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fear
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2020-09-29
The Face Mask Dilemma
Since the pandemic went into full swing in March 2020, the use of face masks has been the center of debate all across the United States. Americans perceive the policing of face masks as an infringement on their First Amendment rights despite the overall safety of the public's health being the major concern. As someone who worked in restaurants their whole life, I understand that working customer service isn't for the faint-hearted. However, anti-maskers were prominent despite multiple signs in the windows mandating masks upon entry/exit, COVID safety procedures displayed everywhere, and every employee wearing a mask and enforcing the guidelines issued by the CDC. Some even went as far as creating forged exemption cards that forced the Federal Trade Commission to issue a statement against them. I have been verbally assaulted, had stuff thrown at me, and even had individuals take off their mask and cough towards me just to entice some sort of violence or display their "dominance" over those who are fearful of catching the virus. Right before I resigned, multiple coworkers caught the virus simply from interacting with customers in the restaurant. Our managers at the time refused to tell anyone for weeks or notify anyone who had come into contact with them to get tested – including me. This attributed to why I left the customer service industry a couple months after the pandemic began: the threat to my personal health and that of my high-risk family members did not exceed the monetary value of a job in that industry when managers are more concerned about profit than the safety of their employees. Instead of removing these individuals from the restaurant, managers would cater towards them to ensure they didn't lose a customer, effectively displaying their concerns: money, money, and money. Americans seem to value the economic standpoint of their nation and their freedom to do whatever they desire, even if it means potentially killing someone, just to maintain that status of "freedom" that they pride themselves so much in. In fact, President Trump refused to extend quarantine or even fully enforce it due to the economic instability it proposed by shutting down the government and his reluctance to pay citizens more than a one-time stimulus check of $1200. The economy did slightly waiver, but as of September of 2020, more than 200,000 Americans have died from the virus - higher than any other country in the world. I would think that the survival of your constituents would be more of a pressing matter than handing out "free money" (as many Americans called it), but obviously our subpar leader thinks otherwise. I will not return to the restaurant business for quite sometime to maintain my health, my roommate’s health, and my parents/grandmother’s health. We’ve been forced to do our best to keep ourselves safe because the federal government reopened the entire country after partial lockdowns that proved ineffective. -
2020
In this Together
Its a bit of my experience of a day in the life living in the times of covid-19 -
2020-03-15
A very COVID year.
My nightmare began in March when the government announced that most businesses would be closed due to the pandemic. The day before, I went to a party and I enjoyed myself. Little did I know that things would begin to change drastically. I heard very few things about COVID-19 before the lockdown, all I knew was that it was a respiratory illness and that the first case was found in China. I never thought that it would’ve made its way to America so quickly. As time went on, the days got even more scary. Schools, malls, stores and even supermarkets were closed. Reality hit when I saw how the cases were spiking in NYC. My job was temporarily closed so I was at home whilst doing my remote learning studies for nearly 3 months. I was so overwhelmed and exhausted mentally. Even though I did not leave my house, my mother and sister did everyday because they were essential workers. Every morning they left, I would panic, I was scared that they would catch the virus in the hospital and bring it home to me. My thoughts began to consume me, especially being home alone all day and watching the news. Hundreds of people were dying and the hospitals were full. Nurses and doctors were also dying. I remember watching the news and hearing about how many bodies there were. The morgues were full and they had to use freezer trucks to temporarily store the bodies. Watching the news every day made me anxious and sick to my stomach. Every night I would pray that the cases would decrease so that we could return to normal life. This pandemic is simply the most mind-racking experience of my life. I learned to appreciate life. Even though we are technically still in a pandemic, the cases are dropping and businesses are slowly opening. I just hope that we can soon resume life without masks and worry. -
2020-09-24
Doctor Appointment, COVID- 19, and the MTA
During this Pandemic I have noticed how hard it is to travel in the city. In the beginning my doctor appointments were online and were more uncomfortable than being there in person. Going there in person is even more tricky since they can not let anyone go in to their offices .what is even worse is the traveling to the doctors appointments. I haven't really used the train in such a long time but since my doctors was in Manhattan I had to go on the train. Being in a compact space with people in a not really well ventilated area in a pandemic is not the safest things to do. I feel like COVID has caused me to have new anxiety because I have tried my best to stay away from people. Even before I got on the train my stomach was turning as if I was walking into new territory. I am Brooklyn born and have basically traveled by train everyday and now the idea of going into one was making me feel uneasy. I have also noticed that there were not a lot of people that were scared on the train while I tried to breathe through two masks people were not even wearing them properly . I have noticed that the MTA has put in the new penalty for people that do not wear a mask they will be fined $50, but to be honest it there was a few people in most of the subway stations that I was on with no masks and yet no fines were being placed. Not only was I scared of COVID but there has been a rise of violence in Stations and that scared me even more. Coronavirus has really changed the way that I view traveling when it comes to trains and buses and yet in New York City public transportation is the only way mode of transportation there is to get from one place to another effectively . -
