Items

• 
  2020-03

  A Pass for the Lockdown

  This is an important submission to me, because it was a weird way for me to feel like more than just a simple grocery clerk, but also I felt more heavily the weight of the whole COVID pandemic. I was given this letter by my store manager at Kroger, back in late March I believe, when the city was placed under a lockdown. It was in the event any employee, on their way to work, was pulled over and asked why they were out driving during a lockdown. It makes me proud, in a way, to ensure that people still are able to shop, but it's also scary because, well people still come to shop for groceries. I haven't kept it in my car since the lockdown lifted, but I am concerned I will need it again, with the rise of cases.
• 
  2020-11-09

  UK rollout of Covid vaccine could start before Christmas

  As someone who is patiently waiting for this dismal lockdown to end so I can get on with my life this is good news. Hopefully, things will clear up so I can actually go and visit my fiance. I wonder who all will take the vaccine though, or if visitors will be forced to take it.
• 
  2020-11-10

  Life in a Digital World

  For millions of people, the blue and white logo of the digital video meeting service, Zoom, has become a familiar sight. I am sure that many of us, like myself, had to abruptly learn about Zoom in March 2020 when our lives entered a digital phase due to the pandemic. I’m sure that I am also similar to many others when I can now say that (in November 2020) I am more than proficient in my Zoom skills. Everything from school to work to social meetings are now conducted by sending Zoom invitation links. Zoom has become the classroom, the office, and the cafe…..possibly without even changing the room you are sitting in. This year has not been easy but, as I look back over these past months, I have realized that the technological world has become a surprising lifesaver. Technology has allowed people to stay connected to the world without even stepping outside their homes. Phone calls, emails, texts, Zoom meetings….they have all played a part in keeping us close to our family and friends. Even my college graduation in May was conducted over Zoom. We moved our tassels as one graduating department, even as we sat in front of our separate computers in different locations! I have started my first semester at graduate school this fall at a Pittsburgh university. My classes are conducted through Zoom, so I am not actually on campus or living in the city! While I miss in-person social interactions, I am also incredibly grateful that, thanks to digital tools and dedicated professors, I have been able to continue my education despite this year’s difficult circumstances. Interestingly, despite global lockdowns, I have been able to “visit” parts of the world I would not normally be able to, due to institutions’ and organizations’ commitment to providing virtual experiences. From our home, my family and I have watched theatrical performances, concerts, and other events occurring in different geographical areas because of the ability to livestream. We have also been exploring various museums by taking virtual tours and looking through virtual collections. Through technology, I have been able to learn about and experience events and places that I would not have been able to otherwise! Eventually, this pandemic will be over. I hope, however, that institutions and organizations continue to reach out digitally even when it is safe to resume in-person group activities. Digital programs and projects allow people to participate in events and experiences that might have been too costly in travel expenses or time commitments had they only been offered in traditional, in-person formats. Regardless, I am grateful for what digital programming and technology have already given me. This year has been incredibly stressful and filled with anxiety. Sometimes, it has made all the difference to be able to connect with a few people over a Zoom meeting. In the end, the Zoom logo has come to signify many things to me: pandemic, prevalence of digital technology, and, when it comes down to it, the importance of human connectivity and relationships.
• 
  2020-11-09

  Canada-US border Communities in Alberta Adapting to Pandemic

  While popular within Canada, the border closure between the two countries has undoubtedly hurt businesses in both. Especially in border communities that are undeniably linked.
• 2020-10-16

  Macao, 2020

  I traveled to Macao in October 2020 for a family issue. Macao has lifted all the restrictions in late September and enabled travelers from China, mainland to enter the city with a covid-19 test report that was done within 7 days. Before the pandemic, Macao was one of the most popular places to travel for travelers all around the world, but now you could count how many people are on the street. The picture was taken in The Venetian, a luxury hotel with the largest shopping center in Macao, and a casino. Usually, the place is crowded with shoppers, people gambling in the casino, enjoying their vacations. I believe no one has ever seen this place is so empty as now, and no one knows when it will recover from the pandemic and the shopping center will be crowded again.
• 
  2020-11-09

  Another One Bites the Dust

  Insecure work is nothing new but I was too lucky to hop onto welfare when my hospitality job wrapped up for the lockdown. Really feel for my colleagues, international students and others who aren't supported in the same way and have to hustle in exploitative arrangements. No workers compensation, pay well below minimum wage, and increased risk of contracting coronavirus all while keeping the city fed. These folks are holding it down for us without getting much back. Reform is needed.
• 
  2020

