Items

• 2021-04-03

  Big business, bigger crowds.

  This is a tweet from Toronto Ontario which depicts an absolutely massive group of people crowding outside of an Ikea in North York. Just this week, Ontario has seen a massive spike in coronavirus cases, which has prompted the province into another shock lockdown. However, it is apparent that these restrictions are somehow not applicable to big business. Rather, this Tweet touches upon another important feature of the pandemic and the Canadian ‘lockdown.’ Smaller businesses have been forced to pay out of pocket for the adequate infrastructure to remain open during a pandemic, and in many cases have been forced to shut down when ordered to by the province. However, with each passing lockdown it becomes more apparent that these rules, restrictions, and realities do not apply to the larger corporations and super-stores such as Ikea and Wal-Mart. Larger companies can afford to take the fines, they can afford the infrastructure, PPE and much more – smaller businesses simply cannot operate in these conditions, and there has been insufficient aid to make sure that these smaller businesses, their owners and employees are properly protected. And while cases continue to rise, and smaller businesses are forced to close; it makes little sense to give a free pass to these large transnational multi-million dollar companies.
• 
  2020-03-12

  The Beginning

  The picture that I uploaded was taken on March 12, 2020. This was the very start of the pandemic and stores were packed and peoples carts were al full. This picture represents the panic that was occurring and the unknown of how long the lockdown would be.
• 
  2021-03-25

  Graham County (AZ) now with less than 150 active documented COVID-19 cases

  By Jon Johnson jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com SAFFORD – Graham County has had very few new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past month, lowering its numbers to just 147 active cases as of Thursday. According to the Graham County Department of Health and Human Services, Graham County has had a total of 5,355 confirmed cases for the course of the pandemic, with 5,132 listed as being recovered, 147 active, and 76 deaths in more than a year. No new cases were recorded Thursday, and, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 school dashboard, Graham County had just a 1 percent positivity rate as of the week of March 14. That is good for a tie with Apache County for the second-lowest percent positivity rate out of Arizona’s 15 counties. Only Greenlee County, which registered a zero percent positivity rate from Feb. 27 – March 14, had lower. With the lower cases statewide and vaccine rollout, Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order on Thursday, rolling back several COVID-19 mitigation measures involving businesses and gatherings. This comes as other states roll back their COVID-19 mitigation measures as well. The rollout of the various COVID-19 vaccines has picked up steam in the last month, with the state opening up the vaccine to anyone 16 years old or older for the Pfizer vaccine. Anyone 18 years old or older can be administered the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation is holding a free, drive-through vaccine clinic on Saturday, March 27 at the San Carlos High School. No appointment is necessary. The clinic will be administering both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Graham County and Greenlee County are also providing vaccination sites for those 18 and older, and provide the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Greenlee County According to the Greenlee County Health Department, the county currently has just nine active cases of COVID-19. For the course of the pandemic, Greenlee County has had 568 confirmed positive cases (by far the lowest out of any of Arizona’s 15 counties), with 549 recovered cases, nine active, and 10 deaths.
• 
  2021-03-13

  Eddy County(NM) government and business leaders relieved COVID-19 restrictions lessened

  This article discusses recent easing of the New Mexico state government's business restrictions in Eddy County. Businesses have been struggling to remain open and viable for the past year, and these lessened restrictions may help some restauranteurs avoid shuttering their businesses and permanently laying off their employees. The restrictions there, like many states, have specifically targeted the food and beverage industries while mega-stores are seldom impacted. During the previous year, the mid-sized community of Carlsbad lost 2 of its 3 grocery stores to temporary shutdown mandates over the holiday season. This community and its county have been especially hard-hit by economic impacts of President Biden's new Executive Orders on oil and gas production on federal lands, and the pandemic's additional business restrictions have made this a very difficult place to operate and patronize businesses.
• 
  2021-03-28

  Unintended Consequences of Lockdown

  I am researching the unintended consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article is an in-dept look on the consequences of lockdown in the US. While the article covers positive consequences like less pollution and less contagious diseases like the flu, I am going to talk about some of the ones related to my research. The article says most “unintended consequences fall generally into five categories: lack of care, isolation, wealth/health loss, psychological harm, and harm to children.” Lack of care includes people who do not feel comfortable going to the doctor or hospital for fear of catching COVID-19. The amount of people who went in for a severe heart attack has dropped by 40%. Isolation consequences include things like an increased rate of suicidal thoughts and an increase in drug overdoses. Wealth and health loss is due to loss of income, and as evidence shows, poverty is deadly. Psychological harm involves burnouts and stress related breakdowns, as well as mental health disorders and insomnia. The harm to children section includes many heartbreaking statistics about lack of school based mental health care, sexual abuse, drug use, and neglect. The article talks about how the effects of all of this may not be known for many years, but it is clear there have been many negative consequences of lockdowns due to the pandemic.
• 
  2020-04-15

  That fleeting moment of Solidarity

  In those first few weeks of lockdown I just remember a feeling of solidarity with my neighbors. We were all separate, all isolated, but all working toward the same goal. Throughout our neighborhood people had written with chalk on the sidewalk, we took walks every day and saw painted rocks, teddy bears sitting in windows, art and signs of hope and comfort. For a homeschool art lesson I had my sons do chalk splatter painting on our driveway and then taught them about Jackson Pollock. I wrote lyrics to Bob Marley songs and drew pictures of rainbows on the sidewalk. We baked bread, cinnamon rolls, all things warm and cozy. Our family was together in a special way, we appreciated the time together. We went on hikes and fished in the backyard pond and although there were zoom appointments and conference calls, life was moving at a slower more relaxing pace. We were hopeful and confident that by doing the right thing we were saving lives.
• 
  2020-03-12

