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2020-03-31

Locked down, Locked in

I was a SSG in the US Army when the lockdown hit. The isolation let my personal demons almost get the best of me, but lessons were certainly learned and I pray we never get to that point ever again.

2021-04-12

21st Birthday Trip, Post-Pandemic

My twin sister and I turned 20 right after the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020. That birthday was a gigantic bummer, because all my friends had left my college campus and I was still there but couldn't visit home either due to Covid concerns (my parents are in their 60's and my sister has asthma). So, after a year of not traveling or doing very much else, my first post-covid trip was for my 21st birthday. Not yet ready to get back on airplanes but wanting to do something exciting, my mom, dad, sister, and I packed into the van for an 8-hour drive across Colorado to an Airbnb in Durango, near the southwest corner of the state. Durango is a cute little tourist town that's still sleepy from winter in April, and definitely non-traditional for a 21st birthday bash. We had two objectives for the trip: Mom and Dad were going to buy us our first (legal) alcoholic beverages, and we were going to take a ride on the narrow-gauge railroad that ran from Durango to the nearby tourist/old mining town of Silverton. The first goal was accomplished quickly upon our arrival; we located the old Strater hotel, built in 1887, complete with a bar where we immediately situated ourselves. The servers were dressed like flappers, all wearing masks, many matching the colorful fringes of their dresses. I ordered an old fashioned, was tipsy after half, and handed it off to my mom to finish. My dad had a great time shepherding us back to the van. The train ride the next day was the highlight of the trip. We bought tickets in advance, since only a limited number of seats could be filled in each car due to lingering covid precautions. Masks were also still required, except when eating and drinking (a full bar was available, as well as coffee and pastries). The train crept up into the mountains alongside a river, sometimes crossing over very tall trestle bridges, prompting my mom, who's afraid of heights, to pull her mask up over her eyes. Lunch, which was previously served on the train, was instead provided to us in pre-packaged boxes, to be eaten outside at picnic tables along the river where we were free to spread out and remove our masks. On the ride back to Durango, the full bar on the train was open, and most masks came off. My parents bought my sister and I our second drinks of being 21 (mimosas at 3:30pm, woo!) and we headed back to the Airbnb, stopping to pick up some Serious Texas Barbecue. While Covid ruined my plans for the 21st birthday party I thought I would have, it gave me a few years to slow down and to appreciate my family and small, meaningful, gatherings together, which I wouldn't trade for the wildest party in the world.

2020-05-11

Desert Plague

Once summer hit Arizona and all the clubs and pools remained closed due to the pandemic, my friends and I were forced to get creative. We managed to find several hiking trails outside of Phoenix that led to glorious water (a treasure out here). We would spend hours at the little pools and waterfalls, talking about what we missed from our previous lives. Sometimes we would bring packs of White Claws- a COVID hit, and pretend we were in Vegas at the dayclubs. Back then, everything was a big ‘what if.’ We all thought that by September of 2020 we would be back in classes, moving on with our lives and not giving a second thought to the mayhem the pandemic brought on. We had no idea what the future held, but we were able to escape to our desert oasis and enjoy one another the way we deserved.

2020-03-31

HIST30060 Lockdown #1: Activities and Alcohol

On 31 March 2022, the first lockdown was initiated in both Melbourne and Sydney. I was in Sydney at the time, having arrived a few days prior from Melbourne as border restrictions were starting to be introduced. I am slightly ashamed to say, now, that I really enjoyed this first lockdown. I hadn't lived at home since 2018, and it was a unique experience to enjoy time together that wouldn't have normally happened. We've always been pretty close, but the lockdown forced an intimacy that we'd never had before (it helped that my teenage brother was required to be at home and boredom had driven him to start having conversations with us again). I think mum and dad were consciously trying to keep lockdown interesting, and soon a weekly cocktail night (with a required lounge formal dress code), bi-weekly painting lessons via zoom and daily yoga with mum, nightly music sessions with dad, lego competitions with the old dusty lego sets, and weekend family walks were introduced. I had never done so much exercise in my life, and yet I had never consumed as much alcohol, either. Even when I lived in a flatshare as an eighteen-year-old. Alcohol quickly became a problem for me, one that I have yet to fully address although I have started to cut down. The taste of wine became associated with fun times with the people I loved, so of course, I loved it. And when the lockdown eventually lifted, I returned to Melbourne nearly friendless (having left before I got the chance to settle in and with little opportunity to meet new people), a cheap bottle of pinot grigio and I became good - if slightly toxic - friends.

