Items

• 
  2021-10-15

  A muffled voice

  My six-year-old son often forgets he’s wearing a mask. We’ll leave his school, the grocery store, anywhere really, and he’ll spend the entire car ride home with his mask still on. He’s even tried to eat with it on a few times! I can always hear when he’s forgotten to take it off because it muffles his voice. He talks constantly, I like to say that he actually voices his internal monologue, so I can tell exactly when he takes his mask off even if I can’t see him. When I hear that he’s still wearing his mask, I often think about the instability of being a child (and raising a child) during a global pandemic. His life and his routines have changed so frequently in the past year and a half, but he has been incredibly adaptive and understanding the entire time. Hearing his muffled little voice always makes me appreciate this awesome kid of mine while also making me really consider these chaotic times we’re living in.
• 
  2020-03-26

  Introverts During Covid Meme

  As an introvert, I never felt affected by a lot of the changes that took place when Covid struck. I stay at home most of the time if I am not at work, and I don't often go out in large social gatherings. I love my personal space, and I prefer the anonymity of wearing a mask. Sometimes, Covid felt like an excuse to stay home and do the things I love. This is not to underestimate the challenges that everyone faced; I just faced the challenges through my health and job, not social distancing or quarantining. These memes reflect a lighthearted view of what it was like to experience Covid as an introvert.
• 
  2020-07-01

  Mask Up: Wear This, Not That to Protect Others

  A blog post from Banner Health about risks associated with gathering.
• 2021-10-09

  Wear a mask to church in 2020

  As everything started to open back up, I had to wear a mask to church. Having to wear a mask to church was not easy when singing along with the worship service. Especially when you attend a service with loved ones for the holidays.
• 
  2021-10-09

  Trip to Hawaii 2021

  Back in April of 2021, I had the opportunity to fly out to Hawaii for a quick vacation to see my fiance. In order to do so, my fiance’s parents and I were required to sign up with Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program and have a negative test about 72 hours prior to the trip. While flying, we were required to wear a mask during the whole length of the flight. Even out there, there were some parts of the island where we were even required to wear masks outdoors and in a spacious area.
• 2021-05-12

  Et Tu , Brute?

  When Governor McMaster signed an executive order stating that children had to wear mask in schools, the state went bananas. Many began to question whether McMaster's hawk feathers were starting to turn white as many people formed their opinions on what was the correct way to implement health guidelines in schools. I feel like this shows the pushback our governor was starting to have with COVID guidelines since our numbers were the highest in the South along with Georgia the month prior. I also felt like this was funny change of events considering that the governor was the first opt in to South Carolinians not wearing mask when the CDC confirmed it was safe.
• 2021-10-09

  Summer Camp 2020

  Last summer, I was employed by the Boys Scouts to work at one of the boy scout summer camps located in Georgia. To meet all health guidelines, we were required to wear masks, have weekly Covid testing, and make sure that we did not get sick on the property. Summer camp had only lasted between three and four weeks before we had to close, and send everyone home early.
• 
  0017-01-17

  A new idea of delicates

  Finding humor during the pandemic has been hard, but we still find our way. Washing delicates turned into washing masks during the pandemic.
• 
  2021-10-08

  Lone Star Covid Archive

  This text is important to me because it tells me how hard life was during the pandemic. Everything was just restricted and I was not able to do the things I wanted to do. I signed up for flag and it was my first ever time playing football but when Covid hit or submission got canceled. Looking back at this moment in time helps me think that life is better than it has seemed before.
• 
  2021-10-08

  Then and Now

  My name is Karleigh Wissel. I am 12 years old, and I attend Lone Star middle school (Nampa, ID). I would say that my last normal school year was 4th grade. I was nine years old and went to a private school. When I was in fifth grade, about halfway through the year, everything changed. The whole school quickly transitioned too online. The following year I was going to be in sixth grade, and we were going to continue with the same private school, but it just was not safe. So, my parents decided to homeschool me and my little brother. Wearing a mask is not mandatory but I wear it anyway. I must wear a mask all the time and the only time I get take it off is when I am outside and when I eat lunch. Also, I must be very aware of my surroundings and if someone coughs, I try my best to stay away from them. I would say that starting 7th grade this year has been a little hard. Since I was homeschooled, I did not get that middle school experience. I felt like everyone knew how to open their lockers and transition from class to class. It took me about a week to get the hang of it.
• 
  2021-10-06

