Quebec Premier François Legault said, "Halloween happens outside. We know that the outdoors is less risky than indoors." Trick or treating will be allowed this year in Quebec despite multiple "red zones" within the province. Physical distancing will still need to be followed, and no halloween parties will be allowed.

This is a picture of my sister on her first day on the COVID unit as St. Joseph's Hospital. She was transferred from the Neuro-ICU because the size of COVID admissions. The managers put a strong focus on the importance of gearing up, they were told specifically that "nothing is an emergency" but after the first few days she learned that wasn't the case. It typically takes about 4 to 5 minutes to get completely geared up to go into a patients room. The problem is when a patients O2 levels drop hard and fast. Then the nurses are faced with the choice to go in without proper protection or take the time to get geared up. Nurses face life and death situations normally, a pandemic just amplifies it to a level that no one was prepared for.

This is a photo inside the gymnastics gym I used to work at. It was taken shortly before everything started to shut down. I didn't know how long the pandemic would last, I didn't think it would change my life as much as it did. I've worked with these kids and their families for years; we consider ourselves a big family. The strain the pandemic put on our friendship was immense and I fear it may have broken some. The gym re-opened (although at the time all forms of gyms were still forced to stay closed) and this made a dilemma that I didn't think I'd have to face. My situation was confusing and has caused me a lot of anxiety as families were asking if or when I was coming back. I couldn't give them an answer because my family needed me. My older family members were effected the most by all this. They are all high risk and couldn't do the things they wanted to like go to the store or the movies. I had a choice; leave my family out to dry and go back to coaching or take care of my grandparents and others. I of course chose my family. But I still miss the families and the kids I coach. I deal with that everyday when I see their progress of Instagram. Some of the family's doubt the severity of the pandemic, which makes me even more stressed because they could very well be speaking ill of me for the way I've been handling all this. I fight this inner doubt everyday because I really care for the kids I coach and I want to be apart of their progress, but at the same time with so many family members in the medical field and people that now depend on me I can't justify leaving them by themselves or potentially spreading it to them.

Baba ka Dhaba, a 30-year-old food stall in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi went viral on Instagram showing the sheer power of social media. The link below shows us an 80-year-old man named Kanta Prasad explaining how they barely manage to meet their basic needs during this pandemic. While showing the food he even broke down and cried in front of the food blogger Gaurav Wasan. Delicious and mouth-watering curries such as dal (lentils), Paneer Matar (cottage cheese and peas) and Aloo soya (potato soya curry) can be seen in the video which are only priced from Rs.30-50 (less than a dollar). This touching video reached 9 million views on Instagram in less than a day and even got support from Bollywood celebrities. Zomato, an Indian food delivery app even registered this stall on their app showing their support making #Babakadhaba one of the topmost trends on Indian Twitter right now.

This picture was taken recently during a coffee tasting with my coworkers. I did not take the photo. I am an ASU student submitting this as part of an assignment for HST485. This photo captures a light moment during what has been a stressful time (both for customers and retail workers like myself). It demonstrates resilience and humor in the face of challenges. The photo was taken in Gaylord, Michigan on October 2, 2020.

I live in nice town in the Eastbay about twenty miles from San Francisco. Its population is around 70,000 and its downtown is home to dozens of restaurants and high-end retail stores. On the afternoon of March 16th of this year Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all non-essential businesses shutdown and locked down. The next morning I took a walk downtown only to find that the normally busy streets were deserted. It felt like I was one of the last people on earth. The normal sounds were all but gone and it sort of felt like an episode from the Walking Dead. For the next couple weeks and eventually months I walked downtown every day and sat on a bench reading a book. The business that I used to work at was deemed non-essential, so I was initially furloughed. Over time people gradually began venturing out and some of the familiar sounds returned such as people talking and the noise of traffic. Two months into the pandemic almost all of the businesses in my town were still closed. On my daily walk one afternoon I noticed something odd. As I looked up from my book, I noticed a large convoy made up of dozens of vehicles racing into the retail shopping district. Once there the drivers parked their cars and people began pouring out. Within a few minutes there were a couple hundred people breaking into and looting the closed retail stores. The towns relatively small police force was caught by surprise and within a half an hour almost every high-end retail store in town was cleaned out. There was no protest involved it was simply a coordinated raid. The next day on my walk downtown I noticed that every business in town had been boarded up and all the people were gone again. A little later in the pandemic the California wildfires began. I continued my walks with the constant smell of smoke in the air. On many days the sun was completely blocked out by smoke. The massive fires created a weird atmospheric condition. The smoke hovered at about 5,000-10,000 feet and it was as dark as night on some days but there was relatively little smoke at ground level. Now about seven months after the lockdowns began things are returning to normal and I still walk downtown every day.

COVID-19 has changed many aspects of our lives, one that I would have never thought was using a mask in public. I began my Air Force career as a surgical technician in 1992. Wearing a mask was part of the job. The mask was worn to protect the patients, we did not want to breathe germs onto the surgical site. It had secondary a secondary purpose as well, to protect us from the patients' bodily fluids. Though talking was allowed in the surgical suite it was limited and the distance between the team was usually less than a few feet. We also learned to use hand gestures to communicate with each other, for instance if a surgeon was suturing and wanted us to cut the suture she or she would use the index and middle fingers to mimic scissors cutting. In 2008 found myself in Iraq, this time I had to shield my face not because I was in an operating room but because the sand storms. The mask allowed me to venture outside the facilities for limited periods of time during the storms. As medical professionals, depending on where you work, the use of masks is not something new. What is new is that now the patients are wearing masks. At first glance this might not seem like much of an issue, occasionally patients would have to wear masks as well. As most of us have noticed, communication has been hampered with the use of masks. It is harder to here, muffled voices, it is harder to differentiate between similar words/sounds, and we cannot use the use or other senses to assist us such as sight. In addition patients whom might have difficulty breathing have a harder times breathing by wearing masks. It is imperative the communication between the patient and a clinician is flawless. If hearing is impaired or words are mistaken the consequences can be deadly. COVID-19 Has caused us to slow things down even further, we must double check and sometimes triple check to make sure we collected the correct information. We need to listen to what they are saying without the aid of their faces. Deaths caused by medical errors are a major concern for all, now add a barrier that is foreign to most patients and those errors can become even more common. Now I find myself in Biloxi, MS and in some strange way everyone became an OR Tech, we are all wearing masks. On a serious note, may we all learn and grow from this experience and not let it go to waste.