2020-03-16

Rubber Gloves, Isopropyl Alcohol and the Arizona Heat

Arizona State University employees, myself included, were sent home mid-March of 2020 due to the rising concerns of Covid-19. I recall driving home that initial day thinking that a sea change was upon us and that uncertainty lay ahead. How would I balance my concerns about this unknown virus yet help keep the peace in my house with my wife and our young boys as the country learned how to live with our new, unwelcome guest? Little did I know the biggest changes in our lives would be the small changes in our daily routines. In looking back at those first days, one scene that was routinely repeated in particular plays out in my memory. We quickly shifted our grocery shopping from in-person purchases to ordering on-line and picking up food curbside outside of the store. Before bringing the food inside our house, my wife and I had agreed that we would wipe down our new food packages with paper towels soaked in isopropyl alcohol. At the time it was unclear if the virus survived on packaging for long periods so we thought it best to disinfect the food. Looking back on it now, it seems silly but the scene still plays out in my memory: I can still smell the latex of the rubber gloves I would put on so as not to completely dry out or burn my hands. When pouring the alcohol onto the paper towels, the smell would sting my nose and a tingling sensation would pervade my nasal passages. When wiping the plastic packaging of say, frozen vegetables, I would hear the crinkling sound of the bag and it would resonate through my ears. To compound the smells and sounds of this process, I would be remiss to not include the fact that this was all taking place in our garage during one of the hottest Arizona springs and summers on record. The heat was oppressive that season, enough to identify with that 'oven blast' description we use in this region and I would be dripping with sweat by the time the task was complete. To say the least, it was a surreal experience; one where if you had told me two weeks earlier, I would be wiping down groceries in a stifling garage to prevent a possible infection of an unknown virus, I would have laughed at you but, alas, I was there and the senses surrounding the scenario were real.

2020-06

Feeling the Burn

Like many people at the start of the pandemic, I was not able to go to work everyday. At that point in time, I was working in a museum in Holland, Michigan, as their Interpretive Programs Coordinator, planning and running different programs to coincide with whatever exhibit was currently in the museum. My job quickly became obsolete as everywhere essentially shut down for quarantine. After a few weeks of “working from home”, we were eventually allowed to open the museum again, but with a plethora of new rules and protocols for both our staff and visitors. The biggest change was the alcohol. Not for drinking, although I’m sure that past time sky-rocketed during quarantine. I’m talking about hand-sanitizer or whatever alcohol based cleaner the museum could get their hands on in mass quantities during a time where sanitizer was a difficult commodity to come by. Even our local distilleries were producing hand sanitizer to assist with the shortage of this now imperative product. At the beginning of the pandemic, we did not know how the virus spread yet. There was a time where people were wiping off their groceries with disinfectant wipes or leaving their package deliveries on the porch for days to kill germs before bringing packages inside. Part of our new protocol at the museum was the constant use of hand sanitizer as well as having to wipe down every surface we touched with disinfectant wipes after touching it. You opened the door to your office- wipe it down and use hand sanitizer. Walked to the kitchen to use the microwave- wipe it down and use hand sanitizer. Typed your employee code in the key pad- wipe it down and use hand sanitizer. It was everywhere in the museum. Hand sanitizer has many sensory descriptors. I’ll always remember how slimy this brand was, and how it smelled like the chalky Flintstone vitamins I took as a child. But this practice of constant use of hand sanitizer and alcohol based wipes destroyed my hands. They became so dry and red. The alcohol eventually caused them to crack. The more I had to use the sanitizer and touch the disinfectant wipes, the worse my hands became. The alcohol on my open sores burned. For some in the pandemic, mask wearing was the bane of their existence, but I couldn’t stand the constant use of sanitizer. I was using vaseline every night to try to remedy the burning, but it couldn’t keep up with the use that was required to attempt to keep the rest of our staff and visitors safe. Unfortunately, the pandemic was lasting much longer than the world had anticipated and having no work to do due to the limited capacity in the museum was making me restless. I left that job in August of 2020 to work as a legal assistant in Muskegon, MI. Luckily, the further into the pandemic we got, the more we learned about the virus. As more research came out, scientists discovered that Covid-19 is an air-borne disease, and is more likely to pass through the air than by touching surfaces. Therefore, I didn’t have to use hand sanitizer as constantly as I did at the museum. Of course I’m still careful, and I still use hand sanitizer much more than I ever did pre-pandemic, but when a client walks in our office and uses the sanitizer on my desk, it’s like I can still feel that burn.

03/30/2020

Jeanie and Edward Lehew Oral History, 2020/03/30

This is interview from Edward and Jeannie Lehew focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic experience in the United States. The Lehews, both born in the 1930s, provide an enriching interview connecting the current pandemic to past historical and personal events ranging from the Great Depression to the loss of an infant grandchild. The Lehews detail many personal life experiences and offer their opinions on the current political and healthcare issues in the United States by explaining how the current presidential administration is at fault for the lack of medical supplies in America.

