Items

• 
  May 1st 2020

  The New Normal

  The New Normal: People had to stand 6 feet apart when they went shopping. It caused a lot of problems. We also had to wear face masks which caused tension among guests.
• 
  April 8, 2020

  Public Health Measures on Staten Island

  Social distancing, face masks, empty shelves and restrictions throughout Staten Island.
• 
  2020-06-17

  The New NormalS F

  Love in the Time of Covid-19. A great video by Shania Fagan, titled The New Normal. Will our lives go back to normal anytime soon?
• 
  July 27, 2020

  A Covid Summer in NYC

  A Covid Summer in NYC
• 
  August 24, 2020

  Co-Vid car stops in Staten Island

  Co-Vid car stops in Staten Island Sheriff advised me that they have a combination of 10 cars, a mix of TLC and Sheriff cars.They are staging by the entrance of the Outerbridge crossing administration bldg near page Ave. Steve white 8/6/20
• 
  June 20, 2020

  pandemic continues staten island

  Screenshot of various photos in Staten Island during Covid19 from the CSI Public History Coronavirus Chronicle Facebook page
• 
  June 28, 2020

  Staten Island Ferry Social Distancing

  Screenshot of the Staten Island Ferry with social distancing tape on the seats.
• 
  June 28, 2020

  The Strand

  Screenshot of two people looking through books from the CSI Public History Coronavirus Chronicle Facebook page
• 
  2020-07-12

  Statue of Garibaldi

  Screenshot of Garibaldi statue from the CSI Public History Coronavirus Chronicle
• 
  Summer 2020

  Culture at a Social Distance

  My submissions for #lockdownstatenisland are two examples of creative measures local cultural institutions implemented in Summer 2020 to continue to serve the public safely outdoors. The first is the #WomenoftheNationArise outdoor exhibition at the Staten Island Museum. The gallery exhibition opened a week before lockdown during Women’s History Month - March 2020. Since the galleries had to be closed, the outdoor exhibit gave visitors to Snug Harbor Cultural Center had the chance to explore Staten Island’s role in the fight for women’s right to vote from a #socialdistance. The second is at Historic Richmond Town’s socially distanced recreation area. With picnic tables and chalk circles on the grass, Historic Richmond Town provided a safe outdoor space to enjoy fresh air, sunshine, a book, an ice cream cone, and some time with friends or loved ones.
• 
  March 13, 2020

  unbeknownst emptiness

  I worked/attended CUNY Hunter College during the start of the pandemic. On March 13, 2020, we were informed that we would not be returning to work until further notice, and I believe that a majority of late-night classes/activities were cancelled. As a result, my friend/coworker and I walked around the near-empty campus. We ended up sneaking into an empty lecture hall, ate some snacks, and chatted about the future. I took a photo of our feet up on the seats as a sort of fun memento, to show how crazy it looked to see ourselves amongst the empty hall, and when a coworker asked where we are, we sent them that. The photo meant almost nothing at the time and was just a casual photo I took amongst many in my every day. Looking back now, it holds nostalgia as well as dread. I think the emptiness shows what was to come, and how terrifying it would be, and just how impactful the pandemic was on our lives. I have not stepped foot in Hunter since then, so that was truly my last time being in that school. It makes me sad and makes me think what the future would have held had these events not happened.
• 
  2021-08-11

  Venturing to California Once LIve Concerts Resumed

  As pandemic restrictions began to ease up, we decided to travel with our family from Arizona (where things had been less strict) to California (where things had been more strict) to see a concert. Many of the music artists we enjoy had only been performing via live stream for the prior year and a half, but now a band we enjoyed was having an outdoor concert at a large venue. After buying tickets though, we worried because we began to see information on the venue's website that indicated only California residents would be permitted. We tried calling, but there were no responses. We went on the trip, not knowing if we would be turned away. Luckily, the website for the event updates the day off and we were able to enter. It was an awkward feeling as masks were still required for an outdoor event, but the vast majority of participants didn't have them on. The picture is my son in outdoor seating wearing his mask despite everyone around us not. This was much less an act of social defiance or morally based compliance, and more of confusion about what was really expected and fear of stepping across unclear lines in a neighboring state.
• 
  2021-04-27

