures while attending on campus. Personally, I was able to give detailed responses about how professors handled in- person classes and what measures they took to keep their physical students safe. I was also able to share my work experience at the university during this pandemic. I work at the university residential hall and Sun Devil Fitness and Wellness Complex. I was able to give a detailed description of how we, at my student jobs, have taken various measures to keep a safe and sanitary environment to keep our residents and patrons safe through this pandemic. My interview was also able to give an insight of living on campus during this academic year. I was able to answer questions about precautions that has been taken by university housing to keep their residents safe from this virus and reduce the potential spread. Overall, I hope that my insight given in this interview will put future incoming students at ease or encourage them to come to campus. All of this is to show the students that we are taking various safety measures to keep them at low risk and show them that they are in our best interest.

During the first wave of the pandemic in Victoria hand sanitiser and the ethanol used to make it were in global short supply. The hospital Pharmacy collaborated with local gin distillery Suter & Sons to make its own home brew hand sanitiser.

What I have learned the most through COVID 19 is how much hate there is in the world. I am a miniscule piece of this planet and if I can strive and share a positive attitude, I would want that for everyone else. Life isn’t perfect, but we can try to be more respectful, caring, and understanding of others. This time of quarantine has really shown me how much I needed to slow down. Slow down and really reflect and meditate what is truly important to me now, and what is important to me and for my future. The hate that we focus on in our society comes from years and years of hurt and hatred. But it’s time for a change; it’s time for us to learn about each other and get to a point where we can all respectfully understand each other. You can never understand what everyone is going through, but they go through it every single day. It’s important to make sure others aren’t alone, and that healing takes time. The constant grind that we live going to work, being social, going to school, and traveling gets tiresome and the quality time of it all gets drowned by the stress and drama. We can use this time of quarantine to stop and realize what truly is important for our health: mental, physical, and spiritual.

My COVID experience has been mostly unremarkable. I am a fairly introverted person to begin with, so quarantine wasn't really a big deal for me. The only new thing to have come from this experience is having to wear a mask. Thus, why I added a mask to an image drawn of myself with a mask on.

Online learning can be difficult for any student of any age. Many teachers and professors have tried to adapt the learning experience from in-person to online in various innovative ways. This kindergarten teacher has a popsicle stick to show certain students when they can unmute their mic to answer a question.

More precautions are now taken for in-person political debates. In addition to sitting at least 6ft apart, the vice presidential debate featured two glass barriers between the candidates to prevent the spread if one of them unknowingly contracted COVID-19

Political Debates have been a challenge for candidates and debate commissioners. After Trump's contraction of COIVD-19, more precautions are taken for in-person debates. In the U.S. Senate debate between Senator Martha McSally and Mark Kelly had a glass barrier between the candidates to prevent the spread of the virus were one of them to contract it and not know.

A ring of COVID-19 skeptics have targeted Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a kidnapping plot.

I started a new job in February 2020. Not even a month later my work life completely changed. I do not know what my workplace is like outside of COVID. Not to mention, I do not know what any of my coworkers look like without a mask on! I sleep all day when I am not at work, which is very unhealthy, and I have little to no human interaction when my work day is over. On the bright side, I did start seeing someone who has changed my life.

This object is something that the president of the united states said to his people in response to the start of this pandemic. Telling them that this whole virus is just a hoax and that hardly anyone would contract this virus because it is not strong enough. In the beginning Trump failed to accept this virus is a dangerous thing and that he needs to do something in order to protect his people but instead he did nothing and the United States of America has become the hot spot of this virus and the laughing stock of the world. Throughout the process of the virus only becoming worse he did not suffer it was us the people who had to deal with it the most. What this shows the people of the pandemic is that it was not taken seriously and our national leader lead us to our own demise. The pandemic has lasted nearly a year since today, October 8, 2020, and we are still having people ignore that this is a real issue because our leader does not see it as one. What people failed to seem to understand is that the only reason that we are still in this pandemic is because of the person new have put in office. This is important to me because it shows everyone how much of a joke our president is and how his stubbornness was more important than all of the thousands of lives that have been lost to this pandemic. It is also a showcase of what a joke our president is and how this needs to be changed. This just goes to show how this man has done nothing for the people beside doom us all and lead/ kept us in this pandemic that could have been prevented from getting to where it has gotten.