2020-03-29

Eau de Sanitizer: A Home Fragrance

The early days of quarantine were quiet and calm, as the streets around my home in Southern California were filled with silence since there were fewer cars and people roaming outdoors. Sanitizer and rubbing alcohol were in high demand, and in heavy rotation in our home, as everything that came in was wiped, sprayed, and cleaned before being put away. I remember coming home from the store and wiping down every item with alcohol and sanitizer, and I remember wiping down every counter, surface, and phone. Afterwards, the house was filled with the sharp and dismal aroma of rubbing alcohol, as the fragrance mimicked a well-diffused scented candle. The distinctive scent wafted throughout the living room and lingered within the walls, the drapes, and the furniture. It became the scent of March 2020, and a home fragrance which lacked the expected or traditional calming or soothing properties of a candle or diffuser that is placed in a room. Every outing resulted in rubbing alcohol-infused surroundings, which served as a constant reminder of the changing climate. Eau de Sanitizer recalled the uneasiness, fear, and chaotic shops of the early pandemic, as it was a fragrant reminder of the unknown. The memory of that spring is tied to the scent of rubbing alcohol, and now every time I light a candle in my living room I am reminded of those early days.

2020-06-29

Warning: Homemade liquor and hand sanitizers can be dangerous

A press release from Banner Health warning of the dangers of homemade hand sanitizer and liquor.

2020-03-23

Mental Health and COVID

During the start of this year the country went through something extremely frightening and new to everyone. The lockdown was something that cause a lot of teens and people get into a really bad state of mind. Being told you weren’t allowed to go out for groceries, see friends, go to the gym, or even visit your local gas station. People were scared and worried about their health and the health of their family members. For myself, having the lockdown meant I couldn’t go to school nor could I participate in my first year of college soccer. It had a really negative impact on my mental health and I started to do things that I would never see myself doing. I was relying on alcohol a lot to get me through the days of just binge watching tv shows and movies. Because I was binge drinking, I would then binge eat and not be active at all. Growing up as an athlete and just as a very active person in general I would never binge eat or binge drink. I started to gain weight and look down on myself a lot. A lot of people don’t realize the impact that the lockdown had on people who really relied on structure to get them through the days and hold them accountable. It wasn’t until September that I really looked at myself and was disgusted with who I became and what I was relying on. I started to run and exercise outside. I have now lost 15 lbs and go to the gym 5 times a week for pleasure instead of punishment. It has been the best journey for my fitness lifestyle and I am so grateful that COVID brought that to me.

2020

Memes About Quarantine and Life With Covid

During quarantine I collected many humorous memes about staying at home and the problems that brought. All sorts of subjects were covered: cooking, getting along with your spouse/roommates, homeschooling the kids, learning to bake bread, being stuck at home, sanitizing, people hoarding toilet paper, boredome, effects of isolation, etc. Here are a few of those memes.

2020-07

Silence and Isolation

This is important because it speaks to the daily struggle of living through the pandemic. I was not touched by the disease itself, but my life was changed by it. My submission describes my sensory experiences of isolation during the pandemic as I moved to a new city for work. It expresses how the pandemic brought more than health issues but social issues to society as well.

2021-06-20

The Best-Laid Plans Go Awry but Mojitos Soften the Blow

The pandemic torpedoed a very important trip for me – a trip paid for by my place of business to attend a conference in London and give a presentation on an archival project and connect with fellow librarians. I intended to bracket my trip with a visit to Ireland, the home of my ancestors, and conduct some genealogical research. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I probably won’t be working at my current workplace when the next conference is held (once every three years), so I don’t expect to have the opportunity to get a free trip to a lovely part of the world from them in the future. And I need to have boots on the ground to conduct more research: following up on facts and documents my family has shared with me and which I wanted to confirm or debunk during my research in Ireland. So my genealogy work has stalled as well. There hopefully will be opportunities in the future to visit the UK, to conduct research in Ireland, and to attend conferences, but the perfect combination of all of these that had been arranged for summer 2020 is lost forever. Since I live in a very hot locale during the summer months, and count on getting out of town to maintain my sanity, I wasn’t able to create a staycation to counteract the lost of this trip and vacation—unless you count being huddled in the coolest room in my home with my feet in a kiddie pool sipping mojitos and reading travel and Irish history books to be an acceptable alternative. Although, come to think of it, those mojitos were pretty good.

2020

Working at a Restaurant, Winter 2020

In the wintertime, I work at a restaurant inside a ski resort. This past winter, NYS had just opened up restaurants with very tight restrictions: no more than 4 to a table, close at 10 pm, must order food with alcohol.... and so on. Anyway, as the restaurant floor manager, it was my responsibility to police all these restrictions. Some people were very kind and understanding about the whole situation. They would split up their party of 5 in two groups; one of three and the other of two, and thank us for our willingness to work during this time. Others, however, were not thrilled about the restrictions and argued with us, as if it was our idea to put in place all the restrictions. We had so many people complain about the rules as if we could actually do something about it. Many left or demanded free drinks because of their inconveniences. It was very stressful to deal with this! Be kind to your servers!!

