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Aaron Peterka
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3/15/2020
Massachusetts Executive Order Expanding Telehealth Services and Protecting Health Care Providers
Because strict social distancing measures were necessary to combat the virus's spread, telehealth/medicine became essential delivery systems for medical services during the pandemic. On March 15th, 2020, Governor Baker signed this order requiring all in-network healthcare providers to render medical services via telehealth, therefore highlighting how technology acted as a mitigation tool to slow COVID-19. Moreover, this order underscores how the virus has altered how people interacted with the health care system. -
March 17, 2020
Massachusetts Executive Order Expanding Access to Physician Services
Because of the stealthy nature of COVID-19's transmission, and the lethal threat it posed to high-population centers like Boston, state and local health officials braced for a public health emergency that could potentially overwhelm the health care system. Signed by Governor Baker on March 17th, 2020, this executive order expanded the number of physicians permitted to practice in Massachusetts by allowing retired physicians to return upon request, extending physicians' soon-to-expire licenses, and granting emergency licenses to out-of-state physicians with good standing. -
2020-03-17
Massachusetts Executive Order Regarding the Registration of Health Care Professionals
With an urgent need for health care professionals to be on hand to combat the coronavirus, Governor Charlie Baker signed this executive order extending/validating the license registration of all essential medical professionals whose license was about to expire for a period of no less than 90 days after the termination of the state's health emergency. This reflects the impending stress that the virus would place upon Massachusetts's health system, thus necessitating the need for all medical personnel to be available. -
2020-03-13
Massachusetts Executive Order Prohibiting All Gatherings of More than 250 People
Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker's executive order banning large public gatherings in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. With densely-populated areas such as Greater Boston, such measures were absolutely essential to halting the virus's spread across the city. -
2020-04-20
In the Event of Lock Down: Bake
With the help of a special-made cake pan and recipe from a recent, pre-lockdown day-trip to Lindsborg, Kansas, this almond cake helped alleviate the stress and boredom of being stuck in-doors during the state's lockdown order. Northeastern JOTPY -
2020-04-26
Help Wanted
While many small businesses shed jobs in the face of lockdowns, special needs communities saw an urgent need for more help to keep their residents safe from contracting the virus. One recruiting inducement was the promise of a hiring bonus, such as the one depicted in this photograph. Northeastern JOTPY -
2020-05
Colleges Hit by the Virus
With smaller liberal arts colleges hit hard by pandemic-induced closures and refunds, schools like this one in North Newton, Kansas, sent out donation requests as a way to deal with the reduced revenue shortfall that threatens many smaller, higher education institutions with a bleak future. Northeastern JOTPY -
2020-05-04
Legendary Guard Adapts to COVID-19
Clipped from the May 15, 2020, volume 155, 10th issue of the Catholic Advance, this photo shows how the Vatican's Swiss Guards have had to adjust to COVID-19's presence. On top of wearing masks while on duty, the Guard rescheduled their induction ceremony to October; a rite of passage that normally occurs on May 6 and coincides with the anniversary of their famous 1527 last stand to defend Pope Clement VII. While the Swiss Guard fought a mutinous foe hand-to-hand nearly 500 years ago, this unseen enemy can only be combated through masks, crowd control, and strict social distancing. -
2020-04-29
A Letter From the President
Received in early May, the letter, bearing the president's stamp, informs the recipient of their stimulus payment made possible by the CARES Act; an act of Congress that pumped over $2 trillion into a once robust US economy now crippled by the coronavirus and the states' subsequent lockdowns. Furthermore, this artifact reflects the virus's growing politicization during a contentious campaign year, with the incumbent president attempting to revive the US economy despite the grave threat posed by COVID-19's onslaught. Letters, such as this, that were "signed" by the president angered many within the US, as they viewed this as a politically-motivated stunt, thus reflecting the festering political divide that has only been made worse as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the world. Northeastern JOTPY -