2020-06-20
Pandemic Paranoia
Around June, which was around the time the virus got really bad in Los Angeles, my hometown, my brother's friend tested positive for coronavirus. At the time, I was going to work every day at an ice cream shop by my house, seeing dozens of customers and working in close proximity to my fellow teenage coworkers, who all went home to their families. My brother had interacted with his covid-positive friend outside and with masks; the friend's parents had both tested negative. It was probably a false positive. I remember getting the call from my dad that Ben tested positive. I left work immediately and drove home, trying not to think about what I would do if my parents died. I would consider myself a rational person. I knew that the chances of my brother having it were extremely low, especially because my mom had called multiple doctors that morning to ease her mind. I called every person I'd interacted with even slightly. I told my boss that I couldn't come to work and sat at home trying not to panic. Of course, his test came back negative a couple days later. -
09/20/2020
Erika Knox Oral History, 2020/09/20
Erika offered the story of her personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and her thoughts on the broader situation affecting the world. -
2020-09-11
The Struggle of a Small Business Owner
Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic and my time in quarantine, I struggled with a multitude of things. I was distraught over my senior year being taken away, lonely from the lack of human connection and interaction, and full of anxiety and fear because everything about this virus and the future was still very much unknown. But none of this compared to my biggest and most upsetting struggle. Coincidently this struggle of mine wasn’t even my own, it happened to be my father’s. My father owns a vintage bowling alley named; The Fox Bowling Center located in a small town in Upstate New York. For over 25 years my father has owned and operated this bowling alley, and he has been involved with this business since he was 9 years old when his parents bought it in the early seventies. This bowling alley has been an integral part of my father’s life for almost 50 years, and during March of this year he had to shut down business due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My father was absolutely distraught and shattered over this news. He was worrying constantly over the future and when things might take a turn for the better so he could open back up. He also struggled severely with trying to pay bills and manage the money in a time when he had zero income. I think seeing my father struggle with money issues really hit home for me the most. The bowling alley never really made a lot of money to begin with, and when this happened he had nothing to fall back on. He worked tirelessly on trying to secure any type of loan that would help him just pay the bills and keep the business afloat. Seeing him go through this each day was torture. I just wanted to help in some way and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but I had no money to offer him and in total honesty I had no idea what the future held for small business owners like my father. Even though watching my father go through all this pain and sadness was one of the worst things I ever witnessed, he still managed to teach me some amazing life lessons I will cherish forever. He showed me to always persevere and look towards the future, and he also showed me that you can’t give up on the things you love and hold dear. I’m happy to also share that because of his hard work and perseverance with financial issues, he is able to reopen now that bowling alleys are allowed to open back up in New York. My father is overjoyed and can’t wait to have his loyal customers and friends bowling once again, even if it is a little different. I will never forget his struggle to keep the business open and when I think about those long months in the future I will always remember his hard work and dedication. -
2020-06-10
Pets and their effect during the pandemic
During the pandemic, to help deal with the new stresses my family decided to adopt a cat from a family friend. This animal actually helped to relieve some of the newfound issues that quarantine has brought on (fear, loneliness, etc.) . I feel this photograph is important because it shows a valuable tool that can help people to better make it through quarantine. It also helps to showcase the struggle I am going through in quarantine and what has helped to keep me going. -
2020-08-28
Conversacción sobre el COVID
La tía de mi esposo se murió hace una semana de COVID en Arequipa, Peru. Ahora, su tío también tiene COVID. Mi esposo llamó a su primo para conversar de los eventos, y grabé la última parte de la conversación. Lo que me impresionó era que decía que había tantas bolsas des cadáveres, y que la gente moría de asusto o paro cardiaco porque el temor les consumía. -
2020-08-27
My COVID-19 story
Getting corona can be scary for some people especially if you get it. My grandparents got it, but only one of them got it bad. My grandpa had to spend a few weeks in the quarantine section of a hospital and he was in rough shape. My grandma however, even though she tested positive, was asymptomatic. She was scared though for my grandpa. He is much better now but my grandparents do take more precautions now that they have had it. This is important to me because it shows that people can survive the corona. I personally am not afraid of the corona but that does not mean i wont be careful. -