  Such is life in Covid Time

  On February 21st, 2021, one of my professors—while on an exceedingly off-topic tangent during a lecture about Medival Spain—flippantly remarked that in the age that we currently live in, there is now such a thing as “BCT” (“Before Covid Time”) and “CT” (“Covid Time”). According to him, we are currently living in both the year 2021 AD (or CE) and the year 1 CT. Our life as we know it, in the eyes of my professor and Julius Ceaser, is measured and marked by the birth of Jesus Christ and the contagious disease known as Covid-19. And just as it was for the birth of Jesus Christ, it exceedingly easy to pinpoint the exact moment when such a shift in time, from BCT to CT (at least in the United States), had occurred. It was the second week of March. Or, to be more exact, the 12th of March, the day when everything changed for a college student such as myself. On March 8th, 2020 (both AD and BCT), I had awoken as an average American college student in my dorm room. I had just gotten back from a spring break study abroad trip to the country of Cuba, and I was excited for classes to start back up the following day (and continue for the rest of the semester). Nothing was out of the ordinary. Life was continuing as we knew it. Covid-19 was an intangible construct at that point in time, some unseen nightmare way off in the distance that could not reach us. Nothing we needed to worry about, especially as young college students. There were hardly any reported cases yet if any in the United States. Everyone used to say, “oh, that Covid thing? Yeah, it’s just in China. Or Spain. Or Italy,” and then they would go about their day, not giving it any more thought. It was hardly even anything newsworthy. When I was in Cuba that first week of March, the only news we ever received (when we got signal or wifi, which was not often) was about the election, nothing Covid related. People even made jokes about it. That was just how life was in BCT, even a week before everything changed. Hell, even a few days before. On Monday that week, everything was normal, college life as I knew it continued—I saw my friends, got my meals in the ever so crowded dining hall, and went to classes with the max capacity of students. On Wednesday, the college Instagram meme page had posted a Covid update for the first time—there was a confirmed case not too far from campus—yet things continued as usual. However, on Friday, March 12th, 2020, almost a week after I had been partying it up in a packed club in Cuba with absolutely no awareness of the elusive plague that thrived halfway across the world, the shoe suddenly, and finally, dropped. I had shown up to my “Basics of Math” class to find that there were only five people (other than me) in attendance, and not even six hours later, we were given three hours to pack up and leave campus (pictured, me in the midst of packing up). I did not know it then, but we would not be allowed back on campus for another five months, almost 160 days in total. It is no exaggeration when I say that from that moment on, I felt as if I were a Depression Era family, evicted from their home, with all their belonging out on their lawn, with no knowledge of where to go from there. Even though I had my childhood home to go to, I felt, for lack of a better term, “out on my butt.” It was as if I was displaced, uprooted, cut adrift, and lost. I had not even unpacked any of my belongings when I arrived back home. I lived out of my haphazardly packed—and it was haphazard; I had packed up my dorm room in a sweat-inducing and crazed rush—suitcase until it was time once more to pack up and go back to college five months later. And my physical being was not the only thing that felt disoriented. Just as I imagine it was with most other college students during this time, the 2020 spring semester was one of my worst academically performing semesters to date. Although now, almost a full year later (entirely in Covid time), I am most adept at zoom life and the socially-distanced way classes are held, at the time, absolutely not. With every single one of my classes now on Zoom or some virtual variant, it became most difficult for me to adjust to the new way of things. Not even the professors knew what they were doing. Everyone was struggling. And it certainly did not help that my house had now taken on the most distracting nature ever to date. My sister, my mother, and my father were quarantined with me at home. That particular combination of people and location was about as conducive for my studies as it would be if I were studying amid an active circus. Not even when I was in class could I be completely unbothered. With no desk in my room, which I shared with my sister at the time, I was forced to partake in class and do my assignments while sitting next to my mother taking business calls, my sister playing on her Nintendo switch or watching a tv show, and my dad listening in on his own classes or playing the drums. It was a breeding ground for distraction. I would go as far as to say that I was lucky I even got the grades I ended up with that semester. It truly was an abysmal time. Although I certainly do not have to tell anyone that. Life as a college student during CT had proved most difficult. And it still has not entirely let up. Although for the 2020 to 2021 academic year we have thankfully been allowed back on campus, student life has not yet reverted to how it once was (for better or worse). Classes now have a capacity limit (with socially distanced desks, six feet apart), the dining hall tables now only sit two, we have to make reservations for every meal (to limit how many people there are at a certain time), you are not able to frequent any dorms other than your own, masks must be worn at all times, some classes are held over zoom, or even outside, off-campus travel is prohibited, and there are only specific entrances and exits you can use for every college building. College life—a time which was always regarded as the free-est time of one’s whole life—is now the most massively regulated. And all I can say to that is, “c’est la vie.” Such is life in “Covid time.”
• 
  2021-02-16

  None of Ottawa's new travel rules apply to the largest group of people entering Canada — truckers

  Truckers are not being tested or facing restrictions like other cross-border travelers. This has led to some push back as they likely see more interactions with others than other travelers, including non-essential travel such as recreation. There are talks to either require quarantine and possibility to prioritize truckers for the Covid-19 vaccine.
• 
  2021-01-30