2020-05-10
Kansas Politics During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This pamphlet details both the COVID and non-COVID issues facing the state of Kansas during the global pandemic. Distributed in the spring of 2020 by the office of the Kansas State House Majority Leader, the updates highlight the steps taken by the Kansas legislature to ameliorate the virus's economic effects and includes a questionnaire attempting to gauge voters' opinions on legal marijuana, Medicaid expansion, the virus-induced state budget shortfall, and COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Northeastern JOTPY -
2020
Campaigning in the Middle of a Pandemic
The office of US House Rep. Ron Estes (4th District - KS) distributed this pamphlet through the mail to Wichita-area voters in April of 2020 as the US government grappled with the rapidly developing public health and economic crisis. Reflecting the GOP perspective on the federal government's early response to COVID-19, the pamphlet praises the 45th president's administration, as well as the US Congress, for taking action to combat the virus's effects, most notably the delayed tax filing deadline, the Families First Coronavirus Act, and allocating money for accelerated testing, virus treatments, and vaccine development. Moreover, it credits the president's administration with ensuring health care access through telemedicine expansion. Finally, it describes COVID-19 as the greatest crisis this country has faced since the Second World War and repeats the now common phrase, "We're All In This Together." Northeastern JOTPY -
2020-05-19
Drive-Thru Testing Ramps Up in Kansas
The Healthcore Clinic's mobile COVID-19 drive-thru testing station at the Wichita State Metroplex in east Wichita, Kansas, on the afternoon of May 19, 2020. One of three stations in the city, the Metroplex site had only been in operation for eight days at the time of this photo's creation, thus reflecting the slow implementation of available testing since the beginning of the outbreak, and the absolute necessity for it to contain the coronavirus's spread. Moreover, those being tested are doing so by their own volition, as there was no mandate from government authorities requiring compulsory testing. Aaron Peterka, Northeastern University -
2020-04-29
Digital Worship
With some churches contesting the Kansas governor's restrictions upon large religious gatherings, thus prompting legal and political battles between the state's executive and legislative branches, many churches continued to spread the Good Word through live online platforms rather than become a COVID cluster like several other houses of worship in other parts of the state. -
2020-05-01
Happy Hour-to-Go
Since COVID-19 closed bars, local restaurants such as this one adapted by allowing for alcoholic beverages to be purchased on-the-go. -
2020-04-29
Still Open
A banner alongside west Wichita's Tyler Road advertising the Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant's carry out and curbside pickup services. Even in this digital age, restaurants used tried-and-true advertising methods to spread the word that despite shuttered dining facilities, their business was ready to serve customers in the "new normal." -
2020-05-02
Wichita State without the Shockers
The empty Wichita State University main parking lot, with the equally empty Ulrich Art Museum in the background. -
2020-05-02
A Cloud of Uncertainty
Sudden job losses and reduced hours hit Americans hard as the pandemic spread, prompting banks to take measures to mitigate the drastic change in customers' financial situations. The "skip-a-pay" option allowed customers to apply for payment deferments from the safety of their own homes without risking exposure to the virus. -
2020-05-02
The Mall: The Place Not to Be
The always-crowded Dillards parking lot at east Wichita's Towne East Square Mall devoid of patrons in the last days of Kansas's lockdown order. -
2020-04-29
For All of the Essential Workers Out There
While many businesses and employees were forced to hunker down during the "stay-at-home" orders, others were deemed essential to maintain day-to-day operations in the city. This sign praises the healthcare workers, first responders, waste collection services, and grocery store employees, to name a few, who remained on the job. -
2020-05-02
To all Healthcare Workers
This east Wichita billboard featured many COVID-19 related messages, including this one by Lamar Trailers that expresses gratitude to all healthcare workers battling the pandemic. Northeastern University -
2020-05-01
The Pandemic-Plagued Playground