  The Warning Signs

  While COVID-19 restrictions became part of the everyday, it was at times difficult to keep track of their constant changes and revisions. Businesses started to put up signs outlining their policies for staff and clients to keep everyone safe. The first image is from a cafe in Potts Point, one of many local businesses put under strain by the pandemic. The second is from an aged-care facility in Woollahra in response to the beginning of the second-wave outbreak in Melbourne.
• 
  2020-08

  Puzzles at home

  I was very fortunate to have been able to stay at home in Sydney this year, remotely attending my university in Melbourne via zoom classes and pre-recorded lectures. While I was grateful for this form of continuity I desperately missed Melbourne and the friends I’d made there. Spending days slowly working on this puzzle was both a way to pass the increasing amount of time I spent at home as well as way to feel a little more connected to the city I was missing.
• 
  2020-03-17T18:07

  Shutdown

  The story of the photograph is one that many small businesses will no doubt have experienced. That is one of a thriving business faced with the threat of shutdown. The photograph is one of a small business being forced to face the threat of impending financial threat.
• 
  2020-11-07

  The Year We Were Quarantined

  I've lived in Las Vegas for almost my entire life, and this picture is extremely shocking to me because of how barren it is. Las Vegas is known for the Strip, and both tourists and locals know that this place is always hustling and bustling. There's always flashing lights, traffic, and tons of people everywhere, so seeing this place looking like a ghost town is unbelievable.
• 
  2020-11-06

  Museum Infographics for Awareness

  Though created in 2018, the American Alliance of Museums created multiple infographics on the economic activity and contribution of museums in several states. I have been searching for multiple ways to bring awareness to preserving museums in the midst of the major pandemic and infographics are very informative and provide information in an organized and enjoyable way!
• 
  2020-11-06

  Efficient Website Designs for Museums

  With the majority of interpersonal connections being translated into online sources, museums have had the hardest time adapting to an online format without losing their community/audience and assimilating into one of many different information websites. I discovered this article while doing research on the impact of COVID-19 on museums. Part of the difficulty in translating your audience to an online format is simply the appeal of the website itself. Giving museums and their communities tools to progress safely into the future is helping at the source, and things such as website creation is necessary for advancement, and for many museums, survival
• 
  2020-11-06

  Closed for Business

  On the Las Vegas Strip, this image could normally be captured at the oddly specific time of never. Downtown Las Vegas normally is teeming with life, creepy people dressed in raggedy, unwashed costumes, bachelor and bachelorette parties gone and going wrong and overall people having a wonderful time. As the Covid-19 outbreak was beginning to hit its crescendo, everything in the state of Nevada was shutdown, making all in person operations cease to prevent the spread of this disease. This lead a town based around its overall tourism and wild nightlife in disarray, many people lost jobs and businesses struggled, leading some to never open again. The image here, to me, is something sad, T-Mobile Arena is a very nostalgic place for me, it is the place where I was able to see one of my favorite bands for the first time, and when me and my brother decided to drive the strip in the midst of isolation we had to stop and take the picture. T-Mobile Arena was an extremely lively place that always had live music and sporting events, as heartbreaking as it was to see it dormant, it had to be closed, the spread of Covid-19 had to be prevented. In my opinion, Governor Sisolak handled the crisis well, despite how painful it was for many citizens, I know we as a city will recover and the city will live once again.
• 
  2020-05