Before the onset of the corona virus and the lockdowns and quarantines that followed, I had a pretty routine schedule. I would wake up around 7:15am and I would not get home again until about 7pm. Normally I would make something easy for dinner that I could have at least another night in a row. Usually it would just be a meat and a vegetable with fruit for dessert. I would cook the vegetables and the meat in the same pan to save myself the clean up time later as I would normally go to bed around 11pm and not want to waste any more time cleaning than I had to. I also would not stray too far from recipes that I was comfortable with. I would be very upset if I made something terrible after a ling day at work. However now with quarantine, I work from home and my schedule has become quite different. I am able to sleep in a little longer as I do not have to commute anymore. As soon as I am finished work I am already home and can start making dinner as soon as I want. This extra time gives me more flexibility to try new recipes and take chances on foods I may not have tried otherwise. On my lunch break I am able to go food shopping so I am not limited by what ingredients I have on hand. For this meal that I made and posted pictures of, it would be a rare treat to get this on a worknight before COVID-19. This meal took longer, used more ingredients, involved more pots and pans, and took longer to clean up than any pre-quarantine meal that I would make. Yet the payoff was absolutely delicious. To have pan seared scallops in a creamy garlic sauce over wheat spaghetti on a random Wednesday night is one of the few bright sides of quarantine. I am looking forward to the day when all restrictions are lifted and life returns to normal but I will surely miss all the extra time I have to try new recipes, to have my kitchen filled with new and unique scents and for my taste buds to experience diverse ranges of cuisines that my normal schedule precluded.

Due to new information regarding the discovery that small household gatherings were increasing the COVID-19 infection rate, Thanksgiving gatherings may have to be downsized this year for the sake of safety. I am very sad to hear this, because Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. Being away in college so long has made me homesick and I miss my extended family members.

@betsy_klein on Twitter reiterates new information from the CDC director Dr. Redfield that small household gatherings are causing another increase in COVID-19 infection rates. I was surprised and saddened to see this, because I thought small gatherings were okay/somewhat safe. I am also disappointed because this means we have to be vigilant about social distancing again.

Vice President Candidate Kamala Harris's campaign is postponed by Presidential candidate Joe Biden after two people in campaign circuit contact COVID-19

California Senator and Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee, Kamala Harris suspends her campaign travel following two positive cases in her campaign staff. This is a precautionary measure by the campaign. Neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris were exposed to either staffer.

Cases in Europe and in the United States are starting to rise again. Paris and London have set nightly curfews to reduce the amount of interaction between its citizens to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

After the final day of the Supreme Court hearings on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, Senators Feinstein and Graham share a maskless hug. This drew heavy criticism for violating social norms in the midst of the pandemic.

My six year old (shown here) and my ten year old began distance learning March 16, 2020. This photographs captures my kindergartner's first day of distance learning. She found it new and exciting but that feeling did not last long. This photograph is entitled "The Beginning of the Decline" as it was the last photograph I snapped of her before she would be diagnosed with anxiety. Arizona State University, HST485

During the summer in the midst of the pandemic, my county in Arizona put a mask order into effect for all adults and children six and older. Having a job in the childcare industry, I had no idea how this order was going to settle with parents who now had to send their children with masks. Going into the beginning of the week, my coworkers and I were unsure about the response we would get from both the children and their parents. Would parents be upset with us about making children wear masks? Would the children be upset about having to wear a mask? Would we have to refuse childcare for those who would not wear one? We were very concerned about what the reactions would be, but to our surprise most families took the mask order very well. On the first day, almost every single parent sent their child with a mask. Knowing this would be a huge adjustment for the kids, although we were very surprised at how well they all did, my coworker and I tried to make wearing a mask as fun and friendly as possible. Every morning we would have music playing, our fun and colorful masks on, and we even had theme days like in the picture above. Wearing a mask didn’t have to be such a weird thing and our goal was to make their experience as fun and normal as possible. We commented on their masks just as we would with their colorful shoes, cool hats, or sparkly lunch boxes. In a time where there was so much uncertainty, we still continued to bring out the fun no matter what, and I think in that way we made all the difference.

In January 2015, my mom got very sick and was in the hospital for 2 weeks, 3 days of which were in the ICU with a breathing tube. She was diagnosed with severe COPD and has required at-home oxygen ever since. Her disease has now progressed to end-stage. Last year, she received a non-invasive ventilator to use at night. A lot of people with COVID-19 have breathing problems even after recovering from the disease. Some of these people might have permanent lung damage and require at-home oxygen therapy and possibly non-invasive ventilators. The first recording is the sound of an oxygen machine. The second is the sound of the ventilator. At the end of the ventilator recording is the alarm that sounds when it does not detect any breathing. These sounds demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 has on its victims and the legacy it will leave behind long after the disease itself has gone away.

