This is an article discussing new protocols for military basic training involving a 14 day quarantine period and testing before training as well as contact tracing.

This is an article explaining how the military is experiencing higher rates of coronavirus than the general public.The article claims it is due to more people getting tested when in reality it is due to precautions not being taken seriously.My husband's whole platoon was exposed to the coronavirus and they just quarantined those who expressed a desire to get a test and wouldn't let them get an actual test because it would "expose the people taking a test" they even tried to force a soldier without coronavirus to room with a soldier who had tested positive for it.

It seems that schools across the country are busy developing colorful graphics regarding school reopening plans. Green often means students and teachers are safe to return to school, a yellow column suggests that masks should be worn and a hybrid model should be put in place, red means schools need to close to mitigate the spread. But have they developed a nice colorful chart the impact of schools reopening? How many cases among students is enough to close the schools? How many cases will it take for the public to accept that schools maybe shouldn't be opened at full capacity right now. Will we know if our reopening plans are successful? A school district in Georgia was open 1 day before sending home multiple letters about students who had tested positive. This article talks about the divide that occurs in a community when deciding whether or not to open the schools. I think it is easy for people to hear 'kids are less likely to get COVID" and just assume that it's safe to reopen schools. Students in grades 6-12 are more likely to contract COVID than kids in grades K-5 and that's because they're older. Students in grades 6-12 are also in contact with far more students each day (7 classes a day, 20 kids/class). It seems outrageous to expect schools to open at full capacity and without issue.

The Nampa School district which is Idaho's 3rd largest school district overall but largest school district that is 1:1 with student devices made the decision to start the year online. The decision was made after a special session with the Board of Trustees. Earlier meetings suggested that the school district would start in person with a hybrid model of instruction. However, after hearing the pleas of local health officials the district opted to start online. As a Nampa teacher I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I am a healthy 25 year old teacher and I believe that if I picked up COVID-19 I would recover. My biggest concern is for my colleagues. The career teachers who have been teaching for the last 25-30 years. Many are in an age category that puts them at risk and others have underlying health conditions that also put them at high risk. I am so relieved that out Board of Trustees listened to our local health officials.

During the COVID time, many people worked from home and conducted business via video conferencing. Sometimes, unexpected things would happen such as pets and kids would rush across the scene or sit on their parents' laps. In this case, a coworker got up from his chair revealing he was in his boxers. Another example was the time when a worker's husband entered the scene in his tidy whities.

Will Reeves, a reporter for Good Morning America, a well-known morning TV show, was caught wearing no pants during his segment. This is how many people worked from home during the quarantine. Some were caught, but most of us weren't on national television.

by Jessica Myers| Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship

During quarantine, families were forced to be together 24/7. That situation, along with the usual stresses of marriage led to jokes old and new. This meme shows that the wife buried her husband in the garden--we assume because she just. Could. Not. Take. It. Anymore.

This is a story about the quarantine separating me, and most importantly others in my community, from participating not only in the sacrifice of the mass but also catechumens from receiving the sacraments of initiation during Holy Week. It's the most sacred time of the year for Catholics. It marks not only the anniversary of a deeply changing experience for me, but it's the time when I can see candidates enter the body of the church fully, and for that body to either be baptized or renew their baptismal vows.

I submitted how the Corona Pandemic has helped change my life for the better.

Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship

A study outlining the risk of using the drug hydroxychloroquine has been retracted by researchers involved, citing uncertain data. After researchers admitted to being unable to vouch for the data used in their study, the decision was made to retract the study. The retraction highlights the concern that medical researchers are lowering standards of data verification in an effort to rush publications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Months into the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals are still struggling to find enough PPE to protect their workers. With supplies still being grossly under-available, some hospitals have had to resort to reusing PPE multiples times in an effort to provide at least some protection for their staff.

Across the country, volunteer fire and EMS services are facing a dangerous choice during the COVID-19 pandemic, save the lives of others or stay safe. With a lack of funding for many of these departments, proper PPE is a luxury many do not have access to. Among workers in the healthcare field, volunteer members are seeing the highest rates of infection.

San Francisco has stepped out to lead the nation in criminal justice reform by cutting the cost of phone calls and commissary items from its jails. They cite the change as especially necessary during the Covid pandemic.

James King, formerly incarcerated and now a criminal justice activist, speaks out about the need to reduce the prison population to slow the spread of covid. He also explains the conditions at San Quentin Prison in California and in the replies to his Tweet explains and quotes the recidivism rates for prisoners.

