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  2022-01-31

  THE WISDOM OF TWO-YEAR-OLDS

  As I got out of my car last Sunday morning in pursuit of caffeine, I took one last deep breath of the freshly-brewed coffee emanating from my local barista's shop before pulling on my N-95 mask and entering the cafe. I live in California and masks are required in all shops in my part of the state. So snug was my mask’s fit, that the aroma instantly vanished. Masks and odor are tightly related, not in just snuffing out outside scents. For anyone who has ever pulled on a previously worn mask, you will have noticed an opportunity to smell used YOU, up close and nasally. Walking in to get my brew, I passed a family with two-year-old twins, bedecked in pink glittery princess gowns complete with wands, tiaras, and the newest in royal attire—tiny COVID masks. One skipped and the other twirled, both seemingly unbothered by their face coverings. And they are not alone. I am still stunned by the casual aplomb of the very young when it comes to mask-wearing. I first noticed this phenomenon several months ago at LAX. It was late in the evening—peak red-eye time. Preschoolers, some overtired and wired, others sleepily dozing in their parents’ arms, passed by. All wore COVID masks; Spiderman; Elmo; mini soccer balls, dinosaurs. None complained. Perhaps they welcomed the slight dulling of their sense of smell since young noses are far more sensitive to odors than mature ones. This makes me wonder why small children do not feel the need to evoke the Gestapo or Hermann Goebbels when it comes to a small piece of fabric that has saved millions of lives. Apart from a diminished sense of smell when wearing N-95s, will we miss mask-wearing when it is no longer a matter of life or death? I for one am not sure. I like the fact that there is no need to wear lipstick. I can skip makeup from the brow down and stop obsessing about new wrinkles. I welcome the feel of an extra layer of warmth on chilly mornings. But perhaps we should look to the two-year-olds who have accepted this bit of sartorial attire as a fun accessory—a tiara for your nasal passages.
• 
  2020-07-12

  Whole Foods cash register

  This is a photo I took on July 12, 2020, at the local Whole Foods, of a cash register. There is a plexiglass shield at the register, and a sign announcing a change in hours. The sign also promotes a biweekly special shopping session for the elderly and those at high risk for COVID-19.
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  2020-12-05

  Covid-19 Notifications

  For six months during the pandemic, I worked at Target. During that time, this is how we were notified of positive Covid cases within our store. Due to privacy reasons, this was often all the details we would receive, leaving us wondering if we should be getting tested or taking extra precautions. This was particularly stressful during the holidays, as there would be at least one text regarding a positive case per week. On the week in the screenshot, there were three positive cases in one week. It often left many of us more stressed than we already were with the influx of holiday shoppers, but we had to continue with our work as is nothing was wrong in order to keep the store functioning to the best of its ability. By the end of the year, we were all surprised when we went more than a couple days without a text.
• 2021-03-19

  My dreams

  My dreams for post-covid world To shop at my favorite stores To eat at the delicious mouth watering restaurants To explore the new books in the library To dance to the twisty, twirly music To laugh with my friends To hike through mother nature To learn at my school To exercise at boxing class To pray and sing at Church To have no mask To show the world who I am But for now I shop online I order pickup and eat at home I pick out books online I dance in my room I laugh at a distance I hike in my neighborhood I learn on zoom I don’t do boxing in a gym I don’t go to Church I have to wear a mask I can’t show the world who I am the way I did before For now I have to show myself a different way
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  2020-03-12