Every year for the last 20 years, our community has planned, practiced, and performed a tribute to Broadway in a production called "Best of Broadway". We have a cast of over 100 local community members that sing and dance to 20 or so different Broadway songs. Our rehearsals are in an old Veterans Memorial building that comes to life during January to March with our songs, lights, and energy. The chants in the hall echos against the old walls, the stomping of feet on the stage threatens those downstairs, and the beat of the music pumps your heart. When one is in the hall, they are guaranteed to hear laughter in the back corner, a director shouting at the sound guy, and a piercing squeal in the speakers. The sounds in the hall define the busy enthusiasm of the cast and crew. However, this year, our production was shut down the day before our opening night due to Covid-19. The heartbreak of working for months on a show that was cancelled was devastating. After our annual production, we always have a day to clean and put our props and costumes away and clean the hall. But, this year, we just...left. The hall remains filled with our Broadway stuff. And when someone walks into the building, the silence of a show that was never performed is deafening.

I work at a bar in north-east Wisconsin. The stereotypes regarding the people of Wisconsin and their love for drinking and the bars are pretty accurate. There isn't much to do in the small town I live in besides that. When Covid began, people were most concerned with the bars being open. We were closed for a while as many devoted patrons, and the Tavern League of Wisconsin tried to fight the orders. We've been open now for several months and still most people that come into the bar do not take the virus or safety measures seriously. There's been times where customers tell me I don't have to wear my mask, or I don't need to wipe down their table, or use hand sanitizer as much. I am constantly around people at my job and risk a lot of contact with the public. I take the safety measures seriously and constantly use hand sanitizer. Since Covid, we have bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere, and now, because of the demand of sanitizer, we have strange brands made out of different products than I am used too. Every time I put on hand sanitizer it comes out all slimy all of my hands. It's incredibly uncomfortable and it feels like you almost need to wash your hands after to get rid of the gross feeling. But eventually it rubs in, and I go on with my job, only to follow up the uncomfortable sensation of slimy hand sanitizer with the complaints of customers who think the virus is fake and there shouldn't be any regulations in place that may hinder the bar experience.

Covid-19 has been affecting schooling around the world. It has shifted mainly online, with most kids attending via virtual schooling. Mix this with poverty and inability to access online school it has been affecting childrens mental health.

When COVID-19 became classified as a pandemic the United States started to shut down. As a result, grocery stores experienced long lines and shortages. Toilet paper, bathroom essentials, and cleaning supplies quickly sold out and became a difficult commodity to purchase. These shortages went on for months. The importance of this is to demonstrate how unprepared humanity is for an event like COVID-19. Seeing these pictures and experiencing the long lines and shortages for myself made me realize how dependant I am on the grocery store. This experience gave me a sense of awareness. I became aware of how easy it was for me to go to the local grocery store and get what I needed before COVID-19; additionally, I became aware of how quickly that can change.

I wrote this document to describe the constant noise that surrounds me on a daily basis.

Story posted on IG by scary mom account taking about the grief some mamas are getting for sending their kids back to school amidst the pandemic. The comments also highlight other moms on the same boat. This point is pointing out that we should support one another and spread more love and less judgment. The fact is that this pandemic has hit people differently and some parents (mostly moms) feel they have no choice but to send their kids back or have a mental breakdown. Some are having to send their kids back to loos their jobs. Regardless of the situation I agree that we should judge less and love more.

On July 18th 2020 in the late afternoon, I started experiencing some concerning not Covid-related symptoms and I made the decision to go to the Emergency Room. I’ve had chronic health issues all my life, so this wasn’t an unfamiliar experience. However, I’d been isolating since March and I was terrified of having to potentially go into a situation that was unknown in the middle of the pandemic. The things I remember most about the visit are how utterly desolate the places in the hospital felt, and how silent it was. I’m used to packed waiting rooms and constant noise. This visit was very different. After a brief screening in a large, mostly empty lobby with large barriers and protective measures in place, they assessed that I was not a potential COVID patient and sent me to a waiting room that I was alone in for most of my visit. There was no real chatter, mostly just silence, broken by the TV. The silence continued even back into the ER, where it seemed that the staff was spread thin. The most notable sounds were occasional low conversations and the sounds of medical equipment being moved around and the beeps and pulses. Even when evaluating me, while warm, the conversations sounded more terse and to the point. Everything moved more quickly. In some ways, it felt like being in an abandoned building. Everything was dark, silent, and empty in the areas where I was.

This news talks about the effects getting the new coronavirus for the second time and it shows how we still need to be careful and don’t think that getting it once you will be fine. We still need to follow CDC guidelines. 北米で初めて新型コロナウイルスに2度感染した患者が確認されました。2回目の感染の症状は1回目より深刻だったということです。 　医学雑誌「ランセット」によりますと、アメリカのネバダ州に住む25歳の男性が今年4月と6月の2回にわたって新型コロナウイルスに感染し、発症しました。2回目の感染の方が症状が深刻だったということです。ウイルスの遺伝子を調べた結果、2度の感染はそれぞれ別の由来を持つ新型コロナウイルスによるものだったことが分かりました。ランセット誌は「一度感染しても十分な免疫獲得を保証することにならない可能性がある」と指摘しています。 For the first time in North America, a patient infected with the new coronavirus for the second time was confirmed. The symptoms of the second infection were more serious than the first. According to the medical journal "The Lancet", a 25-year-old man living in Nevada, USA, was infected with the new coronavirus twice in April and June this year. The second infection was more severe. As a result of examining the genes of the virus, it was found that the two infections that were caused by the new coronavirus had two different origins. "Once infected, it may not guarantee sufficient immunity," Lancet magazine points out.