2020-08-18
Voices of San Quentin: The inside story of how a prison became the nation's biggest COVID cluster
This article was co written by Popular Information and Voices of San Quentin. It explains how a major California state prison managed to stave off covid-19 until inmates from another prison were transferred into the facility. . . and they were carrying covid, what they did to deal with the outbreak, and how it effected incarcerated persons. -
2020-03-14
The Toilet Paper Chaos
Me and my family would go to the store to get grocieries, the shelfs were basically empty and had nothing on them. We needed toilet paper but there really wasn't any there, so we had to improvise and get paper towels which were about gone. The meme says a lot about the pandemic because it was a hassle to go to the store and get groceries cause there wasn't anything there. -
2020-08-25
Corona finally striking too close to home
Ever since the pandemic has started, nobody I knew as had been seriously close to death because of the virus. That all changed last night. For the first time of 2020 I am afraid for life of a loved one. The virus never felt super real sine I hadn't had any true experiences with it and now it feels like my it has a grip in my life and I'm afraid that it'll never truly let go. Only time will tell in this situation and that may be the scariest part of it all. -
2020-08-23
"Hope"
This mural caught my eye because it represents hope and love during a time of distress. I think we forget that love and hope is what we need as a global community. We are all going through this and we get caught up in the derision and life. As the artist said that he wanted to "provoke hope" of life after lockdown. "And also to show the tightrope between fear and love that many of us are walking at the moment." -
2020-08-18
THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON THE MOST VULNERABLE
Several of my friends are high risk to contract the virus because of compromised immune systems. This article is written to sensitize people to this group -
2020-08-16
The Hottest New Accessory
Masks. In the span of just a few weeks, I went from never having worn one before to wearing one nearly every day. As a person with several autoimmune diseases, COVID-19 poses an existential threat to my health. Masks are not just about being allowed in a grocery store, or avoiding the ridicule of others; they are a matter of survival. I have now amassed quite the collection, partly out of convenience- I never want to find myself without a clean one- and partly out of fear. We are now in the fifth month of COVID restrictions, with a distinct possibility of another five or more to come. What if there is another PPE shortage? What if I become too sick to sew my own? So dutifully I collect, buying and making and sharing, just in case. Written by Meghan E. Donahue, incoming junior at Suffolk University. -
2020-08-14
Beneath the Mask
Would you believe me if I told you this piece of cloth and string caused protests across the country? Honestly, nothing about this entire pandemic resonates with me as hard as the mask debate. The fact that people had the issues with wearing protective gear when necessary terrifies me. I understand why people might not be willing to wear a mask, but I also understand why someone would want to swim in shark-infested waters. Does not mean I want to join in with them. It’s just crazy to me that something as simple as this caused such a huge debate. -
2020-08-11
Holy Saturday
This is a story about the quarantine separating me, and most importantly others in my community, from participating not only in the sacrifice of the mass but also catechumens from receiving the sacraments of initiation during Holy Week. It's the most sacred time of the year for Catholics. It marks not only the anniversary of a deeply changing experience for me, but it's the time when I can see candidates enter the body of the church fully, and for that body to either be baptized or renew their baptismal vows. -
2020
The Paradox that is COVID-19
It was early morning on the 7th of July, 2020 and a cough from down under woke me out of my sleep. It is 2020, the Plague Year. Somewhere in the depths of my mind I heard a voice that said ‘CORONA VIRUS!’, a social media phrase made all the more famous when said best by rap icon, Cardi B. This time the voice was not hers but mine. I fell back asleep and woke again at 7 am preparing to catch a flight to Ft. Lauderdale in just an hour. I had a fever. I never have fevers. I felt off in a way where I could not focus on the present because a dark cloud of fear was hanging over me. I shook it off as CoronaVirus induced anxiety is a common thing these days. I hung back in order to board last and ensure myself an empty row on the plane all to myself. It was mid flight that I knew without a doubt that I had COVID-19. COVID-19 in nutshell is near impossible to explain and is a paradox not unlike the paradoxes it created in the moral structure of mankind. Covid-19 began introducing its pervasive nature into a plethora of my systems. You are freezing cold to the touch but burning inside. One moment your blood pressure is so low you begin to think out loud to yourself…’excuse me everyone while I just lay down right here and die’ followed by hours of pounding heart rates that require medical intervention. Of course there's diarrhea and I lost bowel movement in the hotel walking back to my room. CoronaVirus also almost had me convinced that I was going to throw up in my mouth for the rest of my life. Every few days the virus manifested itself in a new profound way but not before convincing me that it was ending. At one point my brain was shaking so intensely that the left side of my face drooped and my arms went numb landing me back into the ER for a round of anticonvulsants and fluids. The fatigue and muscle pain and swollen diaphragm were the last to leave or were they? Yesterday I woke up with pink eye and stomach cramps just a few days over 4 weeks since my symptoms started, 3 weeks after diagnosis and 10 days after testing negative. COVID-19 has affected the moral structure of mankind in a pervasive nature in a plethora of misinformation, egotism and political affiliation. And just like its symptoms, CoronaVirus has no middle ground of sensibilities in the human psyche. Some of the most prevalent concepts of the Plague Year range from government conspiracy, global terroism, the wrath of God, a hoax, a completely fraudulent non-existent virus, or a huge covert operation to inoculate the world and take the spotlight off the rampant sex trafficking and police brutality wreaking havic on the worlds children. 