Covid-19 is particularly dangerous in populations that are enclosed and unable to social distance such as nursing homes and correctional facilities. This Tweet explains that 14 of the largest outbreaks across the US are in the prisons and jails. The writer of the Tweet, James King, asks why the California Governor, Gavin Newsom, is closing bars and beaches while not doing more in the correctional facilities since 6 of the 14 largest outbreaks are in California.

Language is changing to be more people focused. This has happened in several arenas including incarceration. Instead of calling people inmates, prisoners, or convicts there is a movement to change the language to a people first option such as incarcerated person. One activist, Adnan Khan, of Restore Justice, a California based nonprofit seeking to change the criminal justice system, saw his Tweet about people first language cause the Los Angeles Times to change their headline.

Covid-19 has been eye opening and really illustrated many of the problems we as a society have done a good job ignoring. One of the things society has long ignored is overcrowding in prisons and jails in the US. We've also learned that any enclosed population without the ability to social distance is a risk for having a major Covid-19 outbreak. Together, overcrowding and the inability to social distance, has made for a bleak outlook in the nation's correctional facilities. This Tweet shows that even this far in to the pandemic and the outbreak at San Quentin the prison is still over capacity.

This Tweet expresses the lack of concern for the incarcerated people dying from Covid 19. California Governor Gavin Newsom expresses his sympathy for the family and friends of one of the correctional facility staff who recently passed from complications due to Covid-19 but he does not mention the many people incarcerated in these facilities who have also died from Covid-19.

It was early morning on the 7th of July, 2020 and a cough from down under woke me out of my sleep. It is 2020, the Plague Year. Somewhere in the depths of my mind I heard a voice that said ‘CORONA VIRUS!’, a social media phrase made all the more famous when said best by rap icon, Cardi B. This time the voice was not hers but mine. I fell back asleep and woke again at 7 am preparing to catch a flight to Ft. Lauderdale in just an hour. I had a fever. I never have fevers. I felt off in a way where I could not focus on the present because a dark cloud of fear was hanging over me. I shook it off as CoronaVirus induced anxiety is a common thing these days. I hung back in order to board last and ensure myself an empty row on the plane all to myself. It was mid flight that I knew without a doubt that I had COVID-19. COVID-19 in nutshell is near impossible to explain and is a paradox not unlike the paradoxes it created in the moral structure of mankind. Covid-19 began introducing its pervasive nature into a plethora of my systems. You are freezing cold to the touch but burning inside. One moment your blood pressure is so low you begin to think out loud to yourself…’excuse me everyone while I just lay down right here and die’ followed by hours of pounding heart rates that require medical intervention. Of course there's diarrhea and I lost bowel movement in the hotel walking back to my room. CoronaVirus also almost had me convinced that I was going to throw up in my mouth for the rest of my life. Every few days the virus manifested itself in a new profound way but not before convincing me that it was ending. At one point my brain was shaking so intensely that the left side of my face drooped and my arms went numb landing me back into the ER for a round of anticonvulsants and fluids. The fatigue and muscle pain and swollen diaphragm were the last to leave or were they? Yesterday I woke up with pink eye and stomach cramps just a few days over 4 weeks since my symptoms started, 3 weeks after diagnosis and 10 days after testing negative. COVID-19 has affected the moral structure of mankind in a pervasive nature in a plethora of misinformation, egotism and political affiliation. And just like its symptoms, CoronaVirus has no middle ground of sensibilities in the human psyche. Some of the most prevalent concepts of the Plague Year range from government conspiracy, global terroism, the wrath of God, a hoax, a completely fraudulent non-existent virus, or a huge covert operation to inoculate the world and take the spotlight off the rampant sex trafficking and police brutality wreaking havic on the worlds children. 2020 is The Plague Year in every way. Who can blame us for our ignorance but ourselves. As a society we have turned our backs on books, professors, scientists and even our friends’ own experience for the misinformation machine known as social media. Many of us have let politicians determine the depth of our hearts. COVID-19 has made me question the paradox of the heart as an emotional or love centered force that exists in all mankind. I am writing as a Biological Science Major, PreMed student at Arizona State University and as a part of Religion, Culture, and Public Life course where I have been given the opportunity to share my story to ‘A Journal to the Plague Year’. In this course we study what is rational thought as it pertains to religion, spiritualism and the conditions of the heart in retrospect to whether or not man can do good for mankind without the need to also do bad to mankind. I lost several friends through this year and diagnosis. Some of them have never returned a text or call and others called me a liar and some laugh at my symptoms when I tell them. Then there are those that laugh at posts of people in hospital beds and turn their noses up to simple fever checks at local businesses. CoronaVirus would not be complete however had it not also brought out a global connection of assistance. Mortgages and rents are suspended, utilities are not being disconnected, the government is sending cash assistance and our food and medical welfare services have expanded to all in need. The Small Business Associations in combined efforts are bailing out businesses left and right with grants to the tune in the billions. For once in history the little man, the big man, the poor man, the rich man, the athlete, the teacher...all of us were in need and all of us were susceptible to the same affliction; COVID-19. My final thoughts on COVID-19 are one of simplicity in the midst of madness. Regardless of the plethora of theories or origination ideas and outside of the political or religious realm; CoronaVirus is still a real biological virus. CoronaVirus does not need to be highly fatal to wreak havoc on an individuals life but for far too many it is. As a future practitioner of medicine it is my oath to believe that one life is too many. It would do humanity some good to stop and weigh out the inconveniences of a silly mask or a temperature check or an imperfect trip at the grocery store for the sake of just maybe the scientists are correct. Just maybe we can stop this before The Plague Year of 2020 becomes the plague decade.