  Moving from Turkey to the United States During a Pandemic

  This story describes moving a family from Antalya, Turkey to the United States during the pandemic of 2020/2021. It attempts to enlighten the reader to the types of issues people are dealing with and how it can change a person and reveal who people are.
• 
  2021-10-05

  Masks in Puerto Rico with Five High Schoolers

  This summer (2021) my husband and I were lucky enough to take our two high schoolers along with three of their friends to Puerto Rico. It was a way to escape the boredom of Utah as well as its high Covid rate. Of course we wore masks in the airport and the airplanes and continued to wear them in all public places in Puerto Rico, even outside. The teenagers were resistant to wearing masks because Utah had stopped wearing them in March 2021. I explained to them that not only was the Puerto Rican government asking us to wear masks, but the local culture was expecting them too. I realize that this picture shows them not wearing masks but they wore them indoors and when we were near people outdoors – but almost never for pictures!
• 2021-10-04

  Restaurant Employees' Experience during COVID-19

  Restaurant Employees’ Experience during COVID-19 The norms of life pre-COVID are not the norms we are experiencing now. We all get accustomed to our ways of living, and then our lives have changed in a blink of an eye. I am a server in a restaurant and walk out each shift with cash in my hands. March 19, 2020, my life changed. I was a college student that lived day today when it came to my income, and for six weeks, I did not have an income to help with the bare necessities of living. However, I was very fortunate that my parents were the lucky ones that still had jobs, and they were able to help me until the restaurants opened back up. I have learned the importance of saving money. The experience of working in a restaurant during COVID-19 was unlike any experience I had in the past. Everyone was required to wear a mask, and the interaction with the guests was unnatural. The guests not being able to see our expressions and not hearing us clearly, I felt we lost the customer service our guests expected. It was challenging to breathe with the masks as the restaurant industry is fast-paced, and at times we would get overheated, nauseous, and did not feel well. I was always ready to go home so I could take off my mask. To-go sales now are a much more significant part of the restaurant business. The challenge with the increase in to-go orders is the design of the kitchens. They are designed to handle the projected sales based on experience, and when to-go sales became unlimited, the time to prepare meals doubled in time, and guests were unhappy. Many did not understand that the kitchen can only produce some much product per hour. It eventually got to the point that the restaurant would have to turn off their phones because the kitchen was at the maximum number of orders that they could produce. Trying to keep the guests happy was a challenge. If we took unlimited to-go orders, then the cook times were doubled. However, if we limited the number of to-go orders, the guests would also be unhappy. It will be interesting to see if the restaurant industry gets back to the norms of pre-COVID.
• 
  2021-09-17

  Sobering Statistics

  Once again, Covid-19 tops the list for Law Enforcement In Line of Duty Deaths, just as it did last year. Now, more than ever, Law Enforcement needs our support and assistance!
• 
  2020-08-27

  Playing D1 Athletics during the Covid Pandemic

  I am on the women’s soccer team at Arizona State University, and the world’s way of handling sports during the pandemic was ever changing and interesting to say the least. This photograph depicts me playing soccer outside while fully masked. At the start of the pandemic, all sports were put on a complete hold and all athletes were sent home. The next progression was that we were able to return to campus, however we must practice fully masked and maintain no contact with other athletes. As you can imagine, running sprints in August in Arizona was no easy feat, but nobody complained and everyone was just happy to get back on the field. Within a couple of months, we were able to resume contact, remove masks, and play against other schools as long as weekly testing was enforced. As the year has progressed and vaccinations have become readily available, the restrictions for vaccinated individuals have been almost completely lifted and testing is no longer required. This pandemic has completely changed my outlook on sports and life in general. It is so easy to dread the early morning practices, the hard team workouts or count down the days until your next off day. However, once those things are completely taken away from you, you truly realize how lucky you are to even be on the field in the first place. This pandemic, in all that it has taken from us, has given me a sense of appreciation for all the little things that I used to dread. I find myself being much more optimistic in the hard moments than I was before, and I have been able to be much more grateful for the opportunities that I have been given. I truly do think that this lesson will carry over into my life beyond athletics, and that I will have a different outlook on seemingly dreadful tasks. You never know when a global pandemic could suddenly put your life on hold.
• 
  2021-10-04