  Covid lockdowns turned buying plants into the next big pandemic trend — for good reason

  During lockdowns, people have taken to keeping houseplants as companions. These plants help people that live alone feel less lonely and ground them. People have had varied results with their plants, but plant influences have seen a surge in people asking for help with their plants.
• 
  2020-01

  Fortune Teller

  Towards the end of 2019 if some sort of fortune teller warned me that the COVID-19 pandemic was on its way and the faces of the world would become covered with masks indefinitely, I would tell them that they are crazy. The spring semester was picking up and the coronavirus had become public news in China for a month or two. One of my closest friends Zach was very interested in Chinese politics and current events. Ever since the first cases were being reported he had warned me that the world was going to change. (He was that fortune teller figure.) I remember us taking a trip to Aldi’s so he could stock up on the regular number of weekly groceries. However, he had quite a few cans and non-perishable goods in his cart. He told me he was stocking up for the lockdown that was about to come. Today he’s known as the man who saw it coming all along. After that night my fear of the unknown began to grow. I began telling my friends/classmates at Duquesne casually saying the word “coronavirus.” They thought I made it up or it was a prank. I explained to them that this outbreak may hit the U.S and affect the entire world. Classes were still in session but as cases started rising in the U.S, the fear of school closing became closer to a reality. Fast-forward to the first couple days of lockdown. I was becoming extremely overwhelmed adjusting to a new format of learning. I wanted nothing more than to see my friends and have them tell me that everything was going to be okay face to face. The days started merging together and my sense of time was gone. I tried my best to look for the positives but there really are none when the entire world is faced with a potentially life-threatening illness. As months started passing by, I had started to realize that the only thing that would keep me going is patience and a good attitude. Even in the current moment I still long to go to concerts or have big group gatherings with friends or family. A habit I started picking up is whenever I would watch movies or tv shows was pointing out that people were not wearing masks. That’s a scary thought knowing that masks have become an external part of our identity. Let’s look at the positives though! I became a lot closer with my best friend by playing Xbox with her. This was one of the only things that I looked forward to, so I played games with her almost every day. I also started playing the piano again after stopping when coming to college. A new hobby I picked up was making meals for my family which was something I found relaxing. I even dyed the front strands of my hair pink from the TikTok trend! All of these hobbies were new beginnings that I don’t think I would’ve initiated if it were not for being in quarantine. As each day goes by, I can only hope that we are closer to “normal” and that the coronavirus can be a thing of the past. I am blessed that my family and friends are in good health and that they stay in good health until the end of the pandemic is in sight.
• 
  2020-05-09

  Self-portrait with mask, May 2020

  During the pandemic, I often walk in Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood Cemetery with its rolling hills, lovely views, and fantastic old monuments; it's also where my grandparents are buried. I've always loved the beautiful, timeless melancholy of the place, but during the pandemic, it was also a strange comfort to read the headstones and think of the people buried all around me. Life, sickness, crisis, death are all just part of being human. These dead humans also lived, suffered, died, and now it's just another version of the same thing. The self-portrait included here is based on a photo I took of myself in Green-Wood as I wandered there one day in April 2020, looking to get away from lockdown and to find company among the graves.
• 0021-01-26

  Covid Affects

  At the start of Covid, I wasn't worried about the numbers. But after a few weeks, I saw the death toll and how this will result in a lockdown. My area which is in Ventura County didn't mind this virus and we all just carried on. But a huge outbreak started. We were not allowed to go to the beach and other places. This affected me a lot because I was already staying home for school, but when I wasn't allowed to go anywhere else, it really hit me hard. The outbreak died down but it was still pretty bad. I was worried about my grandparents. To me, Covid was a key that is locking me into a room that I can't leave. Living through this pandemic made me think about all the things I took for granted.
• 
  2020-12-01

  The Covid Quilt

  This is my Covid Quilt. When the lock down started I ordered a bunch of different fabrics to make masks with. The fabric size that seemed to have the most value was called a fat quarter. After making my family a bunch of bright colored masks, I had so many squares of fabric left over I decided to save them. I was not sure why I was saving them though. By the end of this summer I had hundreds of squares and decided to make a quilt. This is my Covid quilt. You can see a years worth of colorful masks represented in it. I really wish I knew how to do embroidery. I would embroider the words, "Covid Quilt 2020" into it. I am not even a sewer. I took a class in high school over twenty years ago. Defiantly imperfect just like the year 2020. But it is warm and thick. I think I will try my best to take care of it.
• 
  2020-03-01

  Covid in the Last Frontier

  The object I choose was the first "mask" I ever wore during the start of this pandemic. During the time, I was in Alaska, and when news of the spread of Covid hit, we (the state) went into lock down almost immediately. The object I submitted has more of a symbolic nature, as it signified a new world that not only were we not prepared for, but one that would become a new norm. At the beginning, it was hard to secure masks, as they were going as fast as toilet paper, so we had to make due with what we had, hence the bandana. What made things relatively difficult was the strict lockdowns and what time of the year they specifically happened. In Alaska, it is crucial soak up as much sun as possible in the late spring and summer due to the long, dark, and cold winters that often lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder, or Seasonal Depression. Not being able to leave your house, and having summer activities closed down made it difficult to soak up the sun and energy we needed. But as humans always do, we found a way, through homemade masks and long, socially distanced walks. I currently reside in Florida now, and the atmosphere was and still is completely different than the one I faced in Alaska. It was an eye-opening experience to live in two states during this pandemic, and how each state handled the virus in their own way.
• 2021-01-21