2020 is The Plague Year in every way. Who can blame us for our ignorance but ourselves. As a society we have turned our backs on books, professors, scientists and even our friends’ own experience for the misinformation machine known as social media. Many of us have let politicians determine the depth of our hearts. COVID-19 has made me question the paradox of the heart as an emotional or love centered force that exists in all mankind. I am writing as a Biological Science Major, PreMed student at Arizona State University and as a part of Religion, Culture, and Public Life course where I have been given the opportunity to share my story to ‘A Journal to the Plague Year’. In this course we study what is rational thought as it pertains to religion, spiritualism and the conditions of the heart in retrospect to whether or not man can do good for mankind without the need to also do bad to mankind. I lost several friends through this year and diagnosis. Some of them have never returned a text or call and others called me a liar and some laugh at my symptoms when I tell them. Then there are those that laugh at posts of people in hospital beds and turn their noses up to simple fever checks at local businesses. CoronaVirus would not be complete however had it not also brought out a global connection of assistance. Mortgages and rents are suspended, utilities are not being disconnected, the government is sending cash assistance and our food and medical welfare services have expanded to all in need. The Small Business Associations in combined efforts are bailing out businesses left and right with grants to the tune in the billions. For once in history the little man, the big man, the poor man, the rich man, the athlete, the teacher...all of us were in need and all of us were susceptible to the same affliction; COVID-19. My final thoughts on COVID-19 are one of simplicity in the midst of madness. Regardless of the plethora of theories or origination ideas and outside of the political or religious realm; CoronaVirus is still a real biological virus. CoronaVirus does not need to be highly fatal to wreak havoc on an individuals life but for far too many it is. As a future practitioner of medicine it is my oath to believe that one life is too many. It would do humanity some good to stop and weigh out the inconveniences of a silly mask or a temperature check or an imperfect trip at the grocery store for the sake of just maybe the scientists are correct. Just maybe we can stop this before The Plague Year of 2020 becomes the plague decade. -
07/17/2020
Stephanie Oral History, 2020/07/17
Stephanie [REDACTED] lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and works part time for the Hershey Chocolate Company. She lives with both her mother and brother. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie requested to work from home due to underlying health reasons. Stephanie is not working from home but is struggling with the set up. Stephanie is also craving a sense of community during these stressful times, especially since Pennsylvania isn’t friendly to those not from the area. Stephanie and her family have taken the proper precautions to stay safe and are only leaving the house when absolutely necessary. -
07/01/2020
Emma Garcia Oral History, 2020/07/01
Emma Garcia [pseudonym] is a native of California and is attending a graduate program at Arizona State University online, seeking a master’s degree in history. As part of her studies she is working on the Journal of the Plague Year digital archive. The very archive this oral history interview was conducted for and included within. Living with her boyfriend, five months into the pandemic, she explains how life with coronavirus changed her daily routines, relationships with family and friends, where she gets her news, and what she worries and fears the most. -
2020-04-17
Life In Isolation: The Coronavirus... Ashlee Lassiter
A virtual exhibition by the Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science -
04/29/2020
Anna Vouros Oral History, 2020/04/29
Christina Lefebrve conducts an Oral History with Dr. Anna Vouros, a doctor as Massachusetts General. -
2020-07-14
ICE Prison Sees Outbreak of Coronavirus article
"The director of Farmville, a privately run immigration detention center in central Virginia, recently stated in court papers that at least 267 people currently detained there have tested positive for the coronavirus—and the numbers may spike further, with 80 people still awaiting test results. It took until July 2 to test all 366 detainees. Only 19 people tested negative. In addition, 22 employees of the detention center have tested positive. The detained population inside Farmville, as of Jul. 13, now totals 360 people." This article from The Daily Beast highlights the mistreatment of immigrants in detention centers as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. With a lack of testing, proper isolation methods, and mistreatment by guards, numerous detainees are getting sick and some are dying. -
03/26/2020
Abner Bonilla Oral History, 2020/03/26
As part of Everyday Boston's Essential People Project on YouTube, Aunnesha Bhowmick interviews Abner Bonilla, a Roslindale mail carrier. Abner describes what it's like to deliver mail to more than 1,000 people during a pandemic, including his concerns about the lack of social distancing; his worry for his elderly customers; and the outpouring of gratitude he and other mail carriers have gotten. -
05/08/2020
Greta Oral History, 2020/05/08
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2020-07-01
‘They’re scared’: A look inside the COVID-19 crisis in Arizona prisons.