  Critical Industry Employee Authorization to Travel Regardless of the Time of Day

  When this ongoing pandemic initially began, people were not sure how long the extremities would last or whether COVID-19 was as bad as some people claimed it to be. As we now know, the wearing of the mask has become politicized with some movements and ideologies, and the safety and wellbeing of the community is being contested with freedom, pandemic conspiracies and/or blatant denial. It is now November 6, 2020, and I can safely say we as a global community have seen ridiculous and ineffable events unravel over the past year. Sadly, these unique occurrences are far from ending as the pandemic is worsening in terms of case spikes and as the people are growing ever more weary. I am reflecting during this election period, looking back at the strange changes I haven't seen before in my life, and recently I found this work document I had at home. The document presented is a paper granting the holder the right to go about their day, allowing them to travel when others were not allowed.This paper was given to me at work during May 2020 just a curfew took place. Although the mandated curfew in San Francisco only lasted about a week, I remember that people did take it seriously more or less as I walked to work barely seeing anyone outside. The paper would help me if the police stopped me at any point. My parents were worried that I would get pulled over since I worked evening shifts (luckily I didn't have this happen). What is interesting and scary about this document was that others could have been fined or got into trouble if they were stopped; this was something I never considered at that time. Others may state that this document is scary in terms of historical precedence to the nineteenth century in America. This can be tied to freedom papers in segregated and/or slave based areas in the American south when African Americans had to possess such papers stating their business either on their or someone else's behalf. The repercussions otherwise could have been horribly severe if they didn't have said papers. Thus, this paper holds power and grants amnesty from punishment. Two different periods with different purposes but similar implications and deterrents. Interesting what can be created during a modern pandemic.
• 
  2020-11-06

  COVID-19 and strip club dancers

  I met with a Historian's Craft Class from Loyola University in New Orleans, and we talked about the JOTPY archive and silences. One student mentioned sex workers and dancers who lost their income when the lockdown orders were issued. Coincidentally, this video came across me TikTok feed, so I uploaded it share a story from a dancer going through new public health norms before work.
• 
  2020-07-07

  Roy Choi’s Locol is Reborn, Thanks to New Black-Owned Delivery Start Up

  Chef Roy Choi has set up a food delivery system that has helped to put money in the city of Watts. It has helped create jobs and opportunities for residents of the community.
• 
  2020-11-05

  A Thriving Glass Factory, Melbourne

  The glass factory is in the middle of Spotswood, a suburb close to central Melbourne. The factory produces glass containers for many products including baby food, vegemite, beer, wine, jam, and kombucha. They have been very busy this year, thanks to panic buying. One staff member stated that production had been high since March 2020, just like it was in Christmas 2019, the peak season for glass production. Glass bottles are made around Australia as they are quite difficult to transport, so they cannot be outsourced to overseas manufacturers. This facility has around 100 staff. In these images you can see some staff having a break out the front of the business. They are wearing masks in accordance with Victorian (state) laws. In the other image you can also see that the workplace is taking temperature checks to reduce the risk of virus transmission. 37°49'49.5"S 144°53'30.5"E HIST30060
• 
  2020-11-05

  COVID Recovery for Local Hospitality - Victoria, Australia

  Metropolitan Melbourne is emerging from its second lockdown. Here you can see workers laying artificial turf out the front of some hospitality venues. The turf covers car parks, but it will increase the outdoor seating capacity of these venues. This will stimulate the small businesses and reduce the risk of virus transmission, as customers will sit outside rather than inside. I believe that the approach here is modeled on the Open Restaurants initiative of NYC, USA. 37°51'47.5"S 144°54'17.0"E
• 
  2020-09-01

  Covid and Small Businesses

  The media I chose is a text from my boss telling me he had to close his business. After quarantine started business was too slow to remain open. He owned a health food restaurant called Muscle Maker Grill. I was the manager of his restaurant and I personally saw how slow it was every day. The Government took action during quarantine and made it so restaurants could only serve food if it was takeout which made it hard to get business.
• 
  2020-11-04

  American Airlines Clean Commitment

  This video was sent via email from American Airlines, it explains how wearing masks, forward-facing seats, and filtration systems help keep passengers safe on airplanes. There's no mention of actually cleaning the planes, just the assurance that flying during a pandemic is relatively safe.
• 
  2020-03-25

  Whataburger Employees Considered Essential Workers

  This is a short post from someone that works at a Whataburger in Texas. This story is important because while I believe fast food to not be essential, but rather an expensive convenience, it is important to keep in mind that some customers were not able to get their regular groceries at the stores during the pandemic. There was a panic that ensued amongst not only the nation but the globe as COVID-19 spread. Although fast food would not be something we would view as essential normally, during the pandemic, it may have been vital for some people as their shopping abilities may have been limited.
• 
  2020-04-23

  What grocery store workers say they’re facing during the pandemic.