  Covid Systems

  When Covid started I didn't know much about it. All I knew was it was like another flu and it was another virus. After a few months of Covid, I started to have friends and family who got it. Some of the symptoms my aunt and her sister had was a loss of smell and taste and they had fevers and were kind of fatigued. My old basketball coach got it and he had the same symptoms. Many many people have got it all over the world and I'm glad that I only know a few people who have it, and are fortunate that most of my friends and family are healthy.
• 
  2021-01-19

  Resilient Child, Resilient Mom- Reflection on 2020

  The first picture was taken April 29, 2020. Remote schooling was not going to end, we thought it would only last a couple of weeks. My child was falling apart, I was falling apart. The second picture was taken about seven months later, November 27, 2020. I had been furloughed, school opened up and then went remote again, we learned how to wear masks, we learned how to social distance. We joined the family bubble, in Illinois. I reflect in January 2021 and I want to note that we are figuring it out together. We continue to teach each other. The second picture is my favorite picture of 2020 that I took. I think this picture speaks to the attitude we are putting forward together. This is a picture of my daughter with her cousin, this picture gives me hope and energy.
• 2021-01-14

  Virtual learning

  Learning virtually was very strange and had many advantages and disadvantages. Every day I got on zoom from my bedroom from March 18 to about December with the exception of summer. Some advantages about it were that I didn't have to wake up as early to drive to school and that I can do school from the comfort of my room. Some disadvantages however were I couldn't hang out with my friends or talk very much, and I personally found it really hard to pay attention because each period was about an hour and 20 min on the computer and my grades weren't as good because I had a hard time not zoning out. And on top of that nearly everything was closed down from restaurants to malls and other places to hang out, exc. I prefer learning in class than virtually because I can hang out with my friends and I pay attention better in school.
• 2021-01-11

  First thoughts of covid

  When I first heard about the virus I was at school in the hallway going to Spanish. I didn't know much about it, but I remember them saying we might have to be online for a month or two, maybe even going through summer. When I got home that day I watched the news about the virus with my dad and saw details on it I originally thought it was like the flu and I turned out to be right. And when I found out that we would maybe have to wear masks wherever went, I was distraught. But I learned to live with it and shockingly we still have to nearly a year later. I don't know many people who got covid except for my aunt and her sister who had gone on a trip to Europe and got it on a plane. She lost her taste and smell for a few days and she was better in about 2 weeks and she slept in the same bed with her husband and he or her kids didn't get it. So to the average population, I believe that it's not too harmful as long as you are healthy and aren't too old.
• 2021-01-06

  Covid Christmas

  Christmas was a bit different this year because of Covid. This year was the first year of Christmas split because my parents had gotten divorced this year. On Christmas Eve I went to my dad's house and we opened up gifts, but because of Covid it was just my main family and we didn't have much company come over. The next day I went to my mom's after getting a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks and we opened presents at my mom's. The same thing we opened up gifts and that was about it, and the rest of the day was pretty normal and we had tacos for dinner. Christmas was on a Friday and on Saturday and Sunday my cousins came over and we went to the outlet malls and hung out at home and had a good weekend. So it was pretty quiet comparatively to other years but despite the virus we were able to have a good few days and a good Christmas.
• 2020-12-11

  Before the Covid-19 Lockdown

  Life was normal. I would go to school in the morning, at school nothing was out of the ordinary. Before class started everyone would be gathered together talking to their friends without any concern for a disease to be spreading. I swim as a sport and also play soccer. So, on weekends competitions happened regularly. I had a swim meet in February of 2020, it was an indoor meet and there were many people there. It was a normal swim meet and it was great. Then, weeks later on the last day of in person school everything was different. Some people still congregated into groups to talk, however others like myself had heard on the news of a spreading virus and tried to maintain what was a new term at the time "social distancing." This small change indicated many new changes to come.
• 
  2020-02

  When COVID19 came

  When I heard that the disease COVID19 had entered California I never thought that it would be as bad as this. Wherever we go we have to wear a mask, and we can rarely see other people because we are frightened that we might catch this horrible disease. The first time I heard of it was when my friends called me and they said that their school was being shut down. This disease was spreading like wildfire. My school had not shut down yet but my parents started getting very worried. They started having me bring disinfectant wipes to wipe down my desk each time I entered a new classroom. Then came the day that we had to go on lockdown. I told myself that it was going to get better and I would be able to see my friends again, but soon after zoom started, the school year was over, and here I am nearing Christmas in 2020. At home still in quarantine. I hope it gets better soon.
• 2020-12-10

  Who would of thought I would be doing school on zoom?