Although Sedgwick County Park remained open to visitors, all playground equipment were off limits, thus reflecting the virus's stealthy transmission via children. Should a child contract the virus, they seldom exhibit symptoms but can easily pass it to adults. Measures such as those depicted in this photo therefore proved to be vital in mitigating COVID-19's spread. Northeastern University -
2020-05-02
Local Church Extends a Helping Hand
Reflecting the acute job losses and financial hardships that have struck so many citizens, churches and organizations across the city have opened or accelerated local food drives to assist those who have fallen on hard times. Moreover, the curb-side pick-up employed by this particular pantry reveals how the virus has even transformed acts of charity and humanitarianism into missions that must be carried out at a safe distance. -
04/29/2020
COVID Sinks Gas Prices
This photo shows the price for a gallon of unleaded 87 octane gasoline in west Wichita, Kansas. With COVID-19 driving people indoors and lockdowns shutting down businesses, fuel prices plummeted as a result of both reduced demand and an international oil glut. -
04/29/2020
A Convenience Store to Go
Reduced-contact service hits the gas stations like this Quik Trip in west Wichita, Kansas, whose storefront conveys yet another manifestation of the "new normal." Aaron Peterka, Northeastern University -
05/02/2020
"This Too Shall Pass"
This sign from a local Wichita counseling firm reflects the enormous psychological burden that the pandemic has placed upon people's mental health, with lockdowns, job loss, financial uncertainty, and fear of the future fueling depression and anxiety among many in both the USA and the world. #NortheasternJOTPY -
05/02/2020
Save Lives. Stay Inside.
This particular message in east Wichita, created by Lamar Trailers, calls upon citizens to save lives by complying with the state's "shelter-at-home" order. #NortheasternJOTPY -
05/02/2020
"For Those At the Front"
An electronic billboard in east Wichita praises healthcare professionals for their continued efforts in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The language used in this sign is reminiscent of the gratitude extended to GIs in the post-9/11 era, especially during the Iraq War, thus reflecting the pandemic's growing impact that will cement it as one of the country's, and the world's, watershed moments. #NortheasternJOTPY -
04/05/2020
A TP Shortage
Although this store has nothing to do with hygiene products, this attempt at humor reflects the acute toilet paper shortage caused by the virus-induced "panic-buying" that slammed stores nationwide. #NortheasternJOTPY -
04/05/2020
Show's Over...For Now
As a result of the statewide lockdown measures, all theaters, including the Warren and its always-popular IMAX, closed in an effort to halt the pandemic's march across the city. #NortheasternJOTPY -
04/03/2020
A Church's Prescription for COVID-19
This local church offers just a single word for how to combat the growing virus threat. Aaron Peterka, Northeastern University -
04/05/2020
Stay Healthy, Wichita
A shopping center marquee wishing passersby good health as COVID-19 makes its way to Wichita. Aaron Peterka, Northeastern University -
04/03/2020
Stay Home
While temporarily closed during the Kansas Lockdown, this local car wash sign advised passing motorists to re-think their travel plans if they were feeling sick. #NortheasternJOTPY -
2020-04-03
Arts-and-Crafts-to-Go
Customers who had placed online orders could use the new "curbside pick-up" service in a rather unique shopping experience for arts and crafts that reduced in-person contact, and by extension, the virus's transmission. #NortheasternJOTPY *Northeastern University -
2020-04-03
New Market Square, West Wichita, Kansas
Despite most stores and shops being shuttered in the popular New Market Square, both Best Buy and Michael's Arts and Crafts maintained a curb-side pick up service for customers who had placed online orders. #NortheasternJOTPY *Northeastern University -
2020-04-03
Workouts Called on Account of Virus
This image of west Wichita's sprawling Northwest YMCA captures the vacant parking lot and the abandoned rock climbing wall that would normally be crawling with visitors. However, the well-publicized closures did not deter some patrons from attempting to gain entry before being sorely disappointed by the signs posted on the doors; a site witnessed just moments after this photograph was taken. #NortheasternJOTPY *Northeastern University -
2020-04-03
Quiet Lunch Hour, Part II
West Wichita's Hurricane Sports Bar and Grill, facing west. All neighboring businesses in this small shopping center alongside 13th Street shut down, including the ICT Bike Shop and the Great Clips Hair Salon, since the state had deemed them non-essential businesses. #NortheasternJOTPY *Northeastern University -