COVID-19 has definitely made a huge change to my everyday routine. Before this all hit Arizona, my weekly schedule was gym in the morning, and depending on the day i would go to work in the afternoon and then do some homework before bed. On my days off from work I would go to school in the afternoon and usually do homework after. I would usually only have free time on Sunday's. This hasn't really affected my schedule negatively, but has definitely changed the origin of where I do things and has limited my abilities to do a lot of things as well. I now work out from home and had to purchase equipment and do not have access to anywhere close to the amount of equipment or weight that I normally have access to at the gyms, but have to make it work with what I have. I also have had to work from home, which is the same schedule I was on before and it definitely took a little bit of getting used to since I have roommates, but I made it work and I'm very fortunate to have a reliable job during these times. Most of my classes I take are online, so that won't have a very big impact on me other than if I ever have to go to campus, which I haven't had to yet. This has also had a huge impact on my relationship with my family. I went from seeing them once every 1-2 weeks to never seeing them because of me being a risk. My grandparents are very old and I haven't been able to see them since March. It is definitely tough for me, but i try to call them everyday to stay in touch with them as much as I can! Overall, I don't thing this whole COVID situation has impacted me as much as a lot of others and I and lucky to be in the situation I am in.

After much investigation about COVID-19 I have realized that your health and wellbeing have more importance than anything else, especially wealth. I have embarked on this "getting healthy" journey, and eating a more balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and cutting processed foods has helped me deal with stress and given me strength to continue and cope with the new normal. The media should be encouraging people to eat a healthy balanced diet and exercise, if this were the case; the mortality rate would be much lower. Healthy people don't get as sick. Let's all get on the good health boat and remember that together we can fight this. Get your health back, be metabolically healthy and COVID-19 will be yesterday's news faster.