  The Masked Magic Kingdom

  This is a story about a family trying to experience the World of Disney in a post pandemic world. It shows that even at the end of a pandemic, a family can still make the most and be together and make memories to last a life time!
• 
  2021-03-06

  Aruba 2021

  This is a story that reflects positively on the implications of covid and how it effected the tourist experience. It is an honest, first hand account of travel to the island of Aruba without the mass tourism they have become so familiar with. It speaks to the erosion of personal nature and connection that coexists so easily with the superficiality of mass tourism.
• 
  2021-11

  Masks Aren't Meant to Be Worn for 38 Hours Straight

  My first trip post-Covid was greatly affected by Covid-19, from expensive tests to missing two national landmarks to a flight delayed by lack of crew to wearing a mask for nearly forty hours straight. I was finally able to travel again, but the signs of the pandemic were still everywhere.
• 
  2020-06-06

  History within History

  HIST30060: This photo was taken at the Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest in June of 2020, it was one amongst the wave of protests taking place across the world sparked by protests in the United States following George Floyd's death at the hands of the police. It was the second protest I had attended and the sheer number of people attending to show solidarity with people of colour in the US and shed light on police issues at home was an inspiring sight despite the harrowing reality of it all. Figures such as the Prime Minister at the time cited health risks as reason to not demonstrate, but this potential of COVID spreading however was consistently weaponised by conservative pundits (despite their consistent calls for lax restrictions). to discredit the movement.
• 2020-03-14

  A Theme Park on Day 1 of the Pandemic

  Disneyland popcorn comes in a variety of colors and flavors- and with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in 2019, my new favorite popcorn stand was ushered into being. This stand carried popcorn that had fruity pebble flavoring on its salty kernels, a little sticky, but delicious nonetheless. It was spring break at ASU, and currently, I was enjoying this sweet-salty concoction with not a care in the world, in Disneyland with my family. I was standing under the sad shade of a newly planted tree when my father turned to me, mouth agape, and proceeded to hand me his phone despite the sticky residue I was attempting to warn him about. His cell phone screen, with its glaring blue light and notifications rapidly appearing across the top, shouted a message at me I would much rather ignore: “The CDC has declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic.” Given that my father works in medical software, he quickly snatched the vibrating, ringing phone back and began an onslaught of calls that sounded identical, almost always culminating in “I don’t know what this means.” All around us, the previously carefree park patrons were beginning to reach into their pockets to investigate the commotion, and finding the same or similar results. Gasps and shouts were heard all around us, and the sound of feet moving quickly increased. Coughs were now akin to fire alarms and sent crowds scattering on the wind. Large throngs of people began to move towards the park exit, but I was keen on finishing my treat. After all, why rush out with hundreds of people when you can stroll out with dozens? We only remained in the park for about an hour after that, my parents endlessly debating the pros and cons of driving to Arizona right that minute. Would they close the borders between states? Would they get a refund for the cost of the hotel? What would we do with my little sisters’ birthday cake, sitting in a mini fridge and awaiting a dull butter knife later that evening? Families all around us were having the same sorts of conversations, a concert of panic arising in the Happiest Place on Earth. As my parents squabbled and people scattered, I was struck by the monumental meaning of this moment. Disneyland was going to close- and it previously closed for events like 9/11 and the assassination of President Kennedy. Something was very, very wrong...and I figured I should stop eating my popcorn that had seen unknown hands and unknown places.
• 2021-01-15