  This article is important to share because although I was not a Wal-Mart employee through the pandemic, the employees interviewed in the article are relatable as the company has never been proactive and instead reactive. While I understand that no one was prepared for the pandemic, the way the employees were treated during this time was very typical to the way our store employees were treated, and still are, in situations where health is being risked for the sake of a sale. “The manager’s response, according to Hall: “Wash your hands every 15 minutes, so you don’t need a glove or a mask.” ‘She just walked away from me and started laughing, like it was funny.’ Hall said.” The article also goes on to state that it wasn’t until employees began speaking out against conditions and fear for their own safety due to the company’s lack of procedures and precautions, that they started implementing safety precautions for customers and employees.
• 
  2020-04-27

  Toilet Paper Shortage During Pandemic

  While many of us living through the pandemic understand the meaning behind this photo, future generations may not. This photograph was taken by a Walmart employee when his store had received a shipment of toilet paper. During this time of the pandemic, toilet paper was a hot commodity and would not stay stocked on the shelves because so many people were buying it. Although this is not an item that we may think of as essential during a pandemic, toilet paper was difficult to come by and the employees had put this out on the floor as soon as it had come off of the truck. Before they could put the item on the shelves, people had already grabbed it from the pallet.
• 
  2020-05-01

  Walmart Associate Checks Coworker’s Temperatures

  The day this photograph was taken was the day that my father, a Wal-Mart employee, was commissioned to begin taking the temperature of all Wal-Mart employees in the store. His regular duties were covered by another employee and each time a fellow coworker entered the building, they had to have their temperature read, recording, and asked a number of questions to ensure it would be safe for them to work their shift that day. This was never a procedure until COVID-19 spread and Wal-Mart employees were deemed “essential workers”.
• 
  2020-04-02

  Collier County Announcement: "Safer At Home" Order

  Collier County Manager Leo Ochs, Jr. sent out an email discussing the “Safer At Home” order issued by Governor DeSantis. He explains government work is considered essential, and the county has taken measures to protect employees from exposure, such as moving as many public services as possible online. This order includes the closure of the Collier County Museum.
• 
  2020-05-06

  Collier County Museum Email - Action Required: High-risk category/need to WFH notification

  Email from the Director of the Collier County Museum, Amanda Townsend, to staff regarding potential museum reopening and Work from Home procedures. The first email in the chain is from the Collier County Manager, Leo Ochs.
• 
  2020-11-03

  Career Virtual Fair

  This email was sent to me to set up an appointment to do a career virtual fair. This email shows who's is going to be at the career fair and who you can set up an appointment to meet with them. It also shows all the set ups you need such as making sure you have proper internet connection, using the right internet function such as Chrome or FireFox and making sure you set up appointments. This goes to show what the new way of trying to get a job during a pandemic is like. To get interviews, you need zoom and you are not able to meet face to face with the employers. It affects the students by not being able to meet face to face with the interviewer.
• 
  2020-06-09

  JBS Meatpacking Plant Outbreak

  I wanted to include these news articles about an event that happened in my community. 287 workers at JBS meatpacking plant tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of Summer 2020. I am ~somewhat~ familiar with this meatpacking plant. When I attended Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum, I ran cross country and one of our running routes required us to pass this building. I usually did not like this route because the smell combined with running often made me nauseous. I believe it was bought or acquired since my running days by JBS because we used to refer to this place as “Miller’s”. Fast forward about nine years later when these news articles were published. This was the first huge outbreak in Cache Valley. It took some time before COVID-19 hit Northern Utah. Yeah, I think we had a few cases here and there. But it always felt “manageable” to me before this event. But with this outbreak, I began feeling unsafe in my corner of the world. I was especially upset at the injustice of this situation because most of the workers at JBS were Hispanic/Latinx. It felt like no measures, like paid leave or free testing services, were being taken to protect these workers. According to a Bear River Health Department report for June 1, 2020, Hispanic/Latinx accounted for more than 40% of COVID cases. Yet, only about 10% of the population here is Hispanic/Latinx. I strongly feel that this is because of JBS. I feel frustrated living here in Utah during the pandemic. So many people do not care about the situation we are in. Meanwhile, there are people who make sacrifices by working on the “front lines”. For the Hispanic/Latinx community in Cache Valley, it doesn’t feel like a voluntary sacrifice. But rather, another example of unfair systemic racism. Meanwhile, it seems so trivial and unjust that my community still insisted on having a county fair and little league baseball this year. I understand the economic consequences and reasons why people are hesitant to take precautions in certain situations. It is complicated and we don’t really have a great safety net for people in America. That being said, I hate seeing the flippant attitudes while people are literally dying. This weekend, we reached a record spike in COVID cases in Utah. And Election Day is this week. I feel so anxious all the time. And I am trying to reach for some peace wherever I can find it. I really hope that soon we will start taking this pandemic seriously.
• 
  2020-08-18