2021-01-27

The Unspoken Pandemic - Mental Anguish

This article tells about youth depression and suicide rates in the United States and how they have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Children and teenagers, who are normally bright-eyed, idealistic, and sometimes too socially adept for their own good, are developing mental afflictions like depression and suicidal ideation, using drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms, and generally suffering from all sorts of silent illnesses because of lockdown policies that have deprived them of the activities that keep them busy. When a kid has a busy life, friends at school, activities they enjoy, and various tasks to perform in order to keep their minds occupied, they turn out to be a well-balanced, healthy adult later in life. However, when every single one of these things is abruptly stripped from and the only type of structured activity they have is getting on the computer every day for “Zoom school” (which, by what I have been told by teenagers currently experiencing it, is a poorly-planned waste of time put on for show), the affect on that child’s mental health can be catastrophic. The overdramatic teenage mind will tend to think that this period is going to last “forever,” leading to a downward spiral of emotional despair and existential nihilism. Furthermore, the financial strain that the pandemic has put on these kids’ parents surely plays into this as well, making the child feel like a burden since they have to sit at home all day and watch their parents worry about the family’s financial situation. While high-income individuals with significant savings got to have lots of fun on their cute little house-camping quarantine adventure, low-income and middle-class households, the ones with the most children, had to suffer and pay a serious price for something the government decided they would do. This general phenomenon of depression, financial worries, nihilism, drug abuse, and suicide is a direct result of government lockdowns, and brings to light a shining concept that rings true for all things legislative and bureaucratic; there will always be an unintended consequence of any blanket action like these lockdowns. Perhaps they should be considered before our so-called “representatives” just do stuff without considering the wants, needs, and condition of the people that they supposedly serve.

2021-03-29

Being More Social In The LGBTQ+ Community

After getting my last dose of the vaccine my husband and I have been able to be more social with others in the LGBTQ+ Community and Allies who have had their vaccine. For the first time in a year we actually had a date night eating ramen and other yummy food then we were able to meet up with friends who have been vaccinated for drinks. This finally helps me to possibly see a light at the end of the tunnel.

2020-06-18

Is Another Public Health Crisis Brewing Beneath the COVID-19 Pandemic?

An article from the Canadian Journal of Public Health that discusses the risk of substance abuse problems becoming worse across Canada due to the trauma and stress of the pandemic.

2020-05-18

Working at a bottle shop during COVID19

Throughout the pandemic I worked in a bottle shop owned by Coles in South Melbourne. Sales increased dramatically during the pandemic for two reasons. Firstly, people were worried about Dan Andrews closing bottle shops during lockdown. Secondly, because bars and venues were closing, people had to source their own alcohol. During the interim period when people were discussing what the stage 3 and 4 lockdown would look like customers would come into the shop and ask if we were considered an ‘essential service’. I would respond with “I assume we’re considered essential,” “how would you survive without booze?” and “you’d know more than we do.” During this period of time it seemed like everyone knew a friend or an acquaintance of a friend who was in politics and sharing information about COVID lockdown meetings and what the next stage would involve. The uncertainty of not knowing if I’d be working next week was stressful and caused anxiety and it also caused me to panic buy wine (most of which was not touched). Nonetheless, we stayed open throughout all lockdowns and acquired new customers. During lockdown our sales increased on cocktail ingredients such as triple sec and campari because people started making cocktails at home. During the pandemic customers seemed to have more time to chat and browse and wanted to try new products. but this could also be because they liked the excuse to stay out of home for longer. As well, Coles gave employees who worked from March to May 2020 a one-off thank you bonus for working during the hardest weeks of the pandemic. Working during a pandemic had highs and lows, I was grateful that I didn’t live with my family, so I couldn’t bring home to virus, but it was hard juggling extra hours at work around online uni and other aspects of life. HIST30060

2020-11-04

A Little Tired

This meme is everything that COVID/riots/election America is right now. Nobody’s talking about it, but suicides are way up. Divorce is way up. Casual alcoholism is widespread. People are doing so many drugs it’s insane. People are visibly deteriorating, not taking care of themselves and it’s showing. Men I know who used to be clean-cut and disciplined aren’t getting haircuts, aren’t shaving, and barely exercise anymore. Depression is the real “new normal.” Everyone is affected. Oppressive government regulations, blatant abuse and murder of American citizens by the police, arbitrary emergency orders, and openly fraudulent election processes have broken the spirits of almost everyone. No one even thinks change is possible anymore. People want this nation to collapse and are now openly saying it. All hope has been lost in the hearts of the average American. It’s funny because it’s TOO relatable for EVERYONE.