I never really went out and did anything before the pandemic hit, but now that I have no choice whether or not I go out or stay home, I hate it. I feel imprisoned. #REL101

Lucy Li speaks on her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the cleaning ritual she has developed, her new recognition of the need for social interaction, remote work and school, and how the economy’s dip will affect her generation. She finds work-life-school balance, feeling stuck in her apartment, and connection with others challenging. She finds that nihilistic memes, social media management strategy, and park walks with friends keep her grounded. Li finds hope in community resilience.

Meme of Jesus on a Zoom call with the disciples at the Last Supper.

There have been over 8,000 fires in California during 2020, and CalFire has been short staffed due to COVID-19 lockdowns at prison facilities. Inmates and typically make up 40% of the CA's firefighters, and this piece of sidewalk art drew attention to the incarcerated people risking their lives to stop the fires.

It has been such a crazy time witnessing how this pandemic has evolved these past couple of months. I clearly remember how queasy I felt once I heard that there was a positive case confirmed at my university. The environment around campus just seemed a bit odd; everyone felt confused, anxious, and even a bit fearful. At that moment, people really didn’t use masks and were downplaying the virus as if it wasn’t anything to worry about. This made me feel a bit hesitant to wear a face mask since I didn’t want people to think I seemed too exaggerating. As the days passed, the number of positive cases drastically increased not only on campus, but around the world as well. At that point I knew it wasn’t a simple virus and that I shouldn’t care about others’ opinions in regard to face masks. I started to be very precautious and wear my face mask everywhere I went. Eventually, the transition to virtual classes was instituted and I got to stay home for the rest of the school year. Although I felt safe staying inside, the news and social media was very successful at causing anxiety in my household. It was very overwhelming to hear the progression of this virus and how many people were losing their lives because of the pandemic. This made going out to buy groceries such a fearful experience, especially since not everyone used their masks which could have exposed so many people to this deadly virus. I remember asking myself, will wearing a mask become the new norm in this society, will we have to get used to carrying face masks everywhere we go just like our purse or identification card? I remember learning about the bubonic plague, or the Spanish flu in my history classes, but I never imagined I would experience a pandemic myself.

SF Public Library has partnered with SFMOMA to provide free art kits at mobile library locations. I live in the city, and thought this was a neat way for the library to engage with people while their branches are closed.

The photograph can be interpreted in many ways. How I interpreted it was how the COVID-19 pandemic help to reunite families who their focus on the American dream. Many families consist of 9-5 jobs, after school activities, and so forth. This leaves many children or other family member feel disconnected, but now with many places shutdown, stay at home orders, and virtual learning families how found that joy and bonding among their family. Interacting and bonding with family while living a joyful life is the true American dream not the cookie cut house with the white picket fence.

LitCovid is a website created by the NIH to provide free access to all academic papers and studies published to PubMed about COVID-19. The database makes it easy to search for specific types of studies, and is broken down into different categories (such as mechanism, transmission, prevention, and forecasting). It is quite jargon-heavy since it is a collection of academic papers, but can be really useful for learning more about the disease.

This story is important to me because I was raised to always be as well prepared as possible. In this video Bill Gates talks about options the worlds governments can take to help prevent and/or aid in global pandemics. The ideas he presents range in intensity, from increasing the amount of first responders to staging pseudo-war games for attacking the outbreaks most efficiently. The first time I remember a large scale disaster that could have been prevented, saved lives, time and money was the BP oil spill in the gulf of Mexico. The cost of the spill range from about 60 billion, reported by British Petroleum, to an estimated 140 billion. The spill and loss of lives, both human and oceanic, could have been prevented by the company implementing and following global operating policies for deep-water oil drilling.