  How Covid-19 Has Changed My Life

  The reflection that I have uploaded is a short summary of the biggest impacts Covid-19 has had on my life. This was the first time I've had the opportunity to share how Covid-19 has affected my life and I hope my experience helps others understand what life was like during these times. This submission is important to me because I want people 50 years from now to be able to read this and know how this pandemic has changed the world and how adaptable humans can become.
• 
  2021-10-03

  A Century Later

  A look at a global pandemic from a 21st century American point of view, nearly a decade after the last pandemic of the world.
• 
  2020-12-25

  Pandemic Christmas 2020

  This is a polaroid photo of my family getting together on Christmas day in 2020. We are all wearing masks because some of us have more hazardous occupations that may have exposed us to covid. We had been tested but wanted to err on the side of caution. We thought it would make a good picture, and wanted to document our lives during the pandemic.
• 
  2021-08-05

  Tucson Unified requires masks

  Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona State Legislature have attempted to make it illegal for school districts to require face masks. Tucson Unified School District's school board voted for a mask mandate in defiance of this. Other Arizona districts followed, risking the withholding of COVID relief funds that the governor is refusing to disburse to any district with a mask mandate. A judge later ruled that the law was invalid and schools could have a mask mandate. As someone with children who are in school but are too young to receive a vaccine yet, I hope districts continue to require face masks for the safety of the students and staff. The Arizona Daily Star published a story about TUSD's decision. TEXT OF ARTICLE: Tucson Unified School District is requiring all staffers, students and visitors to wear masks at all its school sites when the school year begins on Thursday, Aug. 5. The TUSD decision defies a new state law that bans public schools from issuing mask mandates. “While Gov. (Doug) Ducey and the state Legislature has decided to ignore the advice of our public health experts and endanger our community, we can’t sit idle and watch COVID inevitably spread throughout our schools and devastate so many TUSD families,” said board member Ravi Grivois-Shah during an emergency Governing Board meeting Wednesday morning. “This is why I will support, along with my colleagues, a requirement to have masks on TUSD campuses and authorize TUSD to enforce this.” The board passed the measure 4-0. Board President Leila Counts was not present for the vote. Masking in schools is an important mitigation measure to slow the spread of COVID-19, and especially the new delta variant, health agencies at the county, state and federal level all say. This week, with Tucson classrooms back at capacity, as nearly 140,000 children across Pima County are returning to classrooms in person, indoor masking is one of the remaining virus mitigation measures schools have left. Social distancing is problematic at most school sites because of large class sizes, and there’s a state ban on a vaccine mandate. Further, a vaccine is unavailable to anyone younger than 12 years old. Between July 20 and Aug. 2, there were 102 virus cases in Pima County schools and 11 outbreaks, according to data from the Health Department. Those figures occurred when most schools here were not yet open. At the end of July, cases in schools accounted for about 8% of the Pima County’s total reported cases, compared to 4% of total cases during last school year — when masks were required. The county also has seen an increase in pediatric admissions and ER visits in children over the last two weeks of July. Vail Unified is the only Tucson school district that has been open for two weeks. Without a mask mandate, the district has 57 current COVID-19 cases in students and 12 in staff workers. The county Health Department has already temporarily closed three Vail classrooms and told staffers and students to quarantine. “Last year, schools had a number of tools that are no longer available,” said Vail Superintendent John Carruth. “They had the ability to do hybrid learning with smaller class sizes, require face coverings and close classrooms if needed. This year, Vail has two instructional options for families — fully in person and fully remote. With all of our teachers assigned to in-person or fully remote instruction, we are leaning on structures we built last year to support students when (the Health Department) requires them to quarantine.” And while some parents, especially those with children not old enough to be vaccinated, fear for their children’s safety in a packed classroom with unmasked people, other parents are staunchly against mask mandates, saying it is unnecessary and even harmful. In an informal survey by the Arizona Daily Star, with 180 participants two weeks ago when the COVID-19 numbers were lower, less than a third of respondents said masks should be optional, in line with the new state law. The other two-thirds said masks should be required or schools should at least have the option to require them. TUSD, with about 42,000 students, follows at least two other school districts in the state, the Phoenix Union High and Phoenix Elementary school districts, in defying the governor and state Legislature by requiring masks. A Phoenix Union teacher sued the district over the mandate, but a court hearing on the case that was set for Wednesday morning was postponed until next week. Science teacher Douglas Hester filed a lawsuit against the Phoenix Union school district’s board members and superintendent on Aug. 2, saying the mandate is illegal and can’t be enforced. A hearing on the case is set for Aug. 13. While most Tucson school districts are strongly recommending that students and staff wear masks indoors, most have also said they don’t intend on mandating masks, including Vail, Marana, Amphitheater, Sahuarita, Sunnyside and Tanque Verde. TUSD Board Member Adelita Grijalva said the mask mandate is necessary for the following reasons: More children are getting sick from the new COVID variant; new evidence has shown that fully vaccinated people may still be able to transmit the virus; the delta variant appears to be more contagious than chickenpox; and many students in the district are too young to be vaccinated. “Probably over 30% of our district cannot be vaccinated because of age,” she said. “I know my youngest can’t. I know many of our children cannot or their friends cannot, and so we have to do everything we can in the district to ensure their safety. That’s our No. 1 priority.”
• 
  2021-09-28