  The Smell of Venetian Canals

  In January of 2021 my husband and I traveled to Venice Italy for a quick weekend getaway to meet up with my brother & his family. My husband and I had visited Venice before, but not since COVID, let alone during a time when regulations in Italy were quite strict; vaccine documentation had to be shown everywhere we went, masks needed to be worn at all times, etc. Upon arrival to the city, there were several things that instantly struck both my husband and I in regard to the changes we were now witnessing. A far different Venice than the one we experienced a few years before. Not only FAR less crowds, all the masked faces, empty plazas once the sun set, the clear waters of the canals, but the SMELL of Venice was different. Even though I love Venice as a city, I vividly remember the unpleasant smell of the canals when we visited a few years prior, in the height of the summer. Remebering that as we took a gondola ride through the canals, I couldn't help but notice the unpleasant aroma coming from the canal waters. But now that we have found ourselves in a COVID world Venice, the smell was noticably gone, and you could actually see the bottom of the shallow canals as you walked over the bridges throughout the city. I was previously unable to notice how truly shallow the canals were until this COVID world allowed for less polluted waters of Venice, and therefore a better smelling Venice as well.
• 
  2022-07-12

  Email to project coordinator of SMhopes

  I hope Santa Monica will use its resources to clean up the streets from urine and feces instead of covering it up with art. A good power wash plus a lawsuit against LA county for wasting our tax money that was supposed to go to affordable housing would make me much happier than beautiful art in a smelly street. COVID made this worse. Art won't make it better. Please do something. Anything.
• 
  2022-07-11

  Practice social distancing while boarding

  This was a sign at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It is a sign reminding people to social distance.
• 
  2022-07-11

  Handrails at Phoenix International Airport

  This is a picture of the UV light in action at the Phoenix International Airport. The UV light is said to help with sanitizing the handrails at the airport. Seeing as many people go through the airport every day, I can understand why things like this would want to be sanitized.
• 
  2022-07-11

  Sign at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  This was a picture taken by my mom while traveling out of town. Here, it is a sign telling people that the railings have been sanitized with UV light. My own prediction is that this will be one of the things that sticks since the pandemic. In my own life, I have noticed that sneeze guards are still being used in places like grocery stores. These precautions will possibly help improve public health at large, as higher sanitation levels could help lessen the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses.
• 
  2022-07-11

  Social distancing markings at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  This are markings my mom saw while at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Since the pandemic, things like this have become more commonplace in some areas, such as airports. I do not know if this was enforced or not.
• 
  2022-07-11

  Hand sanitizer at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  This is a picture my mom took while at the Phoenix Airport. Since the pandemic, hand sanitizer has become more available in public places.
• 
  2022-07-11

  Social distancing sign at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

  This is a picture my mom took while at the Phoenix Airport to visit my sister. I don't know if this was enforced since I was not present.
• 
  2022-06-27

  Hand sanitizer at entrance of Foot Locker

  This is hand sanitizer I found while out shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square. It was not just this store that had it, others did as well. I didn't notice people using it while I was there, but it might have been used more often when things were opening up more and vaccines were not as well-distributed yet.
• 
  2022-06-27

  Social distancing sign at Macy's

  This is a sign I found at the mall. It is telling people to maintain a distance when shopping. This isn't enforced. However, I imagine only a year ago it being a bigger deal than it is now. I was just glad I found this sign, as it is a relic of the time when this was a larger issue.
• 
  2022-06-25

  The choice is yours

  This is an Instagram post from haironflorida. The post says that the staff will continue wearing masks, but people are given the option of not wearing mask if they wish.
• 
  2022-05-23

  Empty Seating at Starbucks

  I have been to this Starbucks a few times over the years. This is a Starbucks inside Target. When I went there years ago, there used to be seating available for people to enjoy their beverages at leisure. Due to COVID, those seats are gone. I hope they get brought back eventually, because while I don't order from Starbucks that often, it was a nice place to sit while waiting for other people to get done shopping.
• 
  2022-05-23