  I heard about the pandemic around March at school and I thought that it would just go away like the flu and people were overreacting about it. Then after a few weeks after I heard it I went to the store and hand sanitizer was running out and so was toilet paper. There was absolutely no toilet paper in the ailes because people got scared and started to hoard supplies thinking that the supply chain would reduce considering the virus and fewer facilities being open. Then they started putting signs on restaurants and grocery stores that wouldn't allow you to enter places without a mask. And after that Governor Newsome (the Californian Governor) put huge crazy restrictions where you can't go to some restaurants and small businesses. After this, we were told we would go home and do online classes for a month which I thought would take much longer because of how everyone described the virus and the news, and how California was shutting down everything because it is primarily a Democratic state. ( not trying to be political but most Democratic states shut down sooner than Republican states.) Which though seemed like a good idea wasn't because it hurt the economy and overall mental help of many people. Drug usage, suicides, and alcohol usage were at what feels like an all-time high and most Republican states stayed open and still had the same if not fewer cases of Covid as the Democratic states who locked down. Australia locked down as of now for about a year so far and their economy is down about 7% and ours has stayed less locked down is only down 2% thanks to president Trump for not shutting down absolutely everything. It is important to me to submit this because many people think our country should shut down and I disagree because Australia for example has lost a tremendous amount of the economy and still has near the same amount of cases, even after the long lockdown.
• 2020-03

  Stuck In The North

  I was serving in the Norwegian Army when COVID-19 came onto the scene. My base, Skjold Leir, was one of the first places in Europe to react to the virus. Immediately after it was perceived as a threat, my base shut down, and put the soldiers into quarantine, leaving us stuck inside our rooms in the barracks. My company, which was a part of the Engineer Battalion, had spent the last two weeks preparing for Cold Response 2020, a major international military exercise, meant to train and expose soldiers from all over the world to the severe elements of Troms, in the north of Norway. This event was unfortunately canceled, due to the newly arisen threat of the CoronaVirus. The members of my squad and I got stuck in our rooms quarantining for five days. We tried to keep ourselves occupied to pass the time. We began to hear news of mass lockdowns taking all over Europe, with the United States closely following suit. Although there were some who were hopeful that this might be over by Easter, it became quite apparent that things would not get better any time soon. After our quarantine, there was a malfunction in one of the gates at the back of the base. The gate would not close, so more soldiers were needed on both day- and night-shifts to ensure that our base was not compromised. The entire base needed to be patrolled constantly as well. This assignment lasted two weeks. I was chosen to serve on the night-shift. I found it extremely difficult to adjust my internal clock to stay awake all night and sleep during day-light hours. At times, I found myself sleepwalking while standing in front of the main entrance, not among one of my most proud moments. Thankfully, we were assigned partners, and we were instrumental in helping each other in staying awake and focused. Although the first few nights of the night-shift had been rough for us, we quickly adjusted to it. It would not be until after we were done with our two-week overnight-shift that the gate finally got fixed. Fortunately for us, however, we managed to find a way to seal it shut during the night, thus lessening the workload. After our two week shift was over, we quickly began with our normal routines. Other than the local gym and movie theater being closed, as well as each barrack in our base needing to take turns going to the mess hall to have breakfast and dinner, business was still running as usual. An unfortunate consequence of the pandemic was that soldiers could not leave base, which meant that all of our vacations were cancelled. For some of us, this would be a trying period, as the pressure of being trapped in base for so long without going home increased the amount of depression in our squad. My base took some preventative measures to keep its soldiers content and motivated. They organized sport events, as well as other fun things to keep us preoccupied, some of which I helped to set up and run. This, unfortunately, would not be enough for a few of the soldiers on base. Some of them ended up quitting the army, sheerly out of the stress caused by not seeing their loved ones for months on end. Even I at some point had a brief panic attack, as the pressure of being in this same place for so long affected my morale. I am proud to say that I managed to pull myself back together, and refused to quit. I was determined to see my obligatory service in the Norwegian Military through to the end. For all our extraneous duties, we were awarded with a two week leave. To finally come home after many months of service was a great joy. I was so happy to see my parents, my brothers, my friends, as well as my dogs. I also brought with me a great sense of pride and accomplishment.
• 
  2020-10-06

  Jewish Melbourne: Jewish Care virtual 'news and views' session with residents

  "Not even COVID-19 restrictions can stop our volunteers from brightening the days of our Elders at Gary Smorgon House! Long-time volunteer Errol Rink has adapted his weekly ‘news and views session’ on Zoom, complete with trivia quizzes and lots of jokes. “The reaction from the smiling and laughing elders makes it all worthwhile,” says Errol. Elder Celsia Goldberg is especially thankful for the volunteers “constantly giving their time, showing love, respect and compassion” and for coming up with entertaining arts and crafts, Yiddish sing-a-longs, music and guest speakers for them to enjoy. “They have made the restriction period so much more bearable, even enjoyable, and for that I am so grateful.” We are so lucky to have such a strong network of kind and selfless volunteers helping across all aspects of our work."
• 
  2020-09-06

  Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) Fathers Day during Covid Facebook post

  The NCJWA (Vic) posted on facebook for Fathers Day, reflecting on how fathers have coped during lockdown.
• 
  2020-11-19

  British Columbia Introduces Mask Mandate and Lockdown

  The province has introduced sweeping measures in order to curb the rise of Covid-19 cases. This has included a mask mandate, which is a reversal from previous policy. Other restrictions introduced encompass lessening the time spent in public indoor spaces or events.
• 
  2020-03-13