By Katelyn Keenehan | Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-07-12
Work Reality
My mother has been a healthcare employee for over 20 years. She loves her job and her patients. She is also immunodeficient. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was placed on medical leave. After 3 months in isolation, she returned to work to face her new reality. Thankfully, in the time she was at home, her employer acquired ppe and has implemented strict social distancing policies, including teleappoinments. Her employer has been understanding and supportive of her medical needs. And she feels as safe as she can feel when she is at work. But this doesn't mean it is easy. She wears two masks (an N95 mask covered by a secondary mask) and goggles the entire time she works. She has deep seemingly permanent indentations from the ppe on her face. Even with the protection, she still worries about her level of exposure as she comes into contact with 20-30 different patients per day. I have only seen her once since the shelter-in-place orders began in California. And I'm not sure when I'll see her again. I miss her. Her grandkids miss her. When people question why my family is taking the COVID-19 pandemic so seriously, I tell them about my mom. She does not have a choice to stay home or to avoid exposure to the virus. With her condition, she is high risk and could likely die. If I can help her, and many others like her, stay safe during this pandemic, I will do it. Even if it means a great deal of personal sacrifice. -
2020-06
Tweets from Inside a Prison 6/7-6/13/2020 by Railroaded Underground
These images show the Tweets of a prison inmate using a contraband cell phone to let the public know what it is like inside the nations prisons during the coronavirus pandemic. This week he talks about the "racist violent system", George Floyd, wishes the momentum for change in policing and Black Lives Matter isn't lost, encouraging voting, #ClemancyNow, San Quentin in San Francisco, and being put in the hole after a prison guard handcuffed and kicked him in the face repeatedly. -
2020-05
Tweets from Inside a Prison 5/17-5/23/2020 by Railroaded Underground
These images follow the Tweets of an incarcerated person using a contraband cell phone to educate the public on how coronavirus is impacting people inside of corrections facilities. This week he talks about missing his baby brothers graduation, inmates feeling panic about eighty prisoners being transferred in and their worry they could bring covid with them, the tension and fights breaking out, being in a human cage, and the prison administration. -
2020-04
Tweets from Inside a Prison 4/5-4/11/2020 by Railroaded Underground
These images show Tweets from a prison inmate using a contraband cell phone for the week of April 5th through April 11th, 20202. He talks about waiting in a cage for covid to get him, the poor are the ones imprisoned and now they are at higher risk of getting covid, he sees depression and hope, talks about how old the facility is and the black mold he can see growing outside his cell. -
2020-07-05
The Silent Sufferers
I am the product of a small town in Western Pennsylvania. I grew up, got some very lucky opportunities, and was able to go on to do things I never thought possible. I have no formal education beyond high school, and have spent most of my life from 12 years old on teaching myself what I needed to know to keep moving forward. I live in the Pittsburgh suburbs now and work as an IT professional. I went back to my father's recently to help him out with some IT work at his shop. He's been in business for 20+ years now and we fall on fairly opposite ends of the political spectrum. I've seen him go through difficult periods before, but walking on to his shop floor and seeing the absolute desolation that covid-19 has left in its wake, was so overwhelming I was crying when we left. He and I have talked about covid and the Trump administration at various points in the past several years. Sometimes calmly, sometimes less than so. All I could say as someone who is very much pro "Stay at home, wear your mask, stop fucking bitching." was "I'm sorry this is happening, and anyone on either side of the aisle politicizing this horrible thing for their own gain, should have to walk through there and see the effect it has." His response was a simple “Thank you.” and we moved on to other topics. My job allows me to be remote 99.9% of the time, and on-site time is batched to make the most of it. My paycheck has not been affected at all through this, nor my benefits, and until the recently announced ICE changes, I had no concerns that it might be affected. I am extremely fortunate in the face of a world being flipped upside down. Governor Wolf was perhaps more heavy handed in his approach in some rural areas compared to more urban ones, and that will have a lasting impact. With my very limited sample set of 1, my father has 70 - 90 employees in a building the size of a couple airplane hangers. They made a difficult decision to close for several weeks. He was heartbroken, but agreed for the safety of his employees. Once we entered our green phase, they were able to re-open, but the impact that time had on their business was unimaginable. This time last year, his shop had nearly $750,000 dollars in product in production, ready to go to their customers. This past weekend it was only $82,000. My father is confident his company will survive this storm as they have many others. The renewal of the Payroll Protection Program will offer some relief, however if business doesn’t increase, or the program isn’t renewed again before covid-19 is acknowledged as a very serious problem, or a vaccine is found, layoffs are inevitable. I can't imagine how he sleeps at night when I'm having difficulty doing so myself. He knows that it’s not only his employees being impacted, but their entire family. Part of his being in business for himself was my need for better insurance because of my medical issues as a child. He and his partners have always provided as much of the cost of health insurance as possible as a result. Last I knew, they were still covering 90% of all costs for every employee and their families with minimal contribution from the employee. After hearing how angry my brothers and Dad were about the quarantine, then seeing the devastating impact covid has had on them, I understand now why they were so angry. If the Federal Government had been more willing to admit something was happening, make an appropriate plan, work with state governments to put appropriate restrictions in place, and provided resources to help make that happen, he might not be in this spot. However, if Wolf hadn't done what was done, how much more of an impact would this have had on Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and their surrounding communities? There's no "one size fits all" solution here. Each situation is different, but without support and resources, how do you make those decisions effectively? -