Within my contribution to the Covid-19 Archives project, I wanted to reflect on how my beliefs have changed over the year of 2020. In best coming up with where my thinking has been, I developed a few xelect questions which could be asked, or answered by anyone in contemporary settings and are highly relevant to any life, spiritual or secular. I will reflect on insights I have internalized from both secular and religious texts. It is my underline perception that all religions strive towards a union with a divine principle, In this way they are all equal. As famously spoken by Swami Vivekananda “We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.” So long as a heart has a desire for God; In whichever form the seeker finds. The desire of man is grand, and will not stop on this side of infinity. Therefore, so long as the desire of an individual is to expand one's own awareness to ever greater extents, one will always be prepared for a wider more complex existence. How does your faith address the issue of ‘evil’, ‘suffering’, or ‘sin’ within the world? This question is a common contention of every faith, particularly with wide evidence of natural disasters and illnesses, culminating in widespread suffering within the human and animal world. As many ideas have been put forward through faiths and philosophies, many such explanations leave much to be desired. For instance; theories such as character building or developmental and growth theories. Ideas that God is ‘testing us’, or preparing us for something in the future. Such answers are unsatisfactory in that a God deemed as all loving would not Inflict suffering. Similarly freewill is given, or a deviation from moral principle. Yet the same question arises. What suffering is experienced because of ‘freewill’. To give a lit match to a child is dangerous because they do not know the burn of the fire. In a similar fashion, ideas which argue the fault of man do not give justice to the hardships of life in any given society. It is my belief, similar to what might be seen in non-dual Vedanta, that issues of suffering facing the world are a result of ignorance. That an individual, as a single focal point of reference is never isolated, yet rather synonymous with the whole of conscious awareness. What does your belief have to say of the relationship between the individual and the world? I am a centre of Thy golden light And I its vast and vague circumference, Thou art my soul great, luminous and white And Thine my mind and will and glowing sense. Thy spirit’s infinite breath I feel in me; My life is a throb of Thy eternity. - Sri Aurobindo Personally, this is one of my favorite short poem reflections by Aurobindo. It is my understanding that I am not alien to this world, yet rather emerge into it. As a tree produces a ripe fruit, the planet has produced the human brain as the most ‘conscious fruit’. I appreciate the idea that we are to be shepherds of the earth and do right by the planet, as it is no different than us, and will be the ingredients of future generations. What do your teachings define as a moral and ethical life? I believe in the concept of doing unto others as we would have done to yourself, or the idea of doing right by one's neighbor just the same as one's enemy. It is because I know that who I define as an enemy defines myself. Rather, the Idea for me is to dissolve conceptions of enemies or friends alike. That all may have the opportunity to be admired with fresh eyes as pure and worthy of love and respect. Once the obsession of noticing the wrongs of others has been observed, we may slowly begin perceiving our own wrongdoings. Thank you for all and any who took the time to read over this! I hope you too felt compelled to consider such questions. This year has left all with tremendous insight.

The day we entered quarantine was one of the most bizarre days I can remember. I was working my normal shift at the restaurant, and the dining room was completely empty. This in itself was strange for a place usually running on a few hours wait and constantly full of people. There had been talk about the restaurant closing its doors, but the thought seemed so absurd that no one really believed it. The air felt heavy, and my manager was nervously pacing around taking call after call. As I waited for guests to arrive I robotically folded my linens wondering if I was going to have a job in the coming days. The TV above the bar flickered with images of people in masks, hospitals filled with sick patients, scientists and doctors on podiums at the White House, the President trying to calm the public, and the words CORONAVIRUS UPDATE. I looked away. I felt like I couldn’t escape the impending disaster. I was supposed to work a double shift that day, March 16, but after not getting a single table, my manager sent me home and told me not to come in for dinner. I could see the stress etched on his face as he told me he would be let me know what was going on as soon as he knew. I learned the restaurant group was probably going to close all its restaurants for “two to three weeks.” Little did we know that it would be much longer. I drove home on deserted roads. I played no music and instead sat in silence trying not to panic about whether or not I would be jobless soon. I remember my dad texting me to go get gas in case the gas stations closed and pick up any groceries I may need for my apartment. What kind of times are we living in? Unprecedented times. It was surreal. When I got back to my apartment my roommates were both home. They informed me that for the next nine weeks they were instructed to work from home. I immediately packed a bag and headed for my parents house (at least I’d have more room and it would be quiet). I ended up spending most of the quarantine with my family. The restaurant I worked at closed for over three months. I had to file for unemployment and only received a fraction of what I used to bring in while employed. Times were tough. My dad, a pilot for American Airlines, took a six month leave, and I was glad to know my family was safe at home. The news never strayed from constant Covid-19 updates: potential vaccines in the works, testing sites erected all over the country, lockdowns across the globe, borders closing, toilet paper shortages, unemployment numbers skyrocketing, business failing. The good news never came, only a bombardment of the bad. The days seemed bleak. One day flowed into the next, and the weeks became an unsettling blur of constant unease and unrest. It seemed that the condition of the sick went from bad to worse. Death tolls increased by the day. The only thing left to do was pray, occupy your mind so that you wouldn’t become sick with worry, “find a hobby” they said, “learn a language” they said. I prayed with my family. We streamed mass every Sunday, and for that forty five minute service there existed a glimmer of hope, structure, and strength. I tried to be strong. I tried not to let my family see how much stress I felt at the thought of the struggling families going without paychecks and the exhaustion of workers on the front line. I tried not to think about my grandparents alone in their dark house with no one to check on them- only a daily phone call for months on end. I could hear the sadness in their voices when I called. “It shouldn’t be much longer now” I’d say, but my words sounded hollow. My family has a strong faith. I leaned on my family more than I had in a long time during the quarantine, and I witnessed my parents’ united display of trust in God. They had faith that things would get better, that humanity would prevail, and that we’d come out of this stronger. I listened to them say the rosary every night as they prayed for the sick and struggling world. It was all they could do, and they said it with as much conviction as they could muster. Praying provided them comfort, and I found myself chiming in, sitting with them as they closed their eyes and raised their concerns to God. As I returned to work in late June things had drastically changed. The world as we knew it was gone and in its place was a fractured society slowing healing from the devastation of Coronavirus. The generosity of the guests as they returned to the restaurant was like nothing I’d ever seen before. People went the extra mile to help each other as we integrated back into some level of normalcy. I saw one of the darkest times in recent history overcome with the most eye opening displays of kindness, understanding, and commitment to helping each other out. Experiencing the quarantine was a profound moment in my life. Not only did I find strength in my family and my faith, but also in my fellow man as we navigated these unprecedented times together.