The year of 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. No matter if your young, old, rich, poor, a new born, or a high school student. Things has been pretty tough. The world introduced to a virus that could kill people known as the Corona Virus. Into the 4th month of the year, children were forced to stay home, and the working class unless they were an essential worker were moved to work from home. Who would have thought that big companies would have majority of their workers take advantage in the work from home program. Many Americans had found themselves taking on new challenges that they didn't think they were ready for. Children are no longer going to school, but instead they are learning through a virtual experience. Their parents are not only working from home, but also taking on a second role as teacher to help their children. This year has been a whirlwind for many, but through meditation and allowing our lungs to be filed with the air that we breath, everything takes a standstill. With this being said, I have found new hobbies and ways to help my well being in this chaotic year. I chose to highlight the Namaste photo because it represents the fact that we need to all take a deep breath and say everything is going to be okay. I hope that you can do the same by breathing in and out, and focusing on the good!

The time lapse video shows a little snip-it of how I dealt with quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses were forced to shut down for a few months to ensure everyone's safety was first priority. One of the businesses that were shut down were gyms. I was very saddened by this business shutting down because my physical health is very important to me. Physical health has a lot of affect on mental health as well. To keep my mental health in check during this pandemic, I would workout almost every day so that I didn't let myself go through these months of being quarantined. My best friend came over to my house almost everyday for about an hour to workout in my living room. We worked out together to not only stay in touch during these trying times, but to also keep each other motivated to keep pushing ourselves. The only equipment we had access to were dumbbells and a bench. These two things were all we needed to keep going in our physical strength during these rough couples of months. My friend and I were anxiously waiting for the gym to open back up and while we were working each week still not knowing when the gyms will open again, I kept trying to challenge us. Almost every week I introduced a new workout to our list because sometimes it was so unmotivating to do the same workouts every day. I constantly researched and watched videos of what we can accomplish with just some dumbbells and a bench. We definitely got creative with some of our exercises. Although the pandemic kept us away from the gyms, my friend and I decided early on that our mental and physical health will not deteriorate for these next couple of months and we will give it our all.

The experience of the election is changing. As a poll worker, I'm seeing this first-hand.

The story behind this image is something I hold true to my creative process, in aspects of the pandemic, what I would like people to know is that even when life seem colorless with no blossom, we have the capacity to make something beautiful out of pain, fatigue and tiredness because humans are relentless and resilient, like a flower growing right through the cracks.

I cannot upload personal pictures from work, but I have been managing a Starbucks through COVID-19. This is an official Starbucks Partners Instagram post of some of our safety plexi-glass guards on our bars to reduce contact between our partners, and our mandatory mask policy. I have spent anywhere between 40-60 hours a week at work this whole time and so I thought it most appropriate to speak on my experience as an essential worker. In the beginning of the pandemic, we were changing rapidly and frequently, with so many conference calls I could barely keep up. I was incredibly new in my role as Store Manager, so when we shut the cafe's down across the company it made it very hard for me to create relationships with my regulars, but I got to know my baristas very quickly. My team has become very close and work together more like a family than anything else. During the lockdown portion of the pandemic, we were the only people we saw outside of our families for about three months. This whole experience has made me seek out new hobbies and really appreciate my time with my friends (when I can see them) because you never know how long it may be until you see them again. At my location, we are training our new staff in order to try to get our cafe back open soon. It has been so long now that it will be very strange for the newer staff to see people inside our building for the first time.