This article highlights the changes that have been made inside US correctional facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic. While visitation, religious services, rehab and educational programs, phone usage, and even showers have been cut down or completely eliminated, prison labor continues. Incarcerated people are also not able to refuse to work. Doing so can result in loosing privileges time added onto a sentence, or loss of parole or release. In this particular article when the prison was confronted with the worry over the virus being spread through work they defended their position saying they only continued work in places that produced items necessary to fight the pandemic such as soap, hand sanitizer, and masks. While much of the spread of Covid-19 in correctional facilities has been linked to the transfer of inmates this article highlights another avenue for spread, the movement of materials to make things such as masks. The women in one prison were making masks using fabric produced by the men's prison next door. The driver that delivered the fabric from the men's prison was not wearing a mask or taking other precautions.

This is a news about another form of vaccine. Honestly, I am skeptical about this vaccine because recently, there were news regarding the suspension of clinical trials of the vaccines due to the side effects. This news video does not talk about any side effects and negative parts about the vaccine. I do not have any hopes for this vaccine either because clinical trials are conducted too fast, despite the potential of side effects. 新型コロナウイルスのワクチン開発を巡り、アメリカの製薬会社「バクサート」は口から飲む経口ワクチンの治験を開始しました。 　バクサートは13日、開発中の新型コロナウイルスの経口ワクチンについて、初期の治験を開始したと発表しました。対象は18歳から54歳の最大48人で、それぞれ2回投与して効果を確認するとしています。バクサートによりますと、新型コロナの経口ワクチンとしてはアメリカで初の臨床試験となります。注射するタイプのワクチンは通常、低温で保存する必要がありますが、経口ワクチンは常温でも安定して保存でき、運搬が容易だということです。バクサートの初期の治験結果は今後、数週間で明らかになる見通しです。 Regarding the development of a vaccine for the new coronavirus, the American pharmaceutical company "Vaxart" has begun its clinical trials of an oral vaccine that can be taken in from mouth. Vaxart announced on the 13th that they have started the initial clinical trial of an oral vaccine for the new coronavirus that is under development. The subjects are up to 48 people aged from 18 to 54 years old, and it is said that the effect will be confirmed by administering twice for each subject. According to Vaxart, it will be the first clinical trial in the United States for an oral vaccine for the new coronavirus. Injectable vaccines usually need to be stored at low temperatures, but oral vaccines are stable at room temperature and easy to transport. The results of early Vaxart trials are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.

My husband, son and I moved (back) to Durango, Colorado from Monument at the end of February. We closed on our house, started back at school and reconnected with the friends we missed while we were away. Then the news stories started popping up here and there about a new and unidentified virus that is showing up in cities. "Good thing we live here!" I thought to myself. We live in the mountains, in a scattered neighborhood outside a small town in a sparsely-populated area of the country. We'll be fine. My husband's job went to 100% telework. Since he works for the Federal Government, I figured it was just very precautionary and we settled into the convenience of having him home! My son's school went on spring break, more time for playing and friends! I saw on the news that all the schools in Wisconsin (my home state) closed for the rest of the year! Holy cow! I still figured we would not see anything real from this now-named Coronavirus. Then my son's school closed for the year. Suddenly, the entire nation, even our little rural hamlet, came to a shuddering halt. By now, it is into March, nearly April. Tourists still show up to get their last ski runs in, and first hikes and rafting trips of the year in. I suppose that is good. Our entire area relies on tourism so if we can keep things moving, that is a positive, right? Well it turns out there is a pretty huge downside of living in a remote area during a pandemic. Yes, we do not come into contact with many people, we don't have a freeway anywhere nearby, and we do not have a large airport. However, we also lack the resources to have a mass of patients at our hospital. There is one main medical facility that serves a very large area. If this virus shows up here, we could be doomed. With my husband and son home, we hunkered in to see what was going to happen. Fast forward to October, and we have had a handful of cases in our county and neighboring ones, despite the rush of Texas and California tourists this summer. We lost a couple cherished restaurants and establishments, and were not immune to this pandemic. But taking an assessment at the moment, I'm pretty proud of our area. There were arguments on masks, social distancing, sports, and restaurants, that shadowed the nation as a whole, but I saw communities band together like never before. Out of this crisis, there blossomed a new understanding and grace lent to our neighbors that we maybe did not express before. New programs popped up to help those who were struggling, because in reality, we were ALL struggling. This area historically struggles with suicide, and there has been an enormous push to reach out to everyone possible and offer all kinds of hands, or ears as the case may be. All in all, I am proud of my community and I am proud of how we are weathering this storm, among so much other commotion battling for our focus.

In the middle of March in 2020, flight prices dropped dramatically. I took advantage out of this circumstance by purchasing a $75 non-stop round trip ticket on United from Phoenix to Chicago. My flight to Chicago on Monday, March 16 was somewhat full, and O'Hare Airport in Chicago was less crowded than usual. However, the Coronavirus situation quickly worsened each day. I returned to the airport on Thursday, March 19 for a 10:00 AM flight to go back to Phoenix. O'hare, normally packed with people during this aviation morning rush hour, was almost like a ghost town. It had only taken a couple of days to make the big drop in passanger traffic. It was earily quiet. The colorful walkway to the satellite concourse in Terminal 1 had just a few people, making it quite easy to hear Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." When I got to the satellite concourse, it felt like a library. You could walk on the concourse with barely anyone around surrounded by little to no noise. It was if you owned the place. I went to Starbucks, a favorite among travelers in the morning, where there was no line. The workers enjoyed conversating among themselves. Walking past each of the gates, I could hear near silence as most were empty or near empty, with very few gate agents working in the terminal. As someone who had taken flights out of this airport since I was little, this felt very bizzare. I knew this was historic and I took a couple of photographs along the way. One of the things I've realized about the history of the pandemic, and major historical events in general, is that it isn't necessarily about what's added, but what is removed. The sensory details do not necessarily involve jolts to your senses, but perhaps the opposite. Like Lower Manhatten after the collapse of the World Trade Center, sometimes what you may sense during major historical events is near silence. No one on my flight that day needed to point out the sheer gravity of the situation; the silence spoke a thousand words.