COVID-19 has affected the entire world and continues to create a separation between humanity as we are confined into our homes and spaces the exist 6ft away from human contact. But this pandemic did not bring the demise to the inhumane, inequal, racist treatment that people face daily. You would think that in a time of need that people would band together and rise above such actions. But, the pandemic did not stop us from using our voices to fight for Black lives and justice for all people in America. As people pooled together to rise above racism and inequality. The collection of pictures, in this post, is so intriguing as you can still see everyone at these protests maintaining a distance of 6 feet and wearing masks to protect others. It seems so powerful that through all the hate and social injustice that everyone could mass together to show care and love back into the world. These images are so important to the history of COVID as it shows how much it impacted the people in these images, but didn't stop an even GREATER movement in history.

I wasn't quite sure what to do at first, and it was almost like I'd forgotten how much I loved writing. How I love the way I dress up words and the cathartic experience of just letting what is in your brain be seen. Having a guest for the mental dialogue makes me feel seen.

I uploaded pictures as to how the COVI19 has impacted my everyday life. The first picture shows me working out of my room because we are all working from home now and this is the quietest place in my home. I basically do everything from my room now, sleep, work and eat, it really doesn’t feel like my sanctuary anymore. The second picture is with me and my children around the kitchen table. I feel like I am losing my sanity because I now play many different roles such as: teacher, employee, student and mother. It is hard for me to hold everything together nowadays but there is no other option. This is the new normal and we are trying to get better acquainted to it. I included a picture of my children waving to their great grandmother from our truck. In the beginning of COVID19 my children were not able to see their great grandmother because no one knew who may have the virus. We had to quarantine ourselves for about a month before my children were able to see their great grandmother. Me and my children are more appreciative of my grandmother now. We really did not pay attention to how much she meant to us until we weren't able to see her whenever we wanted to. The COVID19 pandemic has taught me to appreciate the things that I hold close to me like my family, friends, health and my job. I am very fortunate that no one near me has been infected with the virus and we are all healthy. I am very fortunate that I am able to work from home, still have my job and a roof over my head. My family is getting used to the new normal and everyday it does get easier. I just hope I still have my hair and my sanity by the end of this pandemic.

I was unable to work starting on March 17th 2020 and it took me until the end of June to receive my first unemployment check. I did not receive back pay and then not too long afterwards to Federal Government unemployment benefits ended. It was almost a full time job trying to apply for benefits and/or checking the status. I live in California.

We have all heard the phrase "a pictures tells a thousand words". This is a picture of a park I visit in Jersey City, NJ, USA every day in the evening. When the pandemic began the parks were shut down due to the geographical location of Jersey City, NJ so close to New York City, NY, being the city with the most cases in the US. Slowly but surely NYC started going into the reopening phases. This photograph was taken in phase 2 of reopening. People can be seen coming back out to enjoy the sun. But, the most intriguing part of the picture is how nature has had a chance to recuperate from human impact. I am a 3rd year medical student, was doing clinical rotations, when the COVID-19 pandemic closed down the whole world. I was forced to be confined to my home. I could not just sit by while all healthcare workers were being overworked with little to no sleep at all. 3 weeks into the lockdown I decided to use my acquired knowledge and get a job as a medical assistant/Scribe. I wanted to contribute anything and everything I could to save lives. After saving my first paycheck and receiving my second check, I decided to spend it all $798.00 on buying masks and gloves from wholesalers. Because of shortages of these supplies was so critical to all essential workers. I was able to donate the supplies to hospitals, clinics, religious institutions and homeless people (that are forgotten through these times). When I started going back to the park for my evening runs, I had to take a photograph of how beautiful the nature is and how we take it for granted on a daily basis. I am still working at my job and still donating all my earnings towards supplies that I can buy so we can all stop the spread of the virus, and come back out of our homes to really enjoy the nature that we had taken for granted in the past.