  The trashiest place on earth

  Mask trash at Disneyland California
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  2021-09-30

  COVID-19: A new personal struggle

  My experience has changed overall with this pandemic. In my paper I discussed the different aspects of how my life changed given the circumstances with work, school, and personal lifestyle.
• 2020-03-16

  My life with COVID

  The COVID pandemic has affected everyone around the world. Going into march of 2020, I had a lot of pressure put on me by my parents to either quit my job, or take time off because they didn't know how serious the virus was and wanted me to take no chances. I also have an autistic brother who cannot speak so I didn't want to risk giving COVID to him. At the time, nobody knew how severe the virus was, but as time passed I witnessed first hand how serious it was. When I got back to work after taking time off, I saw what I thought was a joke. Shelves of foods completely empty, and all toilet paper sold out as well other cleaning products. This went on for about a month before people stopped buying a lot of things in fear. There would be lines outside of my job because too many people were coming and we didn't want to have a lot of people gathered in one place for safety reasons. More time passed and things sort of went back to normal but people now wore masks and practiced social distancing. Now over a year later, things are more calm and people are finally doing the right thing and wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus and end this pandemic.
• 
  2021-09-17

  The Census in Lockdown

  The Australian Census looked little different this year. Census employees in states and cities in lockdown had to conduct contactless follow up visits and were issued with ABS branded masks for the purpose.
• 
  2021-09-27

  COVID-19, College and a Pandemic Puppy

  I was attending Estrella Mountain Community College at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. When we found out that we were going to have an extended spring break it seemed like a much-needed break at the time. Nobody knew it would change our lives forever and it especially changed mine. During the beginning of the pandemic, I completed my Associate Degree completely online and it would convince me to continue my bachelor’s degree completely online through ASU. I was able to experience this new way of learning in college and I really liked it. A lot of my peers in college have said how much they dislike online learning, but during the pandemic I learned how much I prefer online learning to in person learning. This pandemic has been one of the worst experiences I have had in my life, but it also taught me so much about myself. Another milestone during the pandemic was my family got a new puppy named Loki. She was really the highlight of our days during quarantine and gave us something to look forward to everyday. I work at an elementary school in the after-school care program, so at the beginning of the pandemic I was able to stay home and still be paid. When August 2020 came around, we had to go back to work, and it was terrifying at first. All the adults and kids were wearing masks, so it felt a little safer, but it was still very scary. The feeling of so many unknown things during this pandemic was really the worst and it just brought anxiety with every day. This pandemic also highlighted some issues that we have within our society. Things like access to covid tests and vaccines were highlighted within our society as issues. People living in less wealthy areas of the world did not have the same access to covid tests and vaccines as everyone else in the rest of the world did. This allowed the virus to spread even more than it should have already. Another big issue in our society during the pandemic was the mask debate. The virus continued to spread due to people refusing to wear masks and infecting people when they were not wearing masks. The mask debate is still ongoing because the pandemic is still not over. A huge issue we have in our society right now is the argument about whether vaccines are safe and if masks are effective. The only way we are going to end this pandemic is if everyone gets the vaccine and people continue to wear masks. This pandemic has been ongoing for almost a year and a half, it is time that we try as a society to end this pandemic.
• 
  2021-09-15