We had just moved from Fort Bragg (Fayetteville), North Carolina, to Eglin Air Force Base (Destin), Florida, when my husband learned he was deploying to Afghanistan this past January. Usually, when my husband deploys, I have work to occupy my time, but I did not find a teaching job when we moved. I decided to return to my hometown of Kane, Pennsylvania during my husband’s deployment. When the pandemic started, I decided to fix up a one-hundred-year-old table left in my sister’s house by the previous owner. I made my sister keep this table in her basement for ten years, with the promise that one day I would take it with me. It only took a deployment and a pandemic to get me started on this project. I figured working on the table would be an excellent way to pass the time since I could no longer visit old friends due to the pandemic. I started working on the table in my sister’s basement armed with paint scrapers, wire brushes, CitriStrip, Mineral Spirits, and an acrid-smelling varnish remover. CitriStrip smells like oranges, and that is not a bad smell to have to permeate your sister’s house for days; however, the other varnish remover was not as nose-friendly. It smelt so bad that one could say that I was using biological terrorism on my family. Imagine ten thousand girls removing their nail polish at the same time with acetone, and you have some idea of the smell. It did not take long for my sister to kick me out of my (almost warm) basement work area, and I began to work on the table in the frigid temperatures of my parent’s garage where the smell of chemicals would not reach inside. Pennsylvania is not very warm in March, and I could never get warm, especially when I was using acetone. Acetone evaporates quickly, and as a result, it kept my hands cold. Also, I found that the acetone melted my latex gloves, and that made matters worse. My hands were always dry. Removing the old varnish was laborious, and I am still not sure if it was varnish that coated the table. Research led me to believe that it might be shellac or a type of wax, and when I scraped the layers off, everything turned into a goopy mess. As I scraped each layer of the varnish off the table, I could begin to see more of the table’s features. I began to see the scorch marks from the saw, a mark where the previous owner left a paint can, and I could see the beautiful wood hiding underneath. Finally, it was time to sand. When you are sanding wood, you start with large grain sandpaper, and you work your way to finer sandpaper. I used both an electric sander and a hand sander. The electric sander made my hands numb, but the hand sander was time-consuming. As I wiped the sawdust away from the table, I felt accomplished. Now the table is a treasured part of our new home in Monterey CA; in fact, I am writing this paper on it right now. *This is the story of someone finally getting around to refurbishing an old table.

COVID-19 re-created a living paradigm I had experienced living in Japan for many years of wearing a mask in public, usually on public transportation or during flu season. Although I did not wear it all the time, when I did wear it my sense of smell would of course be muted, or I would smell my own breath. It would also bring to my attention what I perceived others would smell when I spoke with them making me more self-conscience of my breath (and increasing gum and mint purchases). Although I found it uncomfortable, I would deal with it for the short periods of time it was necessary. When the COVID-19 government responses in the US required the use of a mask in public, I found myself back in unpleasantly familiar sensation of having to wear a mask, but now one made of cloth, since disposable paper ones were hard to acquire or reserved for health care workers. Of course, said mask has been washed and dried with perfumed detergents further muting the sense of smell. What also made it worse was the fuzzy lint strings that existed on the inside of any mask (cloth or paper) that would tickle the nose and inducing a sneeze, unleashing a round of stares from strangers nearby. Overall, I have grown used to it, but the behavioral shift in wearing, washing, gathering, and staging of a mask that has become a norm, and so has the muted sense of smell. Sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse.

This news is about the stop of clinical trials of the vaccine for COVID-19 virus. I personally was really suspicious about these vaccine because the process is moving too fast and usually vaccine development can take years to be used to the public. アメリカの製薬大手ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソンは12日、新型コロナウイルスワクチンの全ての治験を一時停止したと発表しました。 治験の参加者１人が原因不明の病気になったのが理由としていますが、症状など具体的な情報は明らかにしていません。 新型コロナワクチンをめぐっては、日本も供給を受けることで合意をしているイギリスのアストラゼネカが９月、副作用の疑いがあるとして、世界的な治験中断に一時追い込まれました。 American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson announced on the 12th that it has suspended all clinical trials of the new coronavirus vaccine. The reason is that one of the participants in the clinical trial became ill with an unknown cause, but specific information such as the symptoms has not been disclosed. In September, AstraZeneca of the United Kingdom, which has agreed to supply Japan with the new corona vaccine, was temporarily suspended from clinical trials worldwide because of suspected side effects.