In the midst of an already chaotic season, my family and I received news that my grandfather has colon cancer. It started with the doctors first finding multiple masses on his colon as well as his liver. As time passed, multiple tests, scans, etc. were done and the results came back as cancerous. When we got the phone call that it was incurable, all I wanted to do was drop everything and go see him but then I remembered.. We are in the middle of a pandemic. So then the anxious thoughts started to creep in of whether or not I would have a chance to see him before he dies. My grandfather lives in Texas, while my husband and I live just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. We had a trip scheduled toward the beginning of the summer and had already pushed back so I didn't want to reschedule this trip once more knowing it could be the last time I see him. Coming to a conclusion was very challenging. We changed our minds back and forth multiple times and almost didn't go. However, my husband and I were able to pack up a week's worth of clothing and technology (I am a full time student at the moment) and we drove down to Texas. We were given the opportunity to see my grandfather at my grandparents house while we wore masks. Overall, the trip was great. My husband and I were grateful for the chance to see my family, especially my grandfather. While the decision of if we should see him or not was a difficult one that took a lot of thought and guidance, I am glad we went in the end.

Working through this pandemic has been difficult to say the least. This video was taken during a spike of cases here in TN and was what I call a light in the darkness. It has been truly interesting to hear the different opinions and perspectives from my patients. Religion has been a major theme. Some patients see the good, and some see all the bad. I have heard theories on why this may be happening from "Punishments from God", " The end is coming", "We have been given this time to get closer to our family", etc. Regardless of the meaning behind it all, it is nice to know those working through the pandemic have a stong support group.

While we've lost so much in this pandemic, the most precious thing I've lost is the ability to give my mom a hug. I won't allow myself to put her at risk, I am out in the world and she is safe in her home.

Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul.

In the beginning of the pandemic I was 7 months pregnant and working in an ICU. As things starting getting worse more changes would come on how we operated day to day. Day to day became hour to hour, things would be changing. New policies, then new policies would change. I was also becoming concerned about how the rest of my pregnancy and delivery would be. When the policy came down that all hospital personnel had to wear a mask at all times I started to have a problem. Due to wearing a mask and being pregnant my gag reflex would be triggered and I would get sick. After trying to work for 3 days my only option was to take early maternity leave. So while I was not at work for most of the worst part of the first wave of the pandemic it was still a little unnerving. I stayed in contact with my coworkers and stayed up to date on my unit and the hospital policies. It was not only going to affect my job but also the rest of my pregnancy and delivery. On my last doctors appointment I was sent to labor and delivery to have my baby. I was nervous because honestly who wants to bring a life into a world of pandemic. I feared for the health of my newborn child. Upon admission you have to be tested for Covid-19, it was very uncomfortable! I was lucky to be able to have my fiancé there with me for the labor and delivery but once he left the hospital he was not able to return but only to pick me up from the door. Granted, this was my 4th child and I knew what to expect, it still was sad that he was not able to spend the entire time with me nor were my other children able to come and visit. At least I was able to have previous experiences of giving birth before the pandemic. After giving birth, we were pretty sheltered. No one visited. We never left the house unless absolutely necessary. My newborn son had only left the house to go to the doctor before this past week. I had to return to work so he is now attending a small daycare along with my 2 year old daughter. Their father and I are both essential workers. Having children during this time makes things so much more complicated. Can't take the kids to the store or to any appointments so trying to organize schedules is very complicated. I miss going out as a family. Before the pandemic my family and I would go every where together. Even if it was just the store. We loved just to spend that time together. Now I feel like we are never all together unless we are sleeping, then we are all home together. I pray for the day that we are all able to go out together, take kids to do activities and just spend time all together outside of the home. This pandemic has made me and I am sure many others realize how truly blessed we were and if at any point in our lives things get back to where they were before the pandemic to not take such things as going out as a family for granted.