  Sneeze Guard at Starbucks

  While at Target, I noticed a sneeze guard at the Starbucks inside it. I can't remember if the staff were wearing masks, but that is one COVID-era precaution I saw that is still in use. My sister was ordering something from there, so I took a picture while I was waiting for her to be done.
• 
  2022-05-23

  Sneeze Guard at Hot Topic

  This is a sneeze guard at Hot Topic. The staff themselves were not wearing masks, but the sneeze guards were still up. Since both cash registers were being used, I took a picture from the back for privacy reasons.
• 
  2022-05-19

  Everything You Need to Know About DC Black Pride 2022

  This is a news story from Metro Weekly by Joseph Reberkenny. For the first time since COVID started, DC Black Pride will be back in-person. It is organized by the Center for Black Equity and it includes over 25 events highlighting the Black LGBTQ community in Washington. During the height of the COVID outbreak, the Center for Black Equity held events online instead. The organizers say that in-person events are special for this community and has planned safety precautions for people attending. There will be things like masks available at the event in addition to rapid test kits.
• 
  2022-05-13

  Taking a Rapid Covid-19 Test In Public

  In this phase of my life, I have more loose ends than tied down ones. I often have to arrive at places early or multitask my use of a space or transit system. During a moving process, this is exaggerated. I have so much schoolwork and shifts at my job that often I just roam the city between events. I was notified that I had been around someone with Covid, so I grabbed a test at Walgreens. When I got back onto the street, I realized that most people would be shocked or disgusted at seeing someone test themselves for the plague in a public space. I felt like I could not go to my student center as they might tell me I could not take a Covid test there, and I could not go home as I was already downtown and had class in a few hours. I decided to go to a place where many people are dealing with their own issues publicly; the downtown public library. I knew I could take this test there and not be bothered. I entered, took a few escalators, and found a secluded desk where I was able to take the test. It felt as if I were doing something wrong, or illegal. I do not think that should be the way it is, but we tend to shun the sick and demand people to leave if they are not using a space the "correct" way. I tested negative.
• 
  2022-05-13

  Mask trash motorcycle in Peru

  While walking my daughter home from school I noticed this disposable mask next a motorcycle in Arequipa. It was about one block away from Av. Kennedy.
• 
  2022-05-06

  Northern Arizona tribe extends closure prompted by pandemic

  This is a news story by the Associated Press. The Havasupai Tribe, a tribe located in Northern Arizona, has closed its reservation through the 2022 tourism season. The reservation has been known for its large waterfalls. Other repairs are needed in the reservation too, including trailheads, camp grounds, and lodges.
• 
  2022-05-01

  Disposable mask on soccer field, urb 15 de enero

  After a game of soccer, that ended when the ball was kicked out of bounds and landed on cactus (rendering the ball flat), I took this picture of a disposable mask left behind on the soccer field.
• 
  2022-05-01

  Mask trash soccer field in Parque de la Independencia

  This is a mask left behind on a cement soccer field in Parque de la Independencia, Urbanización 15 de enero in Arequipa, Peru.
• 
  2022-04-25

  COVID-19 precautions sign

  This is a sign outside a store called Casa y Ideas in the Mall de Porongoche in Arequipa, Peru. It shows and explains a number of measures that people can take to keep themselves safe.
• 
  2022-04-25

  Sign outside mall in Peru

  Outside the mall de Porongoche in Arequipa, Peru this signs lets people know that starting on April 1st, it is required to use 2 masks or an N-95 mask and present your ID and vaccine card (showing 3 doses) before entering the mall.
• 
  2022-04-05

  No masks on campus

  Masks are no longer mandatory in the state of Arizona. As of April 2022, as a former high school teacher, masks are no longer required for students, faculty, and staff at San Luis High School. Some students decide to keep wearing their masks, and others do not; the same thing happens with faculty and staff, some wear them, and others don't. For the most part, everyone is respectful about wearing and not wearing masks. Students and staff understand that these are the new norms we currently live in and are working great at San Luis High School.
• 
  2022-04-01

  NYC judge nixes mask mandates for toddlers, Eric Adams plans to appeal

  This is a story by Bernadette Hogan, Cayla Bamberger, Nolan Hicks and Natalie O'Neill for the New York Post. This story is about masking for young kids and the struggle within the local government on what is best to do. A Staten Island judge ruled against masks for toddlers in New York City. Parents in support of this claim that this is a good thing because masks could make it harder for kids to socialize and read emotions. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, plans to appeal this to reinstate masks, where he believes that if you don't know the vaccination status of everyone in a room that you should wear a mask.
• 
  2020-05-10

  Where's Covid?