Picture of a letter left with an elephant sticker at someone's doorstep. The letter states that the writer knows times have been hard lately, so hopefully the sticker included might brighten the recipients day when they see it. A form of community support.

2020-11-05

Lethargic Lockdown

HIST30060 - In reviewing this 'plague' year, I feel that there can be no simple way of explaining the whirlwind of emotions that seemed to fluctuate just as readily and sporadically as our daily covid- case numbers did back in April and May. My first uploaded image is a photograph I took of a note that was found in our letterbox in Balwyn, which we received on the 7th of April. Later we discovered it was made by two younger girls who lived at the bottom of our street, who had been writing similar letters for all our neighbours too! I felt it was very important in this unprecedented time to cherish the small acts of kindness, particularly given the emotional state of lockdown. Despite their relative insignificance, it is these small communal acts which I will cherish, which keep us connected to those around us, while ironically social distancing at the same time. Similarly, the young sisters who made the card are the same age as my niece, 9 years old. I often look at this card and think of how their youth has been irrevocably changed in this pandemic. My second image is a photo I took of Mills beach in Mornington on the 31st of July. I think it will always remind me of the occasion where I snuck down to the Beach, on the premise of doing some 'maintenance' at a family property, which was what I explained to the police who were patrolling the highway. My father has had his bouts with pneumonia in the past, so the family decided that if he could conduct his work from home, then it would be best to get of Melbourne. So my mum and dad were staying down the in Mornington from late March and came back to Melbourne around the start of November. Although we would routinely call eachother on zoom, this photo in a way commemorates the time where I had to sneak down to the beach in order to see them. Though a beautiful sunset at mills beach, there also is a sense of morbid beauty and unease to the photo. It was the only time I think I have ever seen such beautiful weather and calm water, with no boats or people in sight. The third image is a screenshot from a facebook invitation to a party which was created in early March. The guys that made the group event had originally planned to host a get together by December. I think in a sense this does give some explanation in regards to the expectations of corona, and the hysteria that was surrounding it in early March. I think as explained in the screenshot, although we didn't know what to expect, all we did know was that "the next few months are gonna be very long." Recently they updated the invitation from a party that will maybe happen in March next year. Although it may be some form of normality to look forward to, I think that this year more than any other we have learnt to prepare for the worst. Though it is currently listed to go ahead around March next year, part of me thinks it will be delayed again. My fourth image is a screenshot I took from an instagram page called "melb_lockdown," which was created in early April this year. It is an instagram page that features many artful collections of the Melbourne CBD area in black and white photographs. As one who often indulges in photography myself, I think the artist behind the instagram page is always trying to send a message with his work. I think what strikes me most is naturally seeing images of one of the 'most liveable' cities in the world, which is now devoid of the very things that have have given the city it's -claim-to-fame.' The once frenetic energy and vibrancy of the busy Melbourne CBD is now lifeless, colourless, and painfully mundane. My last image, is a meme that a friend of mine sent me. Similarly it is a an Instagram page called 'Covid 19 Funny Memes.' Though very funny, it also highlights a lot of the communal attitudes that have fluctuated and changed through out the pandemic. In late February/ early March, I believe that because it the pandemic was largely still a distant story that was affecting Europe more readily and Australia, it was something we really engaged in a kind of hysteria with. Because we hadn't experienced it, it was something we couldn't truly understand. Certainly these sought of humorous memes were not being created back then. But now I feel having lived with the pandemic for the last 8-9 months, people's attitudes have altered so much. I think because we are now more prepared to satirise, mock or create humorous memes is not to suggest that we have become apathetic towards the pandemic, but I think it shows that we are 'over it.' I think now living with this shadow over our lives for 8 months has taken its toll, and humour may be one way we can attempt to disassociate ourselves from this monotonous cycle.

2020-09-12

Local tavern owner sparks a rebellion against Covid-19 restrictions in PA.

This is a story of a local restaurant owner who decided he wanted to fight back against "oppressive" rules and regulations that were put in place for restaurants and bars. Previously, they had started to reopen places to eat and get drinks, and then over the Fourth of July weekend in Pittsburgh, after seeing a sharp spike in case number the week prior, the city installed even harsher rules for restaurants and bars to follow. Many didn't like this, and they surely weren't going to follow the rules until they started to be closed down left and right by the health department, then suddenly everyone shaped up.