When the whole pandemic was starting, I was currently unemployed but my store manager at Starbucks kept us posted daily on whether we will be able to serve customers again. It was always an on and off conversation because our store manager had to get the approval of many people above her on whether it will be safe to work in the area of Springfield since cases for Covd-19 was increasing by the minute. As the store opened back in May, I was able to work again but with many health restrictions between I and the customers. In the picture provided, we were not able to use our computers and machines to process payments, which dramatically dropped sales because our only means of store sales were through mobile ordering. My team were still to be determined on whether we will stay open since sales were so low and also only limited amount of parters were willing to work, due to the concern of their health. Yes I worked more hours but the anxiety of whether I will get catch the disease and also the stress of whether our store will close again really affected how I saw hope for my financial strugggles. Fast foward to current day, Virginia names stores like Starbucks an essential for everyday, which allowed our store to open to customers but with six feet restrictions, mandatory masks, and as well as checking partner temperatures daily. The tasks due everyday is a heavly load of sanitation, which in the beginning was hard to handle because we also had to serve the customers at high volumes. Covid-19 has affected not only my passion to work at the store but as well as the partners since at any moment of time we can close and become unemployed again.

This is a piece of word cloud art where I fed in every major word I used in every major conversation I've had with friends and family. This truly captures what life is like in the United States in 2020.

I believe that COVID-19 has been extremely impacted by the media - specifically, social media. There have been numerous occasions where I have witnessed people argue, degrade others, and judge others about something that none of us genuinely know much on. The pandemic has been worrisome to me, but society's reaction has worried me more than anything. The media has been informative as far as preventive measures to lower the risk of spreading the virus, but it has also caused unnecessary stress to a lot of people.

During quarantine, it's easy to feel bored and lonely. I took many drives during this time to help ease the pain. I submitted these particular photos because they connect to my experience in quarantine.

Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. #REL101

Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. #REL101

In March, Covid-19 hit the United States like nothing I have ever seen before. Initially, I was overcome with panic as I realized that many were going to die from this virus. I was overwhelmed thinking about how I would explain this to my four children, three of which are school-aged, who would have their lives changed instantly. There was no initial thought about the potential uncertainty of my employment until the schools started to shut down. Then came the restaurants and movie theaters, and being a personal trainer, I knew the gyms were next. I went home on March 17th and never returned to my position at the gym. After the initial sensation of it all started to wear off, my kids were getting antsy in the house, my wife was irritable with all of us at home, and I was uncomfortable with not knowing what the future would bring. Things were rough for a while until I had an epiphany of sorts. I could look at this situation with horror and treat it will disdain, or I could make this a life-changing moment for me and my family. I realized that I was given the most amazing opportunity to be with my family and grow as a husband and father. I took the time to teach my kids new things and to help my wife around the house. These items always seemed daunting after a long day out at work but in these moments, they were blessings. I worked on being more patient with my children which was always hard for me. I also realized that me being home was meaningful to them as well because I work so much, they rarely get quality time with their dad. Once my attitude and outlook changed, my world felt better, and my situation started to get better as well. I grew my at-home fitness business and it is thriving and I was able to get my resume out to many different agencies. I never had time for those types of things before but with the gift of time that the pandemic gave me, I was offered a dream job. As I write this, I am now back at work and I feel lighter. The pandemic is still here, but my vision is clearer than ever. Without this time to reflect and grow, I am not sure when I would have had an opportunity to see the areas in which I needed change. This story may not be like the rest where there is a specific event that has occurred during the pandemic but, for me, it is the most important story because it gave me the gift of growth.

My story begins in May when this pandemic began. I was still in school at ASU at the time and I was living in Tempe. When school and other events started getting cancelled, that's when I knew that COVID-19 was serious and that things were going to change all over the world. However, I didn't think it would have a long-standing impact on my life. Unfortunately, I realized this would not be the case after my closest uncle passed away in June. He had medical problems and was hospitalized for some weeks, but his illness was not caused by COVID-19. After learning that he passed away I was sad, but not in total shock. What did shock me however, is that I learned that no one would be able to attend his funeral in Nebraska. This of course is due to the pandemic and people not being allowed to be around each other. Most of my family is much older, to be fair, and it could have put them at risk. I've never been very religious, but I think your burial is a very important part of your life. I expect most people hope that it would be some type of celebration of your life. I'm not sure what my uncle wanted, but no one was allowed to attend his burial. This has impacted me where I feel like I didn't get a chance to fully say goodbye. I know that if it was me, I would have wanted my family and friends to be there. The image I put for this, is a picture of me and two of my closest friends standing outside of the church where we went to take the time to honor his memory.