  COVID-19 Archive Project Interview

  [Curator's Note] Two persons interview each other about their experiences during the COVIS-19 pandemic. They both lived in different countries when the pandemic started, as one of them lives in Singapore and the other in India.
• 
  2021-09-22

  Mask trash near the bike rack

  A disposable mask was discarded/lost by the bike rack near the COOR building on campus.
• 
  2021-09-22

  Anti-Vax Conspiracy Theories are Getting Worse

  A friend shared this public Facebook post with me. An anti-vaxxer theorizes about a conspiracy (by whom it’s unclear) to “kill” anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers WITH COVID because so many anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers have died of COVID. My mind is blown that they wouldn’t consider the possibility that their inability to protect themselves and others from the virus has made them particularly vulnerable.
• 2021-08

  Journal of the Plague Year (My Experience)

  My story tells how seriously some people took the pandemic. Some people were very scared and took extreme measures to stay safe while others took the pandemic seriously, but didn't really take extreme measures to stay safe.
• 2021-09-20

  KHN: "I Got a 'Mild' Breakthrough Case. Here's What I Wish I'd Known"

  I recently got a message from my best friend since middle school telling me that she had tested positive from Covid. She was vaccinated before I was and quarantined more vigilantly during the majority of 2020 than anyone else I knew. Delta variant breakthrough cases are less rare than people believe. Part anecdote part advice The KHN article answers common questions about what to do if you become one of the breakthrough cases of Covid-19 and what this may mean long term.
• 
  2021-09-17

  "The Big E readies for just-announced mask mandate"

  This MassLive article reports on the Big E's reaction to the newly instated mask mandate in Massachusetts. The Big E, or the Eastern States Exposition, is a New England fair held in West Springfield, Massachusetts, annually. It was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
• 
  2021-09-20

  The Big E Health and Safety Measures Web Page

  This page on the Big E's website lists the health and safety measures put in place at the Big E, known formally as the Eastern States Exposition, which is a New England fair held annually in West Springfield, MA. The fair was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, so it has a series of health and safety measures in place in attempt to make attendance safe in 2021.
• 
  2021-09-16

  "Masks at the Big E: Mask mandate will take effect in West Springfield as Big E begins 17-day run"

  This MassLive article reports on the Board of Health's decision to enact an indoor mask mandate, which will affect the Eastern States Exposition, or Big E, held annually in West Springfield, MA. The New England fair was cancelled in 2020 and is trying to make a comeback in 2021 despite the pandemic.
• 
  2021-09-20

  "Despite COVID and mask mandate, The Big E had its largest Sunday attendance for an opening weekend in a decade"

  This article reports on the crowds on the third day of the Eastern States Exposition. Commonly referred to as the Big E, the Eastern States Exposition is a New England fair held at the end of September in West Springfield, Massachusetts. It was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and town residents have concerns about the Big E in 2021.
• 
  2021-09-03

  Mask trash at Forest Ave

  Mask trash near the pick up-drop off at Forest Ave on ASU's campus.
• 
  2021-09-18