  The Creation of Memories

  March 13, the covid-19 virus struck my highschool. We were sent home early and spring break was prolonged. Everyone assumed this would last a week maybe a month, but I knew that the devastation would last a long while more. Everyday during my lockdown, I focused on myself, more than I ever had before. I worked out every day, I baked, I did my school work, I was on a schedule. Over the four weeks I barely went out of my apartment, I tried my best to keep my head up high and try not to worry about the essential and front line workers. I buried myself into Tik Tok, which is what my story is going to be about. Through lock-down I became quite the dancer. I managed to learn most of the Tik-Tok dances and become fascinated with the Tik Tok algorithm. Although this sounds like a bit of a problem, I was happy, I spent hours a day on my phone scrolling. A screenager, I know. Well, in the midst of my scrolling I would come to romanticize my life post covid, how I will be making new friends and exploring new places. I made one Tik Tok a day, no kidding. I created an archive of the lockdown in my drafts. I devoted a lot of my day to Tik Tok, I kept up with the drama and followed all of the baking trends. However, my Tik Tok debut never occurred, sadly. But, I did come to find out new things about myself. I know, most people find social media toxic in some sort of way, as I do now, but during lockdown I felt it was a sort of outlet. I expressed myself and laughed, and saw a little happiness while being inside. I realized that all of my saved videos on Tik Tok would be an archive for my children, they would look at the videos and the umpteenth amount of selfies I took and laugh. Of course, the pandemic is no funny situation at all, but when my children learn about it and question how covid was for me I can show them. The photograph is not as important as my realization of how the Tik Tok changed the pandemic. It might have altered it in a bad way at times because people were glued to their screens. But it is okay for people to spend time on it, to make them laugh and to make them maybe become more creative.
• 
  2020-11-12

  HISTW 300 Interview of Stephen Von Der Ahe

  This was an assignment that I did as part of a course on the global history of food. As a class, we interviewed each other to see how one's experience with covid was going. In particular, we asked questions about how one's experience with food has changed since the covid lockdown began.
• 
  2020

  Ben S. and his Art

  My friend Ben has been creating art ever since lockdown started and continue to make art for his studies and own enjoyment with all the extra free time some have gotten due to COVID-19. Ben is a queer artist who enjoys drawing anything from monsters to people and every iteration inbetween.
• 
  2020-03-12

  COVID-19 Productivity Plan

  HIST30060: A ‘COVID-19 Productivity Plan’ in the making. In the early days of the pandemic, my girlfriend and I were excited about entering lockdown. An eventual lockdown felt inevitable in mid-March, so we sat down at our local café to plan all the things we hoped to achieve. The plan reflects the sense of novelty and strange excitement many experienced in the beginning.
• 
  2020-11-09

  UK rollout of Covid vaccine could start before Christmas

  As someone who is patiently waiting for this dismal lockdown to end so I can get on with my life this is good news. Hopefully, things will clear up so I can actually go and visit my fiance. I wonder who all will take the vaccine though, or if visitors will be forced to take it.
• 
  2020-07-30

  satirical social commentary on state border closures and restrictions.

  This satirical article by the Betoota Advocate is a social commentary on varying experiences of the coronavirus pandemic in different Australian states, specifically Victoria and Queensland, which speaks to my own experiences as someone who has lived in both states during Melbourne's second lockdown from July. The article mentions the general indifference or lack of sympathy towards Victorians, as NewsCorp and the general public have seen the second wave of cases in the southern state as being their own fault. This is something I noticed upon my return to Queensland in August, where the general rhetoric surrounding Victoria and their Premier Daniel Andrews' handling of the high number of cases in the state tended to be divisive. I had never heard of the term 'Dictator Dan' before returning to Queensland and people I knew were calling Victorians 'Mexicans', which I put down to the monopolisation that Murdoch media has over Queensland news. I saw these sentiments turn to sympathy as stage 4 lockdown set in, as Queenslanders realised the negative effects lockdown was having on Victorians. This also differed from the indifference I noticed when I first came back to Queensland, where most people seemed to have forgotten what lockdown was like and were living like everything was back-to-normal. As someone who experienced both lockdowns in Melbourne, as well as relatively normal life in Queensland, I definitely did not take the ability to travel, go out and see friends and family for granted, whilst also retaining deep sympathy towards everyone still in lockdown in Melbourne (which included many of my friends and some family). HIST30060.
• 
  2020-06-30

  Meme: Hotspot Lockdown in Brunswick West, Melbourne

  This meme was posted in my Melbourne friends' Facebook Messenger group chat in the wake of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' announcement that certain 'hotspot' suburbs in Melbourne would return to Stage 3 lockdown at the end of June 2020. From the point of view of people outside of hotspot suburbs, it makes light of other neighbouring suburbs turning a blind eye to people who have to go back to lockdown, creating temporary walls between spaces, people and families. Unfortunately, because I lived in Brunswick West, I was one of the unlucky few in my friendship group who had to go back into lockdown. I watched on social media as all my other friends caught up with each other and took advantage of being able to travel more and go out to bars and cafes. As unlucky as I felt, memes like this one always functioned as a way to laugh at bad situations. My friends and I usually coped with lockdown through memes and jokes, characteristic of gen Z humour. HIST30060.
• 
  2020-05-12T17:30+10:00

  Finding Light in the Darkness: Sunset from a Melbourne Apartment in Lockdown

  This photograph depicts a sunset from my apartment in Brunswick West, Melbourne on May 12, just before lockdown restrictions begin to ease in Victoria for the first time since March. I had spent that time completely alone in that apartment, as my room mate left for Queensland before lockdown began, my family mainly lived in Queensland, and my friends lived outside my suburb so I could not visit them. This was isolating in multiple ways and led to boredom, sadness, depression, agoraphobia and loneliness. I captured many sunsets like this over the months in my apartment, which brought a small bit of light amidst the dark monotony of lockdown. From this view I could imagine what lied beyond the walls of my small living space, and look forward to a day where I could feel safe moving beyond home and my nearby grocery store. HIST30060.
• 
  2020-11-09