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2022-03-20

  A Day in the Life of a Delivery Driver in the South

  I deliver copier toner to various clients across Northwest Arkansas, so I am able to see the various ways COVID-19 has impacted businesses, both large and small. Particularly, I am able to see the various protocols of businesses relating to admission into their facilities. From the time I began delivering in March of 2021 to today, it is interesting to see the adjustments made by the community as cases would fluctuate. It is further interesting to see a southern perspective, as the south has been notorious for having a lackluster approach to the pandemic. I will detail six varying instances of businesses across NWA and how they have changed or not changed from a year ago. 1. Banks were an interesting study. My company supplies three major banks across NWA, and all three had very stringent protocol in March 2021, and as cases have declined, they have removed these protocols entirely. In early 2021, bank lobbies were closed to outside visitors with zero exceptions. In order to make my deliveries, I was required to call the bank and meet a staff member at the front door, and both myself and the staff member were required to wear facemasks and social distance. Now, in 2022, these protocols have vanished entirely. Bank lobbies are now open entirely, and masks and social distancing are a thing of the past. This directly correlates with a dramatic fall in COVID cases and deaths, as well as a rise in vaccinations across Arkansas. 2. Chicken plants and food processing plants are an essential part of the economy of Northwest Arkansas, being the home of Tyson, George's, and Cobb-Vantress foods, as well as many others. The protocol for processing plants were stringent in 2021, and they continue to be so in 2022. It is standard practice to not only wear masks and social distance, but also to take temperatures and answer a health questionnaire by security guards. The only change I have seen is a vaccination requirement. Nobody is allowed on the premises of many of these chicken plants without having had both dosses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccination proof must be available whenever requested. Food safety is essential in preserving the health of workers and the community at large, so it is no surprise that these stricter protocols have remained in place. 3. Schools are similar to banks in that COVID protocols greatly shifted from 2021 to 2022. Many schools in 2021 had masks mandates for both students and staff and encouraged social distancing. Now, in 2022, masks and social distancing are no longer required, and school is entirely like it was pre-pandemic. Student's are free to wear masks if they so choose, but any protocol has vanished. This is particularly prevalent in smaller school districts. Depending on the district, many smaller ones had zero protocols to begin with, so things haven't changed in that sense. 4. Manufacturing plants are common in NWA, and many of them have maintained pandemic protocols in 2022. Temperature checks, masks, and social distancing are the norm. There are even a few plants that require appointments to enter their facilities in order to maintain security and prevent the spread of COVID. This is largely attributed to maintaining the health of the workers and preventing outbreaks in facilities that would limit production capabilities in a time when goods are so scarce. 5. Transportation is another major business in NWA, and interestingly, protocols have been minimal. Many transport companies had no original mask requirement, social distancing requirement, or a temperature check. This attitude has continued in 2022, despite the extensive traveling many truck drivers engage in. There were many concerns in the COVID conscious sectors of the community about the possibility of interstate infection, but no changes to trucking protocol were made. It is further interesting the extensive COVID regulations placed on truckers from other states, compared to states like Arkansas. 6. Hospitals and medical clinics, like many across the nation, have made minimal changes to COVID protocol. Washington Regional Medical Center, Northwest Medical Center, and Mercy Hospital all have bared the brunt of COVID in NWA, and masks, temperature checks, social distancing, and exposure questionnaires are the new norm, and medical administration has been unmoving in their insistence on these protocols. Indeed, medical facilities are the locations in which there is the greatest risk of exposure and many medical clinics are still closed to walk-in visitors. The only change really seen from 2021 to 2022 is the allowance of visitors. Previously, no outside visitors were permitted in the hospitals without special permission. As cases declined and vaccine rates grew, the hospitals lifted this restriction and now visitors are common place. It will be interesting to see when and if some of these protocols will change as the pandemic advances. Indeed, it is also interesting to see how and if protocols become a new essential part to admission to various facilities across NWA beyond the pandemic.
• 
  0002-03-01