  Image of a pigeon in store

  HIST30060 Despite quarantine restrictions, I was still able to work at my fast food job in the CBD. Pictured here is a pigeon who would come into our store looking for food in the quietest parts of the day, which were almost always due to the lack of people in the city. Whilst working in the city, I realised that most urban birds, including pigeons and seagulls, became very confident during the stricter quarantine periods. The lack of activity in the city meant they were not receiving the usual scraps they would receive from those travelling to and from their desk jobs. The birds became bold with their interactions with those who were coming to the city in order to gain the small amount of food they needed to survive. This small pigeon in our store is a good example of this. He would waltz in and munch on the oats that would land on our floor before we had time to clean them. Despite repeated attempts to shoo him outside, he would often walk around our floor before meandering outside again.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Follow the Yellow Brick Road

  “Do you sell hand sanitizer?” asks nearly every customer that enters the door into the store that I work at. If I’m not busy, I’m usually kind enough to walk them down to the aisle they’re in (Aisle 12, Cleaning and Breakroom!), however, if I can’t take the time to, I tell them to follow the stickers we have on the floor that leads to that section. Sort of like the yellow brick road from The Wizard of Oz led Dorothy and her gang to the Emerald City. Many stores nowadays have social distancing and directional stickers for aisles, but this is the only place that I have seen these types of stickers. This is something that I have come to associate with life during the pandemic; now learning to work during this.
• 
  2020-04

  No Disneyland this Summer

  I started following a lady on Youtube and Instagram as I began preparations to go to Disney for the first time. This Youtuber gives advice on how to have a great Disney trip for introverts. Needless to say, my trip didn’t happen and neither did hers.
• 
  2020-07-29

  Elk Horn Vows Not To 'Let Up' After Weekend Riot

  A restaurant in Eugene, Oregon, was vandalized during the initial protests over the death of George Floyd. The damage was in excess of $500,000. The restaurant owner claims that the Black Lives Matter movement is being undermined by violent agitators. The owner has been criticized in the past for anti-homeless views.
• 
  2020-09-04

  Busiest Summer Ever

  This shows that a large number of people traveled to summer tourist destinations that were open. There were more visitors to the Lake of the Ozarks during the pandemic than there was in 2019.
• 
  2020-10-30

  What can we do?

  This is just one example of the effects that Covid has had on people. WIth the summer coming to a close, the last real possibility to have any outdoor dining. But as the number of Covid cases continues to rise everyday the Governor decided to restrict indoor seating and placed curfews on how long business could stay open. Because of this many restaurants will have no choice but to close their doors. Leaving many people back on unemployment only weeks before the holiday season starts. Covid continues to change and effect everyone differently, unfortunately it does not seem like we will see the end of this anytime soon.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Chicago Restaurants Struggle.

  As new restrictions on indoor seating take place as winter begins to ramp up, many Chicago restaurants are left wondering how they are to make it. Having a patio is really a privilege, having the funds to be able to turn it into igloo style spaces or completely heated is something that many restaurants can not do. In this article by Eater Chicago, restaurants vent about having wasted money restructuring their restaurants to protect their staff and customers. A large majority though were more concerned with how they were going to pay their staff and keep their doors open.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Chicago Restaurants.

  This shows how vulnerable we are as a country to covid 10 months in. As many restrictions were lifted in the summer, almost as quick as the summer heat was gone more restrictions were placed on restaurants. As many attempt to figure out some way to have outdoor dining in Chicago, in the winter, many know that the end is near. Many restaurants barely were making ends meet with the limited capacity seating and take out, and this latest round of Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you. This shows how vulnerable we are as a country to covid 10 months in. As many restrictions were lifted in the summer, almost as quick as the summer heat was gone more restrictions were placed on restaurants. As many attempt to figure out some way to have outdoor dining in Chicago, in the winter, many know that the end is near. Many restaurants barely were making ends meet with the limited capacity seating and take out, and this latest round of restrictions will be too much for many restaurants to overcome.
• 
  2020-10-25