This is a news talking how lip balms could be effective in the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 virus. 新型コロナウイルスの感染経路の一つであるつばの飛散防止について、リップクリームが効果的だとフランスの研究者らが発表しました。 　研究はフランス・モンペリエ大学のアブカリアン教授らが行いました。会話中では特にPやBの発音の際、唇の間に唾液の糸ができ、それがつばとなって空気中に放出されます。しかし、リップクリームを塗ったところ唾液の糸はできにくくなり、人によっては飛散するつばの量が4分の1になったということです。 　アブカリアン教授：「もし唇の表面の質を変えたらどうなるんだろうと思いました。研究では、保湿などに使うクリームを塗ると飛沫（ひまつ）の量が減ったんです」 　音によって効果が異なるほか、効果自体も1分ほどしか持たないことから、リップクリームはマスクの代わりにはなりませんが、研究を続けていくとしています。 French researchers have announced that lip balm is effective in preventing the spread of the spit, which is one of the infection routes of the new coronavirus. The research was conducted by Professor Abcarian of the University of Montpellier, France. During conversations, especially when pronouncing P or B, a thread of saliva is formed between the lips, which becomes a spit and is released into the air. However, when lip balm was applied, it became difficult for the saliva threads to form, and for some people, the amount of scattered spit was reduced to one-fourth. Professor Abcarian: "I wondered what would happen if I changed the quality of the surface of my lips. In my research, applying a cream used for moisturizing reduced the amount of droplets (himatsu)." The effect differs depending on the sound, and the effect itself lasts only about 1 minute, so lip balm is not a substitute for a mask, but they will continue their research.

This is the news explaining how droplets travel and the risk of exposure. スーパーコンピューター「富岳」を使った新型コロナ感染リスクの検証で、飲食店で隣同士に座って会話した場合は正面で会話するよりも5倍の飛沫（ひまつ）を浴びることが分かりました。 　富岳が4人が飲食店で1分程度話をした場合を計算した飛沫の広がり方です。理化学研究所のチームリーダーを務める神戸大学の坪倉誠教授によりますと、感染者が横に座っていて話をした場合は、正面に座った場合の5倍の飛沫を受けることが分かりました。さらに、飛沫そのものも湿度が低ければ低いほど、下に落ちずに空中に漂う量が急激に増えることが分かりました。湿度30％の場合は、60％の場合の2倍以上の飛沫が1.8メートル先まで到達したということです。また、コンサートホールなどで、合唱をする場合は飛沫は直進するため前方の人ほどリスクが高まるほか、合唱で生まれた気流によって飛沫がより遠くまで届くということです。 In the verification of the risk of new corona infection using the supercomputer "Tomitake", it was found that when sitting next to each other at a restaurant and talking, they are exposed to five times as many droplets (himatsu) compared to when sitting and talking in front of each other. “Tomitake” calculated how the droplets spread when four people talked at a restaurant for about one minute. According to Professor Makoto Tsubokura of Kobe University, who is the team leader of RIKEN, it was found that when an infected person sits next to an individual and talks, he/she is exposed to five times as many droplets as when he/she sits in front of him/her. Furthermore, it was found that the lower the humidity of the droplets themselves, the more the droplets will be floating in the air without falling down. At a humidity of 30%, more than twice as many droplets, compared to the humidity at 60%, reached 1.8 meters away. Also, when a choir is singing in a concert hall, the droplets go straight forwards and thus the risk increases for the person in front, and the airflow created by the chorus causes the droplets to reach farther.

I am very lucky. I have a job that allows me to work 12-hour shifts, which means I have three or four days off a week. I used to have the time while my daughter was at school and my wife (a teacher) was at work to relax or work on my master's classes. These classes take concentration and time to read and write, and noise is very distracting to me. I should also mention that we purposely bought a small house, less than 1300 sq. feet. Suddenly in March, 2020, my world (at the risk of sounding selfish) was changed. My wife was teaching from home, juggling rooms back and forth with me for computer usage etc., while my daughter was asking for help with school. The voice mail attached is a memory I have of my comfortable little environment changing. This particular voicemail surely caused stress and anxiety to the parents of 16,000 students in one district. Even today listening to it feels ominous. Ironically, today I dropped my daughter off for the first time at in-person school, and I was sad to see her go. *Voicemail sound file from my child's school district announcing school closures.

CNN reports that Johnson and Johnson put their vaccine trials on pause after one of their volunteers is experiencing an unexplained illness. As if many people weren’t already sketched out about this vaccine race this is yet another reason why many are saying they’ll wait a while to get vaccinated. I for one, will wait until it’s ok’d by the CDC and the first wave of people vaccinated don’t have adverse reactions.

CNN reports the story of Brianna Hill who went into labor in the middle of her bar exam, which had to be delayed because of the pandemic. Her water broke and she labored while still taking the exam. After having her baby boy, she continued on with her exam. This story not only highlights the wide effects of the pandemic but also shines a bright light on the resilience of motherhood and the power of determination.

During the pandemic, specifically between March and June, there wasn't much for me to do with work. I would help my Dad with his now unfamiliar school work. I did play games and watched the entirety of Parks and Recreation, but couldn't stave off the boredom. I needed to do something. So, I would go on walks. Sometimes I would go by myself and sometimes I would take my dog Carolina. She loves taking walks and it was something new for her with every walk. I lived in a rural part of town and the air was fresh. The smell of flowers drifting in the air, while also smelling cow manure as well. All I could hear was the sound of the birds, neighbor dogs and the farm animals. Carolina would stare at those dogs or animals, but never approach them. It was wonderful to breathe in the warm air. Cars were a rare sight and sound when I would walk along the asphalt with no issues. It was so quiet. It was nice to have the road to ourselves. Prior to COVID, people would be driving along our road frequently and we could hear them even from the end of our driveway. There seemed to be less garbage in the ditches too. Sometimes, I would see whole families walking along the road, probably wanting to inhale that fresh air that I was enjoying. Mid to late summer though, the air became thick with smoke. The fires around Washington, especially from nearby Selah, were suffocating and my walks stopped. There was even a fire on the ridge behind our house and I was worried that we would have to evacuate. The sky was muggy and the area was too warm, thankfully, since we all started wearing masks, we could cope with the fires. Mostly, I was disappointed that the fresh air I breathed towards the beginning of summer was gone. The picture I chose to share was a picture I took of the fire that started on the ridge behind our house. It's not the best quality, but that smoke was what closed out the summer. There was a lot to deal with this summer; COVID and fires mostly, but somehow, we made it. *Photograph, this is something that I took myself.