  Empty shelves during the beginning of the pandemic

  I am sharing a video I took at the beginning of the quarantine period. People were panic buying food and other necessities while leaving empty shelves for others. I remember entering whole foods to pick up some bread, pasta, beans, and non-dairy milk because I can't have dairy. As soon as my cousin and I entered Whole Foods— the baked goods were fully stocked but the non-perishable foods were almost gone. I remember turning to my cousin in shock because the fresh fruits and vegetables in the lower level were fully stocked. I asked an employee where the bread and non-dairy milk was and they said, "I don't think we have any more bread. I stocked it a couple of hours ago and when I went back o check there were a few bags left". The employee guided us to the bread section and it was indeed empty. I thanked them and decided to look through the other aisles and the aisle that was the most apparent was the one I recorded. There were people with professional cameras taking pictures of this aisle and others (such as myself) with our phones recording. So many people were just as taken aback by the lack of food in many of these aisles. I already knew that this virus was serious but when I saw the number of people buying food and toilet paper and paper towels in bulk, I felt worried and nervous. I knew from the media that people were stocking up on non-perishable foods and that supermarket lines were really long. But seeing it first hand and seeing people coming to the aisle expecting to see a can of beans available or a bag of bread, only for it to be empty. This is a moment that I won't forget and the overwhelming feeling that this virus could affect anyone.
• 2020-12-10

  Life Just Before COVID-19

  At the start of February, life was perfectly normal. We went out somewhere fun every week, and had a lot of laughs. We visited my grandparents very often, and played with their dogs a lot. We even went shopping all together as a family. I had no idea what COVID-19 was, and the first time I heard about it was when my friend texted about it randomly. I wondered what he was talking about, but didn’t pay too much attention to it at the time. Suddenly, my way of life changed. Going outside was dangerous. Hand sanitizers were worth their weight in gold, and stores having stock was a thing of the past. My life would never be the same.
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  2020-03-13

  Customer Notice at Woolworths

  HIST30060: A ‘Customer Notice’ at Woolworths in mid-March, explaining their new returns policy alongside a list of affected products. With half the shelves bare due to ‘panic buying’, grocery stores implemented new rules to avoid having to give refunds to people who changed their mind. I took this photo at a suburban Woolworths, packed with frantic shoppers and overflowing carts.
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  2020-05-30

  LB Saints Food Store to Reopen

  A sign hanging in the door of LB Saints Food Store informs customers that they will reopen June 1. LB Saints Food Store had been closed due to the pandemic.
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  2020-05-27

  Boarded up Bars in the Byward Market: Heart and Crown Posters - Keep Calm

  Boarded up Bars in the Byward Market: Heart and Crown Posters Many establishments in the popular shopping, dining, and bar area of the Byward Market have boarded up their front windows with plywood to reduce the chance of robbery while they remain closed due to the pandemic and restrictions of gatherings. While some remain plain, or are painted black, other establishments chose to hire muralists to liven up the natural wood with images related to vibe of each bar. Some also plastered the wood with posters. One such poster display is on one of the boarded windows of the Heart and Crown pub not taken up by murals. Riffing off the popular Second World War posters in Britain which read "Keep Calm and Carry On" they read "Keep Calm and Shop Local" as well as "Keep Calm and Support Local Artists" in an attempt to create a sense of solidarity and duty when facing this crisis. They were created by the Byward Market itself.
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  2020-04-05

  Steak, Discounts, and Toilet Paper

  This particular restaurant on Maize Road in Wichita, Kansas, demonstrates the various strategies businesses employed to remain viable as COVID-19's easy transmission forced many restaurants to close their dine-in rooms and switch to online, carry-out, and delivery services. Along with the 15% discount for online ordering, this restaurant added the rather interesting incentive of a free roll of toilet paper for each order, thereby highlighting the acute hygiene product shortage that emptied store shelves across the United States in the wake of the virus-inspired "panic buying" that gripped the country. Photo taken by Aaron Peterka
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  2020-05-09

  Iconic Greenville SC hat store Jungle J's open for curbside service only

  Greenville SC's famous hat store Jungle J's opens after a partial lockdown with curbside service only. They even had a mirror set up outside to try on hats. The store is extremely small and cramped inside and social distancing would be basically impossible within.
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  2020-04-09

  Angelo Brocato’s Gelateria Closed Sign, New Orleans, LA

  A closed sign is posted in the front window of Angelo Brocato’s Gelateria. The business temporarily closed all shop operations during the pandemic.
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  2020-04-03

  Restaurant Closing Sign

  This is an image on the front of my workplace, a local bistro and coffee shop. The shop had to close temporarily because of the pandemic.