  San Francisco is Leader in Slowing the Spread of COVID-19

  Despite being one of the most populated cities in the United States, San Francisco has the lowest death per capita. People who violated safety protocols were held accountable, and long lines were regulated to ensure social distancing. Masks were also handed out by the police. When I visited San Francisco, I was astounded by how many people there were, and how small everything was. I would have thought that San Francisco would be heavily debilitated by the pandemic.
• 2020-10-28

  Taiwan's 200th day COVID-19 Free

  I was born in Taiwan, so I was happy to see that my home country is doing so well in the pandemic. Despite their close proximity to China, Taiwan cracked down on COVID-19 very quickly and was never heavily struck by the disease. I asked my mother about this, and she said that Taiwan already has experiences with pandemics (the SARS outbreak). I think that coupled with the political tension between Taiwan and China prompted Taiwan to tackle the coronavirus outbreak very aggressively.
• 
  2020-10-30

  “We’ve been gearing up for this financial year”: Hornby returns to profit for first time in nearly a decade

  During the pandemic, many people have turned hobbies to keep themselves busy and to relieve stress. Because of this, the hobby industry has seen a revitalization. Some company's, such as Hornby, are seeing profits for the first time in years.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Disneyland Workers Face Huge Layoff

  California guidelines dictate that the state's largest theme parks won’t reopen until infection rates drop considerably in their counties. An Orange County health official has said that means Disneyland likely won’t be able to open before summer 2021. Due to this, many Disneyland workers have been laid off from a job that felt like home. Many furloughed Disneyland workers are struggling to make ends meet.
• 2020-10-29

  Airlines Conduct Tests to Prove that COVID-19 Spread is not High in Airplanes

  United Airlines, Boeing and the Defense Department conducted tests to gauge the risk of getting infected with the coronavirus on a plane. They used a mannequin that would use a spray to stimulate a cough. They concluded that the spread of infection is not high. However, the test failed to test many other factors, such as the patient turning their head to the side to cough, coughing while walking around the cabin, and other common locomotions of airplane passengers. Thus, the test was inconclusive, and seems like a desperate effort for the airline companies to get their customers back.
• 2020-10-30

  Cruise I : Fillipinos

  I remember the announcement in the crew area. All internationals were to go to HR. With international borders closing the cruise ship needed to send all the internationals home. Both my roommates were international, one from Colombia and one from the Philippines. It was an incredibly hectic time, something 20-30 year veterans of the cruise industry never experienced. Being sent home before a contract was finished due to an operational shutdown. The Filipinos were the blood of the ship. Nearly every leadership position in management was held by one. So when the announcement was made there were a lot of questions as to how the ship would continue to operate. Regardless however the company needed to get these people home before they had an even bigger problem on their hand. I wonder if they are doing okay. Since cruise ships are down, they must all still be unemployed. The international lines don't really have many workers' rights, so if you are unemployed you don't get paid. I hope they are able to sort things out.
• 
  2020-10-28

  Crew Members Fighting to Save their Jobs

  This is an article about the difficulty that crew members on shows and other entertainment industry venues are facing regarding the pandemic.
• 
  2020-10-28

  Disappearing Hotels?

  I submitted this image because it has a lot of significance to the town of Scituate, with it being the only inn/hotel in this town. The owner has to cut a lot of employees and other things because of this pandemic and they are not receiving any money to do what is normal. Local hotels are getting diminished, just like this one and if these go down, so is the history. There is so much history that is brought along with local objects and there is meaning that locals understand so we need to try and protect local objects, not just hotels during this pandemic.
• 2020-03

  Going to The Market During COVID-19

  During the COVID-19 pandemic the only time most people left there houses was to go to a market to get food once and awhile. In my house one person would go once a week and everyone always wanted to be the person to go. We would have a shopping list that everyone would write what they wanted and the person selected would have to get everything on the list. During to the market it felt like no one was on earth anymore. The roads were empty with no one insite. The markets were the busiest place so they had to restrict the number of people inside at once. While inside the market everything felt so dirty because you would constantly think about “was this touched by someone who had COVID.” This is important to remember because this is the only place people went during the pandemic and it made them happy just to get out of the house.
• 2020-10-18