  Mask trash outside Tops Liquors

  A white, disposable mask on the ground outside Tops Liquor.
• 
  2021-09-14

  The Start to the School Year is Unlike Any Other

  I wrote an opinion piece for Idaho Education News last week after the latest school board meeting in Nampa, Idaho. Since March of 2020 educators have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students continue to receive a quality education. Initially, educators were seen as 'heroes' of the pandemic. However, over the last 9 months, the rhetoric surrounding schools and teachers has turned nasty. Yet, teachers continue to show up every single day and offer learning experiences to all children. At last week's board meeting, the discussion focused primarily on a mask mandate for our district as hospitals in our state began rationing care given the soaring number of Covid-19 cases. There was an even split between the trustees who were in favor of masking and the trustees who were against masking. This split did not come as a shock to me. However, the line of one trustee hit me in my gut, "I guess I go back to the mission statement. I'm here for the kids, so I'm not going to worry about the adults." The mission and vision statement the trustee is referencing states that teachers offer "exceptional learning experiences" for every child. Given the largely unvaccinated population of our community, the high numbers of teachers out sick, and the alarming number of students out sick as mask mandate seemed like a simple request. However, the board did not vote in favor of helping teachers ensure we are able to provide 'exceptional learning experiences.' Are masks the only answer? Not necessarily. Last year, students attended school 4 days per week while the 5th day was reserved for students to connect with students who were in quarantine/sick and unable to attend school. This year, all of those requirements are gone. That being said, students and teachers attend school 5 days per week and there is no time allotted for teachers to connect with students who are quarantined or sick. Given the latest numbers, about 25% of our entire district is out sick. That is 25% of students who do not have access to their teachers. The article was published on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, and Idaho Ed News shared it on their Facebook page as well. Shortly after 7 pm MST the post has over 160 comments (mostly in favor of teachers), 250 reactions, and over 50 shares. In addition, I have received numerous private messages and emails from other teachers who thank me for giving them a voice during this 'unprecedented' time. While I am still a fairly new teacher with only 3 years of experience, there are veteran teachers who are being pushed to the brink. Many would like to think this is an Idaho problem but the reality is that teachers across the country are feeling unsupported and unappreciated by the communities they serve. I am fearful this will be my last year teaching - I LOVE my job. I remain hopeful that this year turns out to be something amazing.
• 
  2021

  9 WAYS TO PREVENT FACE MASK SKIN PROBLEMS

  Masks play a vital role in reducing the spread of the coronavirus. Masks can also be hard on your skin, causing problems that range from acne and peeling skin to rashes and itchiness. To help prevent skin problems from developing under your mask, board-certified dermatologists recommend these nine tips. 1. Cleanse and moisturize your face daily. Gentle skin care can prevent skin problems. When washing your face, use a mild, fragrance-free cleanser and follow these steps, Face washing 101. Dry skin is a common face mask skin problem. Applying moisturizer adds a protective layer that can reduce dryness. You want to apply moisturizer immediately after washing your face. To get the most benefit from a moisturizer, board-certified dermatologist Carrie L. Kovarik, MD, FAAD, recommends using a moisturizer with one of the following ingredients: -Ceramides -Hyaluronic acid -Dimethicone (which can also create a barrier that helps reduce irritated skin) You can prevent breakouts from your moisturizer by using a moisturizer formulated for your skin type. When selecting moisturizer, follow this guide: Oily skin (or when weather is hot, humid): Gel moisturizer Normal or combination skin: Lotion Dry to very dry skin: Cream If you have acne or tend to break out, you can still use a gel moisturizer. Apply moisturizer before and after wearing a mask. Moisturizer can prevent problems, especially if you have dry or sensitive skin. (Tip courtesy of board-certified dermatologist Carrie L. Kovarik, MD, FAAD) 2. Protect your lips by applying petroleum jelly. Dry skin and chapped lips are common face mask skin problems. You can prevent chapped lips by applying petroleum jelly to your lips: -After washing your face -Before you put on your mask -Before bed To prevent breakouts, take care to apply the petroleum jelly only to your lips. 3. Skip the makeup when wearing a mask. Beneath a mask, makeup is more likely to clog your pores and lead to breakouts. If makeup is necessary, use only products labeled “non-comedogenic” or “won't clog pores.” 4. Avoid trying new skin care products that can irritate your skin. Wearing a mask for even a short time can make your skin more sensitive. To reduce skin problems, avoid trying harsh products, such as a chemical peel, exfoliant, or retinoid, for the first time, says board-certified dermatologist Daniela Kroshinsky, MD, MPH, FAAD. 5. Use less of certain skin care products if your face becomes irritated. When you cover your face with a mask, some skin care products that you’ve used in the past may irritate your skin. If this happens, Dr. Kroshinsky recommends cutting back on products that can irritate your skin, such as: -Leave-on salicylic acid -Retinoid you apply to your face -Aftershave 6. Wear the right mask. To reduce skin problems, look for masks that offer the following: -A snug, but comfortable fit -At least two layers of fabric -Soft, natural, and breathable fabric, such as cotton, on the inside layer that rests against your skin Wearing a mask that offers a snug, but comfortable fit helps to protect you and others from the coronavirus. You want a snug fit across your nose, on the sides, and under your chin. A snug, comfortable fit also reduces skin problems. If the mask feels too tight or slides around on your face, it can irritate your skin. You’re also more likely to adjust a poorly fitting mask. When you touch your mask, you can transfer germs to your mask and your face. The fabric is also important. Avoid synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, polyester, and rayon on the layer that rests against your skin. These are more likely to irritate your skin and cause breakouts. For more tips on selecting a face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at CDC.gov/coronavirus. 7. Take a 15-minute mask break every 4 hours. Health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic have found that this helps save their skin. Of course, only remove your mask when it’s safe to do so and after washing your hands. Safe places to remove your mask include: -Outdoors, when you can stay at least six feet away from people -Inside your car when you’re alone -At home 8. Wash your cloth masks. Many health care organizations now recommend that you wash a cloth mask after each use. Washing it also removes oils and skin cells that collect inside the mask, which could lead to a skin problem. You can wash a cloth mask in a washing machine or by hand. Both ways remove germs and other particles. Just be sure to: -Follow the washing instructions on each mask. -Wash the masks in hot water unless the instructions say otherwise. -Use a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic laundry detergent. After washing your mask, check its shape. If a mask no longer fits snugly (and comfortably), it is less protective. 9. Continue the treatment plan that your dermatologist created for you. If you have a skin condition, such as acne or rosacea, it’s especially important to follow your treatment plan. This can help keep the condition under control.
• 
  2021-09-13