2020-08-15

Cuando piensas tomar en la chacra durante la cuarentena

Este video fue grabado en día en la ciudad de Arequipa, como se sabe el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas esta prohibido ya sea lugares que estén fuera del hogar o dentro del mismo. Es por esto que algunos jóvenes optaron por celebrar el día de Arequipa en Characato distrito que se encuentra alejado de la ciudad el cual está rodeado de chacras los jóvenes pensaron que no serían atrapados pero al parecer algunas personas dieron aviso a los militares que se encontraban haciendo guardia a alrededores. El hecho ocasionó que al ser descubiertos empiezan a huir del lugar siendo perseguidos por el personal del ejército vecinos del lugar grabaron lo sucedido.

2020-07-26

Hand sanitizer donation accepted at San Quentin never reached the inmates

These are images of a Tweet and the responses explaining how rapper, E-40, donated hand sanitizer to San Quentin for their incarcerated people and it never got to a single inmate. Many of the respondents believe the prison staff took it for their own use or to sell it.

2020-04-19

Humans of Covid-19 AU: Meg

“In some ways, my day-to-day life hasn’t really changed too much. I drive to work, 45 minutes each day, and go about my role in the distillery. The cellar door where I work has shut completely. A large stream of our revenue usually comes from hospitality venues and duty free, but obviously that can no longer happen, so now all revenue must come from retail. People really are drinking a lot of alcohol at this time - It's insane!. Our sales have gone from $2000-$3000 a day, to sometimes $30,000 a day - just from online. It’s worrying because I don't think this is sustainable. So many industries are not surviving at the moment, so it will all come crashing down at some point, it’s just unclear when. Not being able to go out is not the end of the world. Social media is amazing in this sense. I’m managing to stay connected with my friends and family. Tuesday night is quiz night that my mum organises, then Wednesday night is family sit-down dinner. Last year I was in a car accident and it taught me that I needed to slow down and enjoy my life. And this is another reminder that I need to be grateful for everything happening around me. I have picked up hobbies that I had put aside for a while, because I didn’t have time. A lot more creativity is coming back into my life that I love and had really missed. People are being a lot more compassionate and supportive of each other. It has restored a little bit of my faith in humanity.” Instagram post on Meg, distiller & cellar hand, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.

2020-06-19

Coronaland: St. Charles Socially Distancing

I was biking up St. Charles to Audubon Park on April 4 and these folks were socially distancing as only New Orleanians can

2020-06-17

Airlines Stop the Service of Alcohol on Flights

The travel industry took one of the biggest economic hits during the pandemic, with the airline industry being particularly hit hard. As a gradual reopening has spread haphazardly across the country, many airlines are taking similar precautions: mandating masks, running planes below capacity, and other health precautions. The newest announcement to come out is that the sale of alcohol on some major airlines is either being banned completely, or restricted only for certain groups. This is intended to limit time without a mask, as well as the need for passengers to move about the cabin or go to the bathroom.

2020-05-28

New Restaurant Rules

From the inception of the coronavirus crisis, businesses across the spectrum have had to adapt their operating procedures. For restaurants, this proved to be a tricky adaptation. As dining halls closed across the world, restaurants moved towards offering curbside pickup for almost anything that they sold; this included alcoholic beverages. Now, it is not unusual to see advertisements offering up a full pitcher of margaritas or the like, able to be ordered and picked up curbside.

2020-06-04

COMERCIANTES VENDÍAN ALCOHOL ALTERADO

Personal de Fiscalización de la Dirección Ejecutiva de Medicamentos Insumos y Drogas (DIREMID) realizaron operativo junto a la Unidad de Estafas de la PNP en los alrededores del mercado San Camilo. En 12 tiendas se decomisó más de 100 botellas de alcohol. Los químicos farmacéuticos del DIREMID hicieron uso del alcoholímetro para comprobar que el alcohol ofrecido a la población tenía el mismo grado que presentaba en la etiqueta. “La Policía inició una investigación por estafa por vender el alcohol con etiqueta de 96 grados cuando en realidad es de 60, los comerciantes están engañando. El de 60 es muy bajo, no sirve para la desinfección”, señaló el químico farmacéutico del área de Fiscalización del DIREMID, Anibal Díaz Robles. Estos productos ilegales llevan las marcas como: Alcohol Puro 96%, A & D – Aroma y color, entre otros. En tanto, el alcohol usado para la medicina y recomendado para el uso de la población en la desinfección de sus manos y superficies es de 70 grados ideal para matar bacterias, mientras que el alcohol comercial de venta por mayor es de 96 grados.