  SMhopes at the SMPL Teen Lounge

  A variety of submissions to the SMhopes website, designed as posters and banners by Paula Goldman, and installed in the Teen Lounge at the main branch of the Santa Monica Public Library. The Library asked for a variety of hopeful messages as they begin having students visit the Teen Lounge again.
• 
  2022-02-08

  Pink disposable mask trash

  A pink disposable mask on ASU’s campus near Coor.
• 
  2022-02-06

  Nozomi park mask trash

  Mask trash by the parking lot at Nozomi Park.
• 
  2020-05

  Silence in the Morning

  At the beginning of the pandemic, I was working at a hotel on a US Military base in Stuttgart Germany where I typically worked the overnight shift. As such, my commute home in the mornings was usually the noisiest part of my day. I would often pass by the local bakery on my way home, one of the busiest places in town in the morning. I would hear the sounds of the shuffling of feet of the people in line, the clink of coins on the counter, the crinkle of paper bags filled with the daily bread the Germans would buy or the pastries they would eat for lunch, and the whine of the coffee machine for their morning coffee. In the background was the constant droning of the morning rush hour traffic. After the lockdown, when the German government shut down businesses, I had to continue working as the military converted the hotel I worked at into a quarantine facility. I continued with my overnight shifts and my commute home in the mornings while everyone else stayed home. What struck me the most about my new commute home was the silence. The utter lack of noise was practically oppressive. I could close my eyes and the only difference with the dead of night was the warmth of the sun beating on my skin. What was once the noisiest part of my day was now the quietest.
• 
  2020-04-02

  Pensacola Beach Quarantined

  I live in Pensacola, about 10 mins from the beach. I have spent many a day at the beach with my family. The sounds and smells of the beach that are familiar to me are children playing, seagulls flying above, someone playing the radio, waves crashing, people talking and laughing, and the smell of nearby restaurants and suntan oil. It was the first week of April 2020, and I had terrible cabin fever from being quarantined, so I decided to take a drive up the coast. After about an hour of driving, I turned around to head home. That is when I really looked at the beach; I had never seen it so empty, void of all humans. I pulled over and got out, and the sounds were different. There were no laughing children, no songs on the radio, just the thunderous crashing of the waves. There was no suntan oil smell in the air, just the smell and taste of saltwater. It was surreal to experience the beach so barren but more serene than it had ever felt.
• 
  2022-02-03

  Zero attendance sports games

  As a lifelong hockey fan, specifically for the New York Rangers, it was highly disappointing to find out that the rest of the 2019-2020 season would continue without the attendance of fans at Madison Square Garden due to lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watching every hockey game at home simply did not compare to being able to witness the firsthand action of rocket slapshots, massive hits, and gruesome fights seen up close in person. Although, I am fortunate that the rest of the season continued, and I was able to see the Rangers compete in the playoffs despite them being eliminated in the first round. Yet, the beginning of lockdown was indeed a scary time for most people. There was no anticipated end to quarantine restrictions nor an end in sight to the highly contagious virus itself. Writing this excerpt two years later, thankfully, the vaccine and the use of masks has allowed for regular attendance to return to most sports arenas and stadiums nationwide. Hopefully, we will find a permanent solution to the virus itself in the future and continue normal sports activities restriction-free!
• 
  2020-06

  Feeling the Burn

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