In early April of this year, I had driven to the oceanfront for a few hours of morning surfing. The weather the previous day created ideal swells. Growing up in and around the ocean, surfing has always been a way of life for me. After several sets and a few hours, I proceeded in to the beach and stepped on an embedded oyster shell. At first, it felt like a bad bruise, but it was a horrible gash on the bottom of my right foot. I knew after looking that I needed stitches. I wrapped my foot in a towel, limped off with my board, secured things as best I could, and drove myself to the nearest ER. I was checked in, placed in a room, etc. Since the wound was not bleeding profusely, my foot was placed in a basin of antibacterial solution. After the preliminaries of great care, I waited for the doctor. The door to my room was slightly cracked open, at least enough to hear much activity in the main ER area. And I waited. Over the next several hours, the ER became a flurry of chaos. But it was not what what I could see, but could hear with the door nearly closed. Multiple patients were brought in by ambulances with breathing difficulty. The rooms filled up and some stretchers started lining the halls. A nurse poked her masked face in every so often to ask how I was doing. As i waited, i learned that I was a low priority, and rightfully so. I was not dying, nor gasping for breath. I kept hearing "God! I can't breathe!" These were the sounds of the early pandemic in April. Male and female voices, struggling through broken sentences, vitally needing air under the acute distress of COVID infection. With nothing to read, and no phone (my beach excursions do not entail smartphones because of sand), I became increasingly aware of audible sensations and the suffering of others trying to breathe. Over the next few hours, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude; not because of my injury, but because I could breathe. I knew my foot would be fine with some stitches and maybe a tetanus shot, and I was, wth some crutches later upon discharge. Yes, incomplete sentences imply breathing problems, but gasping and cursing, just the struggle to live for oxygen, is what the early pandemic taught me in the ER—to be grateful for just a foot injury and excellent medical care. I was not dying, but other patients were fighting acute lung infections. The news, especially during the early pandemic, gave us video of hospitals overwhelmed with critical patients and ventilators. But for me, it was the audible sensations from the door slightly open that conveyed a profound sense of the quiet insidiousness of COVID. Some infections only bring a fever. Some folks are infected and never know it due to lack of symptoms. Yet, it is the critical ones, those that cannot breathe, that can impart a perspective of gratitude to someone like me with a routine foot laceration. Retrospectively, I look back on this experience, my ER day, and recall those voices. I never saw those people struggling, but I did not have to see them to come away with gratitude for a simple surfing accident. Some of those patients were undoubtedly placed on a ventilator in the ICU, and perhaps their outcome was even worse. I ended up discharged to home.

There are two things that have marked this pandemic for me: sound and smell. He sounds of slammed doors from a very bored, angry, unsure ten-year-old boy and the smell of my late-night cooking. As a 10-year-old, he felt set adrift, when schools closed, and he couldn’t go play with his friends and they couldn’t come here. How do you explain the concept of pandemic to a kid without scaring the crap out of them? Because he was slamming the door to his room almost anytime he was spoken to, the dogs, of course, had something to say about it, because, well, they’re dogs. So, most of the day, there was slamming doors, constant barking, yelling (him), more yelling (me), crying (mostly me) and just really wanting some peace. So, I began to cook. Stock, one of the first things I learned in culinary school. Tomato sauce. Pasta. Cookies. Bread, and no, I didn’t get on the sour dough band wagon. And I would do this late at night. When it was quite and cool. Filling the house with the rich smells of food. Meals that have been frozen, stock that has been frozen or canned, cookie dough stashed away to make cookies later. I could think while I cooked. It was and is, my de-stressor. The picture is of one of my creations – “Ravioli Lasagna” – basically, using fresh ravioli (this is ricotta and spinach) as your lasagna “noodle”, layered with marinara, mozzarella and sweet Italian sausage.

The magnitude of COVID-19 has certainly changed all of our lives forever, and I can absolutely discuss the greater magnitude of the issue. However, in this archive, I will submit a more specific story of how my wife, children and I have been affected and are still affected today. Living in Arizona, there is one thing every Arizonian knows, the summers are hot! After living in Arizona for almost a decade now, my wife and I have grown to appreciate Fall, Winter and Spring because the weather is spectacular, and we enjoy being able to take a walk. In Summer we quickly learned we could enjoy our walks by window shopping in any store or mall as the air conditioning was second to none. This all came to a screeching halt in March 2020 with the declaration of the COVID-19 Pandemic. We heeded all the orders, bypassing our Spring walks to stay indoors for our safety. My wife and children would stay in while I would make very sparse food runs to restock following every precautionary instruction given. I quickly realized what was said to be not important at first, later to be told it was necessary for basic safety measures, I would learn the “Mask” would be my greatest foe. Why? Because it makes it very difficult to breathe. As stores begun to open in early Summer, it was too hot to be outside as temperatures were topping 100 degrees in the valley of the sun. We would at least be able to enjoy our walks in stores after the stay at home orders were lifted. However, at this point mask orders were put into place making it mandatory indoors. Now faced with the choice of it being too hot outside or walking indoors with a mask where breathing is labored, gaining headaches and now lightheadedness while struggling for air. As the mask orders continue and seeing masks of every type, people wearing them incorrectly, people touching them, raising them and removing them. The more and more people I see out and about and no significant rise in deaths or hospitalizations, I wonder what the reason for these masks can be? Right now, the only thing I am waiting for is my next breath of fresh air.