2020-05-31

To-go cocktails and mixed drinks are legal in PA

I'm not a PA native, so the blue laws of PA have always seemed very strict to me. When Governor Wolf signed a bill allowing Pennsylvanians to pick-up cocktails and mixed drinks, I was a bit shocked. The ability to purchase beer and wine in the grocery store has only been legal in PA for a few years, and liquor stores still close on Sundays. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed PA to adapt their alcohol laws faster than I thought possible. It's still too soon to see if this new relaxation on alcohol laws will remain or if PA will tighten them up again once the pandemic ends. Submitted by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. #ASU #HST580

2020-05-31

Colorado Strong Pale Ale

With restaurants and breweries having to shut down or go to limited capacity because of the pandemic, their financial health has been hit hard. Colorado remains a hot spot for microbreweries and many of those microbreweries are community-driven. In the past, they created beers to raise relief funds for California and Australian wildfires as well as to support the community they work in. Coloradans support each other and the pandemic is no different. With 125 breweries participating the funds will go to jump-start the breweries financial well being and support the medical, gig workers, service industry, and hospitality employees. It's one of the ways food and beverage can be used to drive support to keep our communities strong. Now I just wish I still resided in my home state so I could help out by purchasing each variation of Colorado Strong Pale Ale.

2020-03-23

Restaurants can now sell beer, wine and cocktails to-go during shelter-in-place, but will that help keep them around?

Amidst California's shelter-in-place orders, San Francisco Bay Area restaurants struggled to stay in business. One week into the shelter-in-place, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) relaxed regulations and announced that restaurants and bars, with adequate licensing, could sell alcohol through delivery and take-out measures in an attempt to prevent permanent restaurant and bar closures. The guidelines stated that alcohol must either come prepackaged (i.e. in a can or bottle) or must accompany food if the drink is prepared on site. Patrons were directed to transport the alcohol in their trunks and were to consume on private property. For some restaurants and bars, the new regulations led to a recovery of approximately 50% of typical alcohol sales. For others, the regulations have provided little relief. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the San Francisco Bay Area restaurant and bar industry has yet to be fully realized.

A cocktail and the ingredients used to make it.

2020-03-26

Sequestered sipping cocktails brought to you by San Francisco bartenders

This article presents unique quarantine cocktails designed by San Francisco bartenders. Vanessa Vasquez from The Detour contributed "Quarantine on the Beach." Tim Hagney from ABV contributed "28 Days Later." Phil Mauro from Rye Bar and Restaurant contributed the "Sequestered Spritz." Gillian Fitzgerald of Casements Bar contributed the "Solitude & Tonic." Brynna Logan of Liquid Gold SF contributed "Corona Quarantine Sunrise." And, Tyler Puride of Black Cat contributed "Bae Area Bunker." The author of the article, Saul Sugarman, include the bartenders Venmo accounts and encouraged readers to leave these bartenders a tip.

2020-03-31

Bay Area drinking 42% more alcohol than usual while sheltering in coronavirus pandemic

This is a news article that highlights the alcohol consumption behavior in the San Francisco Bay Area following the state's March 17, 2020 shelter in place orders. Based on a series of data across smartphone connected breathalyzer devices and sales from the web-based retailer, Wine.com, the company BACtrack discovered that alcohol consumption was up across. The company also reported seeing similar results across the country, specifically in metropolitan areas. https://perma.cc/K3FA-CYF6

2020-05-06

Coronavirus crisis: Here's why SF officials are giving homeless alcohol, tobacco

This news story highlights the reasons for San Francisco's homeless substance distribution policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://perma.cc/YK5B-SWBP

2020-05-07

Walnut Creek Brewery, Calicraft, Launches Quarantine Blues Juicy IPA, Live Song

Calicraft, a brewery located in Walnut Creek, California, launched "the Quarantine Blues Juicy IPA" during the state's shelter-in-place. Restaurants and bars across the state are struggling to stay in business and some establishments, like Calicraft Brewing Company, are finding creative ways to drive business despite the difficult conditions. I discovered the beer on Memorial Day and it brought some much needed levity to the day. The label includes a clever poem/song that reads: Sittin' on the porch, got nothin' to do. Grab yourself a can of the Quarantine Blues. Kidz going crazy, you could use a little hazy. Crack yourself a can of the Quarantine Blues. Runnin' outta TP, makes you feel kinda queasy. Pour yourself a glass of the Quarantine Blues! Drink up: at home. Pair with: Tiger King, Homemade Bread. calicraft.com // @califcraft #ASU #HST580 #SanFranciscoBayArea

2020-05-21

The San Francisco Bay Area is putting homeless people with COVID-19 in hotel rooms. Some are given alcohol to prevent withdrawal.

This is a news article that details how San Francisco is managing their homeless population during the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on CDC recommendations, San Francisco secured hotel rooms to provide shelter to their homeless population. The project is called "Project Roomkey." Additionally, under a "harm reduction" strategy, the city is providing alcohol and access to purchase medical cannabis to prevent withdrawals for addicts who may otherwise leave the provide shelters to retrieve said substances. The article highlights similar measures across the Bay Area.