  Mask Trash at Kiwanis Recreation Center

  I took my daughter to play tennis at 5:00 PM. When we left at 6:00, this disposable mask had made its way to the ground, right by the entrance to the tennis courts. This photograph is part of the mask trash series.
• 
  2021-05-21

  A COVID year...book

  Being one of two editors for a school-wide yearbook is challenging enough, but when COVID hit, it changed the way that we were able to record our schools history. Events were cancelled, and those that weren’t imposed limited attendance policies, which made it more difficult to take photographs and conduct interviews. To aid with this, we sent out requests to the student body, asking them to submit photos for the yearbook. This relieved some of the pressure, as we now had access to more content, but it still posed challenges. Even with the photos that we were able to obtain, the subjects of the photos were always wearing masks, making it more difficult to identify who was present. Despite these numerous struggles, we were able to complete the yearbook and publish it for the student body to enjoy. To capture the year as a whole, we chose to theme the book after the most prominent event of the school year; COVID. Each page in the book was designed to reflect COVID in one way or another. Although this implied a more serious tone to this book, my co-editor and I strived to add humor where and when we could. Of these, my favorite was a poem that I wrote, titled “ ‘Twas the Night Before COVID-MAS”, a parody of “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. While some lines of the famous poem remained the same, I added my own touches to most of them, to better reflect these troubling times. With this story that I have now shared to the world, I have also included an audio reading of this poem. I hope it brings you a few laughs.
• 
  2021-09-07

  Mask trash

  Mask trash has become so common over a year into the pandemic. This one was found on a bench in SanTan Village mall in Gilbert, Arizona.
• 
  2020-05-10

  Staying Safe as COVID-19 Restrictions Ease

  A blog post from Banner Health about staying safe as restrictions ease.
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  2020-04-30

  Exercising Outside During COVID-19

  A blog post from Banner Health about the risks and safety of exercising outside during the pandemic.
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  2021-08-28