2020-06-30
Three Months without Fast Food
Fear of COVID-19 has kept us from ordering any restaurant food, even take out or delivery, since March. Then, during the second week of June, my kids won a contest at (virtual) Sunday school where the prize was the children’s pastor delivering dinner of the kids’ choice to our house, and my husband’s work gave everyone Grub hub credit for their virtual end of the year party. Worn down by hunger, I relented and we got McDonald’s (for the kids’ prize) and Cali Tacos (from Grubhub). Not having either for so long, we may have gone a little overboard with our orders. It did take 20 minutes before we ate, because I removed all the wrappers wearing gloves, transferred the food to plates, threw all trash outside, and washed vigorously hands before we ate. It’s been two weeks, so I’m hoping it was safe. It’s a strange experience, we were used to having 85 Degrees or Starbucks at least once a week. It’s like when I was a kid and restaurant food was a special treat. -
2020-04-04
An Air of Crisis, a Sonnet by Susan Drennan Gabriel Bunn
This is a sonnet written by Susan Drennan Gabriel Bunn. She a native New Yorker and wrote this on location in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Susan is a musician, writer, and fine artist. This is her poetry about the Corona time. -
2020-06-28
P.E.I. sees rise in anti-outsider sentiment as COVID-19 travel restrictions ease
"...with cottage owners now arriving on the Island, several people with out-of-province licence plates have had their cars vandalized, have been confronted or have had nasty notes left for them in incidents known locally as 'plate shaming.'" Article discussing hostility from locals to those with out of province license plates as they fear they may be carrying coronavirus into Prince Edward Island. -
2020-06-20
Coronavirus cases at San Quentin soar to 190; ‘they’re calling man down every 20 or 30 minutes’
A group of prisoners from Chino were recently transferred to San Quentin because of a COVID-19 outbreak. These prisoners were housed in a separate, yet connected, area from the residing San Quentin incarcerated population. San Quentin prisoners reported daily COVID-19 testing since the group arrived. 159 prisoners at San Quentin have now tested positive for COVID-19. The numbers are expected to continue to climb. Fear, anxiety, frustration and anger are running rampant as San Quentin attempts to contain the spread of the virus. -
2020-06-01
Mad, mad, world
COVID-19 Black lives matter : June 1, 2020 The news of the riots and looting that have broken out at BLM protests is horrifying. There are so many supremacists, instigators and fame whores trying to remove the message that Black Lives Matter. There also seems to be a misunderstanding in the slogan. All lives should matter. They don't. Black lives matter, too. Despite the agitators, I was so pleased to hear that the Marches in Decatur and cities around were peaceful. Last night, I talked myself out of participating in a March out of fear of violence. The very violence I want to be standing against. I'm disappointed in myself. Age and illness have cost me some of my fearlessness. The Freedom Fighters traveled the segregated South, facing beatings and possible death. Such courage they had. I kept my phone away purposefully today. It seems every hour we have something and strange to react to. Space Launch! YAY!!! Riots! WTF!!?! Two hours later, more info is available that modifies the initial reaction. Then, by the evening, reactions change again after we're bombarded with opinions and news links from social media. We try to get our bearings and then we're confronted with something new and equally mindboggling. UFO's? Barely a mention. Conflicting opinions abound, with no consistency from our state and federal governments. It's hard not to long for the days when I trusted Walter Cronkite and thought the government was looking out for my best interests. Illinois Governor's Kerner and Walker shattered that pipe dream. Watergate ground the pieces into dust. It was another gorgeous day, today. Bright, sunny with a gentle wind. I kept the windows open and putzed around the yard. We found a new home for our old pool. It will have five playful kids enjoying it, rather than sitting in pile outside our shed. It can join it's Toy Story buddies and return to its life as a pool filled with children. I needed to be outside today. Away from humanity. I'm out on my sleeping swing, listening to wind. At times, it almost sounds waves rolling in. The moon is just bright enough that I watched Rocky Raccoon searching for grubs, not ten feet from me. I didn't disturb him. He slowly meandered across the yard. I think a Mama Deer may have a fawn stashed in the ditch across the road. I heard a huff and stomp. Maybe Rocky got too close. The stars are bright and fireflies are all over the place. The other night the grands were convinced they were falling stars. Nights like this, during times like this, I wonder why humans were given dominion of the earth. Then I remember I'm just a tiny grain of sand. A grain of sand that helps forge canyons. I'm grateful I can find peace and calm under Mother Nature's mantle. -
2020-06-17
The pandemic experience
In Bhutan the first positive cases tested was a foreigner or a tourist. When we heard that we have one virus affected person, the country was statue for once. His wife and the Bhutanese tourist guide were next suspected cases in Bhutan. Even the family of guide was suspected and all the restaurants he stayed was also suspected. Guide's family and workers were quarantined for the first time for two weeks. All the citizens were horrified, scared, worried, perhaps there was mixed feelings inside. After two weeks they were all tested negative which was relieve for a country. After the incident, the government of Bhutan started contacting Bhutanese citizens outside Bhutan, the students, workers and officials. They were kept under correct guidance to save themselves from being affected. As day passes by, government started sending planes to get them. The government of Bhutan had already prepared the hospitals and segregated the places to people coming from outside. The highly equipped with facilities resorts were booked by government. The isolation places were also prepared beforehand. The King of Bhutan and government of Bhutan, in collaboration initiated to the citizens, also constructed houses, reduced taxes, prepared rations, introduced apps to scan, started training more Desung's for duty, Bhutan