My mother in law came to Arizona from Arequipa, Peru in Febuary. She arrived a few days before the news of Coronavirus seemed to be spreading in the United States. She has been an absolutely lifesaver. Without her, I don't think I could have managed, especially once school was effectively cancelled for my kindergartener in March. Having my mother in law around is like having another mother, another set of hands to help. She is pretty active and mobile, so she doesn't mind keeping up with the 2yo and she helps me take care of all those details around the house that I never have time for like cleaning, washing dishes, letting the dog out, letting the dog in, breaking up the fight between siblings, cooking, all of it. Now we split most of those chores, since my husband works outside the house. I couldn't do it without her, and I should say that we don't take it for granted. We pay her what we would have paid the daycare for the 2yo, which is actually a decent weekly income when translated back to Peruvian soles. This image shows that there are limited flights back to Peru and that Peru is still in a waves of curfew and lockdowns. We've applied for an extended visa, and I'm hoping she can stay through December. I know she misses home, but she's also glad to be useful and to be living somewhere that isn't enforcing curfews and periodic lockdowns.

Un dibujo de Andrés Edery mostrando la cara de Trump, y un Coronavirus intentando escaparse. El Coronavirus parece que quiere salirse, lo entiendo con un sentido de humor, como ni siquiera un virus horrible quiere permanecer en su cuerpo.

More political cartoons in the familiar series, "Diary of a pandemic," by artist Andrés Edery. These are some of the most recent images drawn and added. I think my favorite is the image of the father trying to recreate the feeling of going to a stadium to watch a soccer match, there's definitely a theme of parenthood in several of the cartoons that are endearing and relatable.

I found this CNN article really interesting. The best part was the comment section. It’s mixed feelings with some saying these people are essentially taking one for the team while others are saying these people are an extreme version of anti-maskers.

This experience of the Covid-19 pandemic is probably very different than most people. My picture submitted of myself shows a selfie that I took while in the hospital dealing with a non-Covid-19 hospitalization. As you will see through reading this I was on sensory overload. My experience with taste when it comes to my hospitalization was not one of joy, but one of provisional change due to introduction of various new medical regiments which made things tasting like metal along with various other side effects. The over powering aroma of alcohol wipes and various chemicals burned my nostrils causing my eyes to water with irritation and redness. Desiring the touch of a loved ones other then the nurses pin pricks and the doctors jabs however, due to Covid restrictions my only comfort was my husband. With the on going treatments of chemotherapy I had caused numbness in my toes and fingers which felt like knives. I am a 35 year old man who is diagnosed with stage Three-B Testicular Cancer who was healthy one minute and who's world was turned upside down the next moment. So, my Covid-19 experience has been that of Chemotherapy, isolationism, crying, hospital smells, changing of all of my sensory parts of my body, and more. This is important to me because it has changed my life, Covid-19 experience, work-life, and many other areas.

It seems these days it’s become impossible for people to gather for whatever reason without vandalism and looting following suit. It’s sad to see stories like this because last nights win by the Lakers was such a positive event for the city and now it’s been overshadowed by stories like this. Looting and vandalism aside I wonder how many COVID cases this gathering will cause. It’s hard not to wonder what Kobe would have to say about this.

The Los Angeles Lakers had not been to a final in ten years. Our city was full of hope and excitement when this years team was assembled (along with a new head coach). Then 2020 started and our world seemed to fall apart. For the team and our city specifically the loss of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi and all those on that plane, that foggy morning in February was almost too much to bare. The truth is that this year has seen the loss of so many positive people in our society, that partnered with the global pandemic and the terrible leadership in the White House has dubbed this year the unofficial official worse year ever. Of course I think the title is a bit dramatic and things can always be worse but I think we can all agree that this year has been pretty terrible, politically, socially, economically and morally. The lakers won last night, I was watching with my city and for the first time in a long time felt the need to celebrate. It’s the end of the year, and I can’t help but hope that this cause for celebration will be a turning point.

I resisted joining Tik Tok, and working on the archive I saw that some of the submissions were from this application, but I wasn't interested in learning a new platform. Then, when NPR started reporting that President Donald J Trump was going to ban downloading the app, I decided to download it and see what it was like. It's a funny amalgamation of short videos, sometimes music, that ranges from bizarre to hilarious. I keep seeing videos from the member TreyTV who does hilarious impressions of DJT, this one is a spin off the Idaho man who make a Tik Tok to a Fleetwood Mac song while drinking Ocean Spray. I have to say, as bleak as thing are right now, it feels so great to laugh.

One of my favorite holiday rituals is to go to a park, lay a blanket down, enjoy a picnic with my circle of family and friends along with the many other groups who are also awaiting the start of the fireworks show. The aromas of barbecued items such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and corn wafting in the air mixing with other ethnic delights are reminders of the diversity of this country. I open the doors of my Jeep, connect my iPhone and select my July 4th playlist to share with the people around me. In the distance I hear other groups talking and commenting on the music; it's nice to have background music as the show begins. "What's a July 4th show without the good 'ole '1812 Overture'?" is a common remark. The attraction of the fireworks, at least to me, is being there to hear the reverberation and smell the sulphur as they explode in the air besides the visual display. Timing the music to the show, especially the finale, is my annual challenge; one that I've been somewhat successful several years in a row. This year's holiday was spent indoors, by myself. I just didn't have the energy or interest to go to the bother of barbecuing for just me. My friends and family were all hunkered down at their respective homes. To observe July 4th via TV was just not same. For me, there would be no physical sensation of the sounds or of the smells that are so closely associated with the holiday. So, I passed on recognizing July 4th as a holiday...it was just another Covid-19 day in the year 2020.