Being a pastor in the time of COVID-19 has been a difficult task, and nothing has been more difficult than leading people through the process of mourning the loss of loved ones. In my church, multiple people have lost husbands, fathers, and friends. Towards the beginning fo the pandemic our church lost one of it’s most recognized members to complications due to surgery. However, because of the coronavirus the standard practice of end-of-life ministry, helping the family with mourning, and leading them through rituals which help the family receive closure with their loss was unavailable. I, as the person’s pastor, was unable to be with him in his last days, and neither was his wife. Any final prayers, family meetings, religious discussions surrounding the topic of death which are standard with pastoral ministry were impossible because of the virus. The funeral was small, less than a dozen people. Many of their friends and family were left without any normal medium to mourn and lament the loss of their friend, husband, father, and brother. This left many people in spiritual limbo, and drastically changed the way people were able to mourn. Religious funerals, grief care, and even simple things like having people cook meals for them are invaluable to help with the process of mourning loss and accepting death, not just for the immediate family but for all around. A family friend can, perhaps, mourn by bringing the family flowers or food directly. But, under COVID there is too much of a risk. They now have to mourn alone. The same goes for family. Though they had a small graveside burial, they didn’t receive the social benefit of being surrounded by all who loved and were affected by their husband and father, the edification of seeing the sum, value, and product of their life expressed through tears, laughter, and people united to mourn and celebrate life. The ceremonies themselves, offering a wealth of support during a time of mourning, is enough of a loss, but there is more. After the rituals end, the family is still left without a core member of their life and need further help to manage their grief. Normally, in religion, a pastor can offer a level of grief counseling. But for those technologically behind, who can’t FaceTime or use Zoom, receiving this care becomes both difficult and brings up several ethical issues. How does a pastor, like me, meet with an elderly woman to walk them through grief? How can this be done without risking infection? Is it better to leave them alone to mourn without their religious community and authority? All of these problems have brought light to the importance of religious responses to major life events. Beyond the topics of faith, belief, dogma, and the supernatural, religion offers a wealth of benefits to people’s basic life needs, be it sociologically, psychologically, or existentially. It helps them put words to the indescribable pain they feel. It gives them a channel to express the loss in their heart. It gives communal space to lament, cry out, laugh, and find meaning through suffering and pain. Religion gets people through the darkness that is inherent to existence. COVID, however, has changed how this is done, and actively harmed people’s ability to mourn in a proper, healthy way. There is now one less way to manage traumatic, scarring life events, and find healing and recovery that comes with the penetrating pain in death. Hopefully, we will find healing from COVID, but not just the virus itself, but all that has been lost because of it. Hopefully, we can find healing from the loss of mourning, the loss of celebration, of community, of sacred expression. The sickness from the virus is only one thing of many which can bring devastation. To fight the virus is only part of the process of restoration. We also need to recover everything else in our lives the virus ripped away.

Large portions of the population are struggling economically due to the pandemic but others are secure in their jobs. This is leading to a deepening inequality between groups. This is important to me as it gives those of us who have been lucky during this pandemic with a different viewpoint

Liverpool lost 7-2. The biggest in franchise history. Perhaps its the hangover from winning the Leauge? I mean it only did end July 26th. To Aston Villa?... Honestly, only reason this happens is because of COVID-19.

This story talks about my experience amidst the pandemic, and how it has impacted my life. This is important to me because this time is so unusual and is definitely going to be a huge part of history.

During the pandemic just like many individuals i was unable to see my family for a long time which I was struggling with. My grandpa who I usually take to once a week was especially struggling through the pandemic because he wasn't even aloud to leave the house for 4 months. I was planning to go and see him since he was getting sicker but obviously could not. We ended up on FaceTime almost every day just talking about college and what was happening in Chicago. My grandpa was a huge part of my life and being able to help him through the pandemic made me feel so much better. During the pandemic, I was just feeling sad and more homesick than usual. Since school was online I had a lot more time on my hands which led to me and grandpa talking over FaceTime all the time. He had taught me and my roommates how to play poker which was so much fun and gave us something to do at night. Unfortunately, Grandpa had starting getting really sick and had to go to the hospital and be by himself since no one was allowed to accompany him. He had eventually gotten even sicker in the hospital and passed away. I was thankful that I got to talk to him the day before he went in the hospital because it was the last conversation I go to have with him. Eventually I was able to meet my family in Chicago so that we could bury him but because of the pandemic we could not hold a funeral to honor him which was very sad. While not being able have a funeral us as a family still celebrated his life together . I know many people out loved ones during this pandemic which is terrible, but it reminded me towards the end that even with all that was happening my grandpa found the positives in life until the end. I learned through him that no matter what life or the world throws your way you can always share the love and make each day count.