Broadcasting Service started new program called 'Chikthuen' to entertain people in quarantine. They invite health officials to update about the coronavirus in country, they also invite government officials to inform and share their plans about the improving things in country. One of quarantined student who returned from outside blogged in YouTube, she was happy to be quarantined in Bhutan, as they get all the facilities starting from toothpaste and brush. She says that it was very pleasure that they are equipped with all the needs and wants in Bhutan, but she also shares that it was mundane to be quarantined indoor for longer period as we have never been locked throughout the history. The government of Bhutan has taken good measures to improvise the system of education. Since Bhutan have never experienced the technological life, it is hard for students get used to it. Of course we used to get touch with desktop in schools and colleges, but we never studied and taught from online. The biggest issue of almost all the students is that they can’t study well and they can’t focus on what they are being taught. However, the government had order that school going students will be taught from BBS television, while college students are meant to cop up with online teaching and learning. As a student we are thankful to our government that they are protecting and concerning about us, however as a pandemic grows it will be even difficult to decide our future. There’s fear, anger, worrisome, uncomfortable and unbalanced feelings in the mind of all the people. The way of living was completely changed in country; in the markets, in hospitals, homes and towns. In the town and markets we walk with mask on mouth, with distance from friends and families that we had been together till now. In general every step was observed by duties, Desung’s and polices. It was very indifferent from all the history throughout the history. As positive cases goes up, the fear grows, develops sorrow, becomes unstable and feels dizzy that one day will my family or friend survive out of this pandemic? It was one morning that; I was checking instagram, suddenly at once there was 10 new positive cases at the pace of shock and fear, I wondered will there be death cases and will the positive cases grow even more tomorrow. Nevertheless, I was confirmed that due to existence of dual system of government in Bhutan; the political and religion. While political takes care of people with its developmental laws and on the other hand religious takes initiative to perform many types of ritual for the benefit of all the sentient beings. So, Bhutanese believes that, due to religious blessings we are safe and sound without any death cases till now. it doesn’t mean that we are back to normal, how much we are blessed or how much we get used to social medias; we still have unbalanced and mixed feelings inside that developed since pandemic. We are advised to stay indoor; the streets were found only with couple of people, schools and colleges were closed. It was uneasy to use social media every day; the life was mundane, sudden dynamic, the sudden indifferent lives thus introduced. -
2020-03-16
COVID-19 Extracts from Personal Journal
Mid-March. Thinking about all the things that have previously worried me this year that now seem mild and hilarious: moving alone to Tasmania; starting my PhD at a new university and finally meeting my supervisors; turning 28 (haha, actually). Now: Global pandemic; getting really sick; my loved ones getting really sick; state borders closing and being unable to return home even if I want to; my loved ones getting sick and not being able to travel to see them; the economy is destroyed, again. Late-March. It is what it is. What a rollercoaster this year has been, and we're not yet three months in. I've been staying home in self-quarantine for a few weeks now. The days are distinct for twenty-four hours; in the mornings I can recall the previous mornings; the afternoons, the afternoons. Every day I wake around 10am, at some point I paint, make food, drink coffee, stand on the balcony and gaze at the view. At the dining table J plays Catan ("it's your turn"; maniacal laughter; the sound of sawing) while I read. B set up the gym in the spare room and is continually showing me exercises effortlessly, while I struggle on a single push up. We stack wood in the woodshed, B and I come up with names for movies replacing words with toilet paper in one of a million Facebook challenges to bubble up during a time when all we have is time, and after weeks of watching the PM’s announcements as a house, we have all gradually stopped paying attention to the news. What is happening in Tasmania? That's all we care about anymore. I call home and [my parents] are cheery, full of house-plans and routine amidst the uncertainty. Recently J and I were discussing how we have different word associations - prior to all this I saw virus as being inherently technological, a computer term; he saw it as a verb, something penetrating and spreading. He said he felt concerned that we all use the same term but we might all be meaning different things, so how can anyone authentically communicate? I feel that inherently at the moment. I have a wonderful Zoom call with D and D and they are jovial, laughing, but also patient and understanding with my PhD fog. (Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am doing one at all, and it zips back into consciousness with surprise: wait, you're doing it? Now? All you do is sit in your house.) University is at least some kind of consistency. I write to M and A, I paint zealous red gouache flowers on the envelopes, I run to the post box and hold my hand out in the air after touching the handle as though drenched with invisible miasma. J and I collect pine cones at the Domain. When strangers approach from a distance every part of me screams stay away! They seem to walk directly towards us, magnetised, a collision course, and it is always our job to duck and weave to avoid crashing. Crashing means ‘breathing near’. Mid-April. I ask J how many weeks it has been not leaving the house. "I don't know", he says."Four? Five?" We count backwards. I was free on my birthday; the last time I went out for anything was a week after that, Me Wah. J remembers. "At least you got to sit in a restaurant", he says. He remembers mine and B's conversation to the word. I sense his mind is doing backflips in the emptiness, while mine is hazy and soft, a kaleidoscope of dreaming and staring into the flickering flames of our fire, looking at the soft Ghibli rain over the city, staring into never-ending mugs of steaming tea. There’s no need to ever be fully awake. We watch movies B picks out on Netflix (Psychokinesis; A Quiet Place), sip homemade cherry liqueur. We share treats. Occasionally we leave the house in an anxious flurry. People either look nervously as we pass them in the aisle, or not at all; oblivious, they bang into other people, walk aggressively, lean too close. J is frustrated and rattled. "I'm really grumpy", he says, roaring his car into the street. B and I silently look for teddy bears in the windows of people's houses. In our neighbour’s window is a brightly painted sign, ‘Thank you health care workers!’ One particularly cagey afternoon (of golden sun licking the garden in early April, flecked summer shadows, all a warm 20 degrees) I walk. I walk around the Domain and lip sync to repetitive pop songs and take photos of the trees and a fat rainbow parrot, and I move into the dirt to avoid people, always watching, mapping trajectories and walking speed in space. I get home sunburnt and make a fluffy coffee, drink it in the sun on the deck while J pulls up our kale and spinach and gives it to me to munch, pops the heads of tiny caterpillars with his thumbnail. He leaves one for me to do and when I squish it green blood splashes like a poorly made film crime scene pool, obnoxiously overflowing. There are many places I could be during all this that would be worse than here. Mid-May. This is new. The pressure has completely released. I don’t feel on-edge for a millisecond, instead deeply slow and content and watchful. Given-up and exhausted. When I was deeply drunk I looked around my room tearfully (a clear theme these days) and touched my hand to the wall and thanked the spirits of this old house, whether they were listening or not, the echoes and shadows and fingerprints and DNA of those who came before, for having me, and for their care during this time. After the months I have spent within this house I can’t not anthropomorphize the walls. It was a wider gratitude - for the dappled sunlight on the plants on the ledge in the kitchen, for the depths of the crackling fire, watching it lick and munch at the dry logs, for the deep sea breeze coming up our street, for the view of the houses and the stone church and the pines and the mountain drifting beyond the clouds, for the thick fat roses persevering deep into the late autumn, for the brass-golden sun burning my skin lightly in the late afternoon, for everything delicate and rare and wonderful I have been contained with on this property. While coronavirus is rapidly disappearing in Tasmania (knock on wood, we say, tapping our knuckles on the table, and then on our own heads) the rest of the world is gripped in it. Domestic travel is looking possible by July, at the earliest - international not until 2023, so likely after my PhD is concluded. For now, the directive is clear: stay put and stay healthy and don’t spread. Inspired by the frontliners M is considering doing a two-year intensive nursing degree, so by the time we’re both finished perhaps the world will be opened and we can move around and see it. Who knows what the future will bring - and this year, more than any other, the year the word ‘unprecedented’ was thrown around frantically, this holds true. Late-May. Today was nice. I walked aimlessly around the city, bought a coffee from Two Folks and waited eagerly in the alley for it to be ready since only one person could stand in front of the register on the X-marked tape at any given time (the childish thrill of in-person commerce); bought soap from Lush and laughed with the girl with sky-blue ombre hair behind the plexiglass - “Thank you for keeping me in a job!”, she said. People on the street seemed ready to smile at the slightest glance. There is a relieved, selfish joy in the air. At night I drank a bottle of wine and watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and as I always have laughed at every dark moment, and things felt preciously safe in this tiny pocket of the world. -
2020-05-21
Reopening Perspectives
As States and businesses across the country reopen, there appears to be a divide on what is best practice. One camp is of the opinion that we should go back to how we were pre-quarantine, and should treat the virus as something that has passed. The other camp desires a reopening that is done cautiously, guided by medical/scientific data. Memes are reflecting the divide. -
2020-06-01
"December 31, 2020 at 11:60"
This meme is important as it shows what everyone's worse fear is at this moment, that 2020 with all of its problems will never end. Somewhat as if humanity was stuck in a loop. -
2020-03-24
Red in Blue
People in the blue state (California) are turning to guns, as the pandemic spreads. It seems interesting how the pandemic situation has changed how people's mindsets. -
2020-04-21
my Lockdown
what happens in my studio in Paris during the lockdown -
2020-06-01
COVID-19 Quarantine
I wanted the image I chose to show scary it is to be living in this world as a child. There are so many terrible things happening around the world and COVID-19 is another tragic event to add to the list. -
2020-05-29
Harm of peace or harm of fear
My first reaction to this subject, namely release prisoners amid the pandemic, was complicated. On one hand, like the ordinary, I worried about peace and the order of the society. On the other hand, however, I cared about the humanities side of human life; essentially, this affects all of us around the globe regardless of race, nationals, social groups, etc. Every life matters. So does the one in prison. -
2020-03-16
End Violence
This picture if relevant to what is happening to Asian Americans, they face hate crimes almost everyday ever since the outbreak of COVID-19. As a young student who is proud to be an Asian, living in America suddenly sounds like a scary reality that we don't want to face, afraid to be suddenly attack by people who believe Asians are the reason there is a global pandemic. -
2020-05-21
Fear and Group think drove unnecessary global lockdowns
This shows the significant perspective of people who did not believe the Pandemic was real. -
2020-04-14
Mongols siege meme
A series of tweets using a Mongol siege as a metaphor for the current lockdown, and the absurdity of trying to open up again too early. -
2020-04-09
Compilation of Remote Islands' Requests to Refrain from Visiting
Ritô Keizai Shinbun article compiling requests from various remote islands around Japan for visitors/travelers to avoid coming to the island. Many islands around Japan, and around the world, are trying to restrict or discourage entry into the island, as epidemic spread on small islands could quickly overwhelm limited medical capability on the island. -
2020-03-24
Blog Post: Life in Tokyo in the Age of Plague
A blog post by an American postdoctoral scholar living in Tokyo, about his experience of self-isolation and working from home.