  My first restaurant experience

  To everybody else in the world it was a normal day, but for me it was my five month anniverery with my boyfriend. Today we decided to have a dinner night, which was going to be the first time I have stepped foot in a restaurant since the pandemic started. As we entered the Forge Pizza Place in Danville I saw a huge sign that read “mask are madetory,” while the tables were spread apart completely. There was hand sanitizer at the enterence, which my boyfriend and I both used because we touched the door to the pizza place. While applying the hand santizer I could immediately smell the fresh pizza coming from the oven, while hearing fant voices around me. While we were about to be seated an old couple stood up and immediatey kept their distance. When we were seated the waitress had a mask and gloves on, while staying fairly far away from our table. We enjoyed our meal and applyed hand sanitizer on our way out as well. The whole experience brought me into reaiziation that each and everyday is a new experience that we shoud live to our fulest. Nobody could have expected the servity of the situation we are all facing together, therfore we need to take each day step by step.
• 2020-10-26

  Store Shutdowns

  March 13, 2020 started off a normal day. I went to school and listened to all the conversations about COVID and possible school shutdowns. After school my friends and I went to Target but little did I know that the next time I would visit a store would be completely different. A few days later I went to the grocery store with my family. It was a shocking sight when I walked in and seen everyone with a mask on and shelves completely empty. It was like an apocalypse was among us. Everyone was running rampid, pushing their carts as fast as possible and had a mask on all in the process. I had to feel everything through my rubber gloves and had a hard time smelling anything through my mask. Our new normal is wearing mask, social distancing and putting on hand sanitizer every second possible. This is important to share because it shows how COVID has shaped the way we live today.
• 2020-10-26

  A Short Review of My COVID-19 Experience

  Everything started at my job at my school’s pool, when one of my bosses told me that the district shut down my school. I was a little surprised, but I got back to work, it was off season and the pool wasn’t going to watch itself. The smell of Chlorine and chemicals was slightly comforting, since at least I still had work, which was something to do during these strange times. But over time there was more talk from my job’s higher ups about shutting down the pool, and two weeks after school closed, my job did as well. Now the only thing I could do was lay around my house, listen to the news and my family stuck in our home. Online school starting up was the worst though, having to sit there and listen to teachers yell at us over due dates even though I wasn’t paying attention to what day it was, everything was just a blur. Finally, it was summer, instead of sitting outside and listening to the birds chirping or smelling a nice barbecue, I was stuck inside, with nothing to do. In June, after almost three months, my work returned! Back to Chlorine and Hand Sanitizer, it was the first time I’d seen any of my friends in person, we stayed safe and far away, but it was good to be in the same room as them. And as quickly as Summer came it left, and we were back to school, well digitally back to school. it's much better than earlier this year. But it didn’t help that during the first week of school we got huge fires, it didn’t affect my schoolwork but it did affect my work, I spent two weeks on and off at work, only smelling smoke and seeing the orange sky and red sun. Now things have gotten better, I still work, I still go to school, and I’m a year older than I was before. Hopefully, things will keep getting better.
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  2020-07-15

  Making Mafia Stronger

  When most families and business owners were wondering how to pay the bills, for Gaetano Vitagliano the period of lockdown was the perfect time to strike a deal. On raiding cafe's the police found something which seemed suspicious! On investigating it was found that the business was allegedly bought by mafia money, linking to Camorra, an organized crime syndicate in Italy. Read this article by VICE to find out what happened in Naples, Italy where Raffaele Gallo was killed in the streets by Camorra ambush.
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  2020-07-19

  Cultural Institutions and COVID-19: Anonymous Survey

  These two documents contain the responses to the Cultural Institutions and COVID-19: Anonymous Survey. This survey was undertaken with the support and assistance of Juilee Decker, at A Journal of the Plague Year, in order to capture the experiences of those working in museums and other cultural institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to a combination of furloughs and layoffs as a direct result of COVID-19 lockdowns, and conversations around racial justice in the light of this year’s Black Lives Matter protests, museums and other cultural institutions have been facing an unprecedented reckoning, in terms of workers’ rights and racial justice. This survey asked individuals how this year’s events have impacted them, as well as their perceptions of the cultural sector, focusing specifically on those issues of workers’ rights and racial justice. All responses were collected through the Cultural Institutions and COVID-19: Anonymous Survey website (https://covidmuseumsanonymous.wordpress.com/), between July and October, 2020. This website was further advertised through an Instagram account, found here: https://www.instagram.com/covidmuseumsanonymous/ . The survey had 107 respondents, with 97 giving permission to have their responses published publicly.