  2020: The Year of The Ring of Steel and Shaggy Dogs

  In the series of images depicted above, I portray the imminent changes to both my life and the lives of those I love. The stage three lockdown which dawned on the 8th of July 2020 somewhat replicated a tale of two cities. A ‘Ring of Steel’ enforced between metro and regional Victoria separated a state in the grip of a deadly second wave. For me personally, 2020 changed my life in two notable ways; my two worlds were separated, and as droll as it sounds, I couldn’t get my dog a haircut. The ring of steel meant that I was separated from both my family property and my boyfriend who lives in Regional Victoria, although we could still visit one another it just didn’t feel the same. Like going through customs at an airport you are grilled on your reasons for travelling into a regional zone, and the answer of visiting a partner seemed to also evoke a multitude of other questions confirming the validity of the aforementioned statement. This however was all very necessary as there are regions of Victoria that haven’t even seen one single case of COVID since it reached Australia in January 2020. My first image was taken one day upon my return to Melbourne from seeing my boyfriend in regional Victoria and epitomises how even back in April, COVID-related precautions were widespread. Whilst my second photograph pinpoints the outage which the Vic Roads change of address function encountered a day prior to the announcement of the ‘Ring of Steel’ on July 9, 2020. The third photo is a government document and summary of those restrictions that were also outlined from this date onwards. Stage 4 restrictions also meant that all non-essential services were shut to combat the unnecessary spread of the virus, and this included dog groomers. Our West Highland White Terrier Angus was certainly thankful for this as sitting still is not his strong point, but it also meant that he could hardly see with his hair growing over his eyes like a veranda. There were calls from the RSPCA to re-open these services to the public earlier as they had treated a number of grisly injuries from owners attempting at home cuts on their pooches. Whilst a number of petitions were also got up by dog groomers who were more concerned about the welfare of the animals rather than the business aspect. With continuous lobbying, the efforts of the animal welfare community paid off and on the 28th of September they were able to resume services, a far cry from October 26th the original date outlined. The fourth and fifth photo depicts Angus before and after his much-needed haircut in early October.
• 
  2020-10

  Small joys - HIST30060

  This collection of photographs were all taken during Melbourne's second-wave of Covid-19, towards or right at the end of our severe lockdown. After a fairly miserable winter and hundreds of cases each day, the light at the end of the tunnel was often pretty hard to see - but when the announcement finally came that it was safe to start opening up, it coincided with some of the most beautiful spring weather we'd seen. The local shops on the Mornington Peninsula started sharing a countdown until we could visit them again and it felt a bit like being a kid at Christmas.
• 
  2020-04

  Birthdays in lockdown - HIST30060

  When the pandemic caused Melbourne to more-or-less shut in March, my year 12 brother who attends a boarding school, and I, who lived in the city to be closer to university, had to move home to the Mornington Peninsula with our parents. All four of us, and our two dogs, celebrated our birthdays in lockdown - and not just any birthdays; my mum turned 60, my brother turned 18, and I turned 21. We had high hopes for grand celebrations which were obviously not possible under the government restrictions, so instead we did what we could from home and the celebrations were very special. Even though we didn't have access to some of the things we normally do for birthdays (e.g. dinners out at restaurants, movie tickets etc.) it was so nice to see the effort we put in to make each other's day special.
• 
  2020-08

  Beach walks - HIST30060

  I spent lockdown on the Mornington Peninsula; when the 5km radius restriction was put in place my family and I couldn't help but laugh - most of our 5km was in the water...While there were absolutely days where I felt that my world had shrunk immensely, I was always so appreciative to have the ocean less than a ten minute walk away. I probably visited the back beach four or five times a week, finding that the enormity of the ocean put things in perspective for me and helped me to ground myself when things were overwhelming.
• 
  2020-04-01

  Hello Neighbors

  After our governor ordered a lockdown, my children could not see their friends or classmates. In order to try to stay connected to our neighbors, we left daily messages in chalk so they could see them as they walked by. We also left our chalk so our neighbors could write messages in return.
• 
  2020-11-04

  UK parliament approves month-long COVID-19 lockdown for England

  As COVID-19 ramps up in the UK, the government had to implement another lockdown. Parliament put the official stamp on it. I wonder who the 38 people against were?
• 
  2020-07-16

  Jewish Melbourne: Habo winter camp during Covid-19

  While Melbourne was not completely locked-down during the school holidays in the middle of the year, youth movements were unable to go out of town for their camps. So Habonim Dror organised Machane Kesher: "Although there have been many obstacles during these tough circumstances, we were able to successfully provide an educational and fun holiday program which adequately abided by all government COVID-19 standards. Thank you for all the participants and leaders who so respectfully upheld our social distancing and hygiene practises."
• 
  2020-08-29

  Building of the house next door: progression

  These are two images of the house being built on the block behind us. Due to us being home all of the time, we have been able to see the slow progress of the house being built. I was looking at this house being built so often, to the point where it wasn’t until two months later that I actually noticed just how much progress had been made. To me, these photos signify the daily repetition of our lives during the pandemic, especially during the lockdown periods. The picture showing the least amount of progress was taken on August 29, 2020 and the one showing more progress was taken on October 30, 2020. HIST30060
• 
  2020-09-04