During the Covid-19 shutdown in Wisconsin I volunteered with my Air National Guard unit to assist with local polling during the elections. Our unit was deployed to various locations around Wisconsin, we conducted 2 days of training and swore in as public officials. During polling operations, we assisted voters, sanitized voting stations, and ensured that proper social distancing was being adhered to. During the voting I was able to observe the many ways people handle the epidemic. It was difficult not to express my opinion with the people who believe that Covid-19 is a hoax. Luckily for most of the people who visited the polling station the type of person who disobeyed social distancing was few and far between. Almost all the people did believe that voting should have been postponed and so did I, unfortunately being in the position I held I was unable to voice that opinion. Once Polling had closed, we turned over all our ballets to a team devoted to counting and relaying the information. We each conducted a Covid-19 test and patiently waited the next day for our results. A negative test allowed us to return to our normal jobs, whereas a positive test resulted in a 2 week stay in a hotel the city uses for temporary shelter for the homeless. The experience was humbling after seeing how many people Covid-19 has affected and the fear that people have of the disease. I would gladly volunteer again to help my community, and it looks like I will have my opportunity once again with the Democratic National Convention in Wisconsin where we have been asked to help once more.

Forced time off of work led to forced introspection. And the outcome was newfound passion, direction and family.

This year has been a difficult year for myself. I have had to endure many uncertainties in my personal life such as the loss of a very close friend due to suicide and the practice of my religion has been something that has helped me to cope with depression and despair but the practice of religion has been something difficult to do during this time that requires social distancing. I thought I could perhaps contribute my personal feelings and emotions as it relates to the practice of religion in the everyday world of a person during this moment in time.

No one could have seen Covid-19 coming. Starting off in China, then spreading to other countries, the virus flipped the whole world upside-down. We watched it tear apart every country before us, until it reached the United States and we really began to feel the effects first-hand. Normal life came to a halt. Businesses were forced to close, travel became a risk (if permitted at all), and simple every day tasks became difficult. But the consequences went, and continue to go, much deeper than what we see on the surface. In addition to the tragedy of thousands of lives being lost, many people's livelihood was lost as well. Unable to go to work and unable to provide for themselves and their families, Covid-19 has inflicted many, many hardships upon Americans. Some have lost their jobs, some have lost their businesses, and some have lost their loved ones. In a very short period of time, life completely changed. They say you do not truly appreciate something until it is gone. We do not realize what we have when it is in front of us. This can be taken lightly, in terms of simple things like going in public without a mask. Or, it can be a serious lesson, because you can lose who or what you love in an instant as well. No one could have predicted this, but now we are living it. We should enjoy every moment we have and not take advantage of the time we are given, because you truly never know when it can all change.

When the pandemic became more serious in America in March 2020, I had just started my first class back in college at ASU online. I received my Associates degree 16 years before, and now I wanted to improve my job opportunities by getting a Bachelor's degree. I didn’t know it was the beginning of such a life changing year for me and the world. (To read more, click on PDF)

My daughter was born in July and became ill with fluid in her lungs (not covid) during her first days. She was moved to the NICU for treatment and after my wife was discharge the "Covid Rules" went into effect. These rules only allowed for one parent to visit per day. During this time it was tough being new parents and not being able to be there with each other. As my daughter's health improved nursing became important. With the rules in effect that meant that in order to nurse daily, only my wife would be able to see our daughter. So for the final week I was not able to hold my daughter or see her, except through a webcam link that was provided to us. This was important to me because although her sickness was not Covid related, it still had a profound impact on our life. Ill never get those days back. To be clear we understand the necessity of precautions and having my daughter home now is very special to me, something I won't forget is the feeling of being worried about my daughter and stress of not being able to see her.

During this pandemic, i have dealt with many things. One being the loss of one of my best friends due to the virus. He served with me overseas and saved my life when i was shot and was bleeding out. It took everything in my heart to not fly out to his funeral. Because of the virus, i could not go and spend time with his wife and kids that i have known for years. He is the one that motivated to go back to school at ASU. RIP Ray. I created this image in his memory and combined it with ASU.