  Visiting Grandma

  This photograph is from when my mom, dad, brother, brother's fiancé, and I flew to Georgia to visit my declining grandmother. For my entire life, my grandma, my mom's mom, lived in the next town over, only about seven miles away. However, as she aged and as the isolation from the pandemic set in, my family decided that it would be best for her to move to Georgia to live with my aunt, my mom's sister. Although we tried to take care of my grandma from the start of the pandemic through when she left in October of 2020, we lived in perpetual uncertainty and fear of exposing her to the virus. Every time we had her come over for dinner, we were afraid that we were taking a gamble, especially when the pandemic was just starting. My grandma moved to a care facility in Georgia in April. Since my grandma, my family, and I were all vaccinated, we planned a short trip to make sure we got to see her one more time. Although we were masked and only had a limited amount of time, getting to see us again meant a tremendous amount to my grandma.
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  2020-11-01

  Homemade Mask Meme

  I took this photo of my brother when I went to visit him while he was living in Concord, Massachusetts, and I was studying remotely at home in West Springfield, Massachusetts. We had just come back from visiting Walden Pond for the first time. My brother was living with his best friend's grandfather at the time, and even though my brother did not leave the house much, he still wore a mask inside the house as a precaution. After he finished eating, my brother went to put his mask on again, except he aimed a little high. Thinking it looked funny, I took a picture and made it into a meme. I felt like having the mask cover his entire face was similar to a face-palm or banging one's head against the wall, somehow symbolic of the grind that pandemic life had become.
• 2020-03

  Rural Connecticut: Covid Doubters

  I lived in a rural part of Connecticut during the 2020 Covid lockdowns. Despite the widely publicized nature of the pandemic, at least half of the citizens in my town didn't believe the disease was real. There was a real divide over wearing masks and closing down schools/work because many people felt the disease was over-blown, not deadly, or simply wouldn't strike a rural place as hard as a city. While my town didn't suffer as much as places like New York City did, we still had Covid cases and deaths across the county. It was frustrating to live in a rural place during the outbreak, because even though we were "safer," than city-dwellers, nobody took measures to preserve that safety. This mindset continued when vaccines became available, and the latest rage in rural areas is using Ivermectin (horse medicine) instead.
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  2020-09-24

  The Mask

  I wrote this poem during my senior year shortly after Providence College began its campus lockdown in September of 2020 in response to a major spike in COVID-19 cases. Unable to leave my apartment on campus for days at a time except to go for a walk by myself around campus, I felt the weight of the emotional impacts of the pandemic. I wrote the poem from a place of hurt and concern that my fellow students could not abide by guidelines to keep the campus community and the surrounding community safe. Masks were simultaneously hiding our fears while also being a constant reminder of them. I published this poem in the Portfolio section of The Cowl, Providence College's student-run newspaper. It appeared in the October 1, 2020 issue.
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  2021-08-21

  Mask trash

  I went to Sedona to celebrate my birthday with some friends. We decided to do the bell rock hike and as we were hiking and enjoying nature it felt like life before Covid. It was an odd feeling of normalcy. That feeling quickly fled as we got lost on our way back to the parking lot. We ended up walking on the highway back to the parking lot instead of walking through a random trail. As we walked I came across this mask, there’s no way of knowing if it came from a car or a hiker but I was quickly reminded that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. Seeing left behind masks always makes me wonder how much mask trash has impacted our environment.
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  2021-08-22

  The choice is yours

  More and more I am seeing signs like this all over businesses in Arizona. Although the state of Arizona no longer has a mask mandate, businesses are going the extra mile to make it clear that mask wearing is now a personal choice. I liked this sign because it asks customers to be respectful of the choice to wear a mask or not now that it is no longer a requirement.
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  2021-08-21

  Mask trash outside the CDL

  Wednesday, August 18 was the eve of the first day of classes at Arizona State University. It was also the first week that the Child Development Lab (CDL) was open for daycare on campus. I picked my son up around 5:00 PM and took this picture of mask trash, likely unintentionally dropped by one of the parents outside the center. This image is part of the mask trash series.
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  2021-08-14

  Star Wars Meme

  picture showing a meme posted by Mark Hamill. It pokes fun at how ridiculous anti-maskers sound about having the right to not wear a mask. He calls on people not to be "maskholes"