  Jewish Melbourne: A shabbat message from CSG

  CSG posted on facebook for Shabbat, encouraging people to keep connected at this during this time of lockdown and physical disconnection: "These times of isolation, both physical and social, and uncertainty are when it is most important that we strengthen our sense of community by connecting with and supporting each other. Remind ourselves that we can manage this much better together in solidarity and that COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate – it can affect anyone. This weekend, take time to connect with others. Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom."
• 
  2020-11-04

  A Puzzling Distraction

  HIST30060. Millions of people picked up hobbies during their respective lockdowns, mine happened to be puzzles. A few in this photo I had before lockdown, but most was bought in the lead up to, as well as during. I bought my first colour puzzle about a month before lockdown started, when I first discovered the board games store Mind Games in Melbourne's CBD, though I did not touch it until study at home began. These puzzles gave me something I could be good at, with only one still incomplete months after I first got it (in my defence, it changes colour). They allowed me to multitask, I would watch movies for university while I had a puzzle in front of me, I discovered so much music through my Spotify recommended playlists that have become solid favourites, I've caught up on podcasts that were usually relegated to my daily commute to university. They gave me something I could control, in a time of change and confusion, a welcome distraction from everything happening outside of my house.
• 
  2020-11-04

  Cover Up

  HIST30060. When masks became mandatory, my family, like many others I assumed, scrambled to get some in time. Our first lot was made from fabric scraps by a clothing brand my mum liked, our second batch was made by a family friend before it was mandatory, and then from that point they came from all different places. I got some from my partner who had bought a few, my brother got one from school with "Class of 2020" when he finished his year 12 classes, my mum got some from work which are surprisingly soft. Masks seem to be a touchy subject among people and though I am not a very confrontative person, I will glare and stare at anyone not wearing a mask or wearing one incorrectly. They can be a bit constraining yes and if one has to wear it all day it would most likely be tiring and probably sweaty. I'm somewhat thankful that we had our lockdown largely during winter, when people weren't as itching to get outside as they are now that it's becoming warmer. If COVID-19 was at it's height during summer, I imagine a lot more people would have suffered, cause who would want to wear a stifling mask on 40 degree day. I don't know if masks will become a staple of winter times in Australia as they are in countries like Japan whenever cold season begins again, but I'm curious to see if all these masks were just for a pandemic people will only care about the next time a similar one occurs.
• 
  2020-11-04

  A Rainbow

  HIST30060. The only time I would frequently leave my house during lockdown was to go and see my partner. I saw him for absolutely none of the first lockdown in Melbourne but would often see him during the second lockdown. He was only a quick train and a short walk away, so I consider myself lucky that I was able to see him at all. I pass this house every time I walk to his and it encourages children and adults alike to count all the rainbows. It became a part of my routine, each time I would go to his I would pass this house and would feel my day get just a little bit brighter. It was only recently that he told me there are other houses around his suburb like this, aiming to give children a little distraction if they happen to pass by. The lockdown was long but necessary, so it shows me that there's hope that there's still some good in this world, with strangers hoping to give one another a distraction and a smile with a rainbow.
• 
  2020-10-28

  First Day Free

  HIST30060. The first day out of the second lockdown in Melbourne, Australia, I got invited to a picnic with friends from high school. We went to a park that was local to everyone and no one at the same time, having been going there for parties and gatherings for the past six years. This photo is of a café local to Yarraville in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Alfa Bakehouse backs right out onto the train station where I get off and the only reason I went passed it was to check if a froyo place I loved had yet reopened with other retail and hospitality businesses. To see this many people together was both exhilarating and uncomfortable at the same time. Knowing that freedom was finally in our grasp but the overlying fear that we could easily return to lockdown if we are not careful. I made my way to my friends shortly after this picture was taken and talked and ate for hours, even getting a sun burn, and it reminded me how all that time in lockdown was worth it if people can see one another again and enjoy their time together.
• 
  2020-10-31

  Eagerness to Celebrate

  HIST30060. My first journey to the city after months of staying within 5km of my own home, you begin to take for granted the daily trips to university, the train and tram rides, and being around other people. I got to go to shops I haven't been to before and have discovered during lockdown as well as food that I have missed dearly and was a welcome change after so much monotony and repetition. These places were bouncing back after months of hardship and everyone seemed so keen to participate in society again. It's a first step towards normality, and I believe nothing speaks to that greater than seeing Christmas decorations on Halloween. It was October, and there was a giant Christmas tree in QV. Not many superficial things cause me to seethe, but it was over 50 days until Christmas. However, it's an annoying but nice way to demonstrate that there's a level of hope among everyone with the December holidays being a point in the future that everyone in Victoria holds dear. We hope that we will be able to travel interstate to visit friends and family for Christmas, that we can have gatherings at home around a BBQ celebrating Christmas and the holidays, but also the love we share for one another and the joy at being able to be together again. I believe this year will be the only one where I will not mind as much to see these decorations so early, as they demonstrate hope and a return to everything we know and love.
• 
  2020-07-08

  Jewish Melbourne: Souper Kitchen's lockdown rules

  In July, as Melbourne headed into its second lockdown, Souper Kitchen provided information about how they would handle the rules about workplaces and gatherings
• 
  2020-10-31

  England Shutdown Again

  England goes into lockdown again.