2020-05-23

Walnut Creek Brewery, Calicraft, Launches Quarantine Blues Juicy IPA

Calicraft, a brewery located in Walnut Creek, California, launched "the Quarantine Blues Juicy IPA" during the state's shelter-in-place. Restaurants and bars across the state are struggling to stay in business and some establishments, like Calicraft Brewing Company, are finding creative ways to drive business despite the difficult conditions. I discovered the beer on Memorial Day and it brought some much needed levity to the day. The label includes a clever poem/song that reads: Sittin' on the porch, got nothin' to do. Grab yourself a can of the Quarantine Blues. Kidz going crazy, you could use a little hazy. Crack yourself a can of the Quarantine Blues. Runnin' outta TP, makes you feel kinda queasy. Pour yourself a glass of the Quarantine Blues! Drink up: at home. Pair with: Tiger King, Homemade Bread. calicraft.com // @califcraft

2020-05-23

Quarantine Snacks Round 1 ASU HIST580

This image captures the food that I have currently been snacking on during my quarantine at home this week,

04/03/2020

Balcony beers

One of my best friends came home from Melbourne to be in lockdown with her family in Hobart. Her original flight to Hobart was cancelled, and in a twenty-four-hour whirlwind she ended up on the last sailing of the Spirit of Tasmania ferry instead. She had to quarantine for two weeks when she got to Hobart because she had travelled from interstate. This was before the policy of hotel quarantine came into force in Tasmania, so she got to stay in a family friend’s vacant Airbnb in Hobart CBD. I live really close by, and after a few days it felt too weird being so close and not seeing each other, so we decided to try a socially distanced catch up. I sat in the carpark behind her Airbnb, and she sat at the top of the stairs on her balcony. In the planning stages, we floated the term “window wine” (where you have a wine with a window in between you) but this turned out to be a “balcony beer” (where you have a beer and one friend is gazing up at the other loftier friend, like Romeo serenading Juliet). I am including this image in the Covid19 archive because it was the first time things sunk in. To me it is an image of a very uncertain time, right at the beginning of Tasmania’s lockdown, where we had no idea whether Australia would manage to flatten the curve, and had seen varying results in other countries in news coverage. We were frightened on one level, but at the same time we were so struck by the novelty of everything – it really felt like we were living in a new, different world.

2020-05-01

Happy Hour-to-Go

Since COVID-19 closed bars, local restaurants such as this one adapted by allowing for alcoholic beverages to be purchased on-the-go.

2020-03-28

James Boag's poignant press ad

I saw this ad in our local paper on the first Saturday after the toughest social distancing restrictions were announced with gatherings in public of more than two people prohibited. I felt this was a very poignant press ad placed by a well-known, sturdy, enduring, local brand. It empathised with the public as well as encouraging support for the distancing measures.

2020-04-29

Pobladores forman largas colas para comprar cerveza en plena cuarentena por COVID-19

Pese a las reiteradas advertencias que recibe la población para que no salga de sus casas, decenas de personas llegaron hasta la avenida Grau, en el distrito de Castilla (Piura) con cajas de cerveza en mano y formaron largas colas para comprar esta bebida, pese a que no es un alimento de primera necesidad. Algunos llegaron en motocicletas y mototaxis con los recipientes de alcohol, mientras que otros cargaban una caja de cerveza en cada mano. Tampoco respetaron el metro de distancia establecido para evitar contagios de COVID-19.

2020-04-26

Corona Virus Quarantine Workout Meme

This meme explores the interesting dynamic quarantine creates between extreme productivity and extreme laziness. There has been a mental healthy struggle to not drown oneself in trying to be productive with all of the extra time everyone has.

2020-04-23

2 chelas más

Peru extiende la cuarentena 2 semanas más hasta el 12 de mayo de 2020. Este meme se burla de la expresión "una cerveza más, y allí se acaba, que refiere a un frase normal entre la gente tomando.

2020-04-21

Notice on front of bottle shop showing that alcohol can still be purchased in bulk quantities.

Notice shows restriction on how much alcohol can be bought in Australia from liquor outlets. The amount had been reduced from previous week.

04/02/2020

A Perfect Back Deck Beverage

Bars in Chicago have been closed for a month due to shelter-in-place. Service industry workers panicked: our paychecks are minimal, and business was just recovering from the winter slump. But, Chicago bartenders are family and many of them got creative. Estereo batched boozeless cocktail mixes and sold bottles of alcohol curbside. So far, we’ve raised enough money for each of our coworkers to get “tipped” $200. I know a lot of that came from fellow unemployed bartenders, and the generosity of them and strangers is truly humbling in a time of anxiety, fear, and social distancing. #DePaulHST391

2020-04-02

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