2020-04-03
Quiet Lunch Hour
The Hurricane Sports Bar and Grill on 13th Street in Wichita, Kansas, sits empty during what would normally be a busy lunch hour. The banner on the far right indicates the restaurant's open carry-out and delivery services. #NortheasternJOTPY *Northeastern University -
04/03/2020
COVID-19 Not Allowed
Signs, like this one at a west Wichita Target, act as a first line of defense against the coronavirus by instructing potentially-ill shoppers to turn back should they happen to have any of the listed symptoms. While a cough or a fever does not necessarily mean that a person has COVID-19, the highly contagious disease's stealthy transmission, combined with modern medicine's nascent understanding of the illness, has made such precautions a necessity as communities try to mitigate the virus's effects. -
04/26/2020
Spread Out at Trader Joe's
Complying with social distancing regulations, customers maintain a healthy distance while waiting to enter the Trader Joe's in east Wichita, Kansas. Such lines have been common during the pandemic, as stores seek to reduce their capacity, thereby reducing the virus's transmission. -
04/29/2020
Let a Smile Be Your Calling Card
Hanging in the window of a home in a west Wichita neighborhood, this smiley-face flag remained a constant fixture throughout the state-ordered lockdown. Its owners removed it after May 4, when state officials began easing lockdown restrictions. -
05/01/2020
A Deserted High School
Parking stalls sit empty on a school day as the threat of COVID-19's rapid spread silences what would have been a busy time of year, not only for Maize High School, but for all secondary schools across the country. -
05/01/2020
Empty Stands on a Quiet Friday
Normally filled with students' cars and spring sports, Maize High School's athletic complex sits empty on Friday, May 1 as a result of Governor Laura Kelly's March school closure order. -
05/01/2020
May the Force Be With You, Wichita
Taken in the final days of Kansas's lockdown, movie theaters such as this one would have to wait several more weeks before finally reopening. Promising to see its patrons soon, the theater's marquee reminds Wichitans to find their inner Jedi while confronting the dark side: COVID-19. -
05/02/2020
Facebook Services
With in-person church services suspended beginning in March, churches like this one in east Wichita, Kansas, switched to Facebook to carry on in the face of COVID's spread. -
04/05/2020
Goodbye, Spring 2020
By order of the governor, all Kansas K-12 schools closed for the remainder of the academic year to curb COVID-19's spread, making online classes a necessity and rendering normal spring-time activities, such as sports and commencements, an impossibility. This makeshift message on Wichita Northwest's campus expresses an all-too familiar sentiment that can be felt all across the country, from the East and West Coasts and in the nation's Heartland. -
04/05/2020
How to Fight a Virus
Like business signs in the area, this local high school relays to motorists what is needed to combat the coronavirus. -
04/03/2020
Not a Testing Site
In March 2020, Target, in tandem with other major retailers, announced that their company would assist in efforts to expand COVID-19 testing. This sign posted on the entrance to a west Wichita, Kansas, Target store makes it clear to customers that this particular site was not one of those facilities. Taken on April 3, this photo reflects the painstakingly slow expansion of the country's testing capabilities. -
2020-04-03
Support Your Local Auto Shop
With COVID-19 forcing numerous businesses across the nation to close, automotive shops such as this one in Wichita, Kansas, remained open during the lockdown, having been declared an "essential business" by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's administration. Despite being open, local small businesses buckled under the strain of dramatically reduced customer traffic and revenue; a problem that still persists as Kansas, and the country, continue to face COVID-19's devastating physical and economic impacts. This sign along Tyler Road portrays one way that local businesses attempted to survive the economic malaise created by the virus's outbreak. As of May 4, 2020, the official end of Kansas's stay-at-home order, this discount appears to have been discontinued. Photo taken by Aaron Peterka -
2020-04-03
Stay Strong, Kansas
Taken near the intersection of Central and Tyler Rd. in west Wichita, Kansas, this sign encourages Kansans to hold fast during the lockdown. At the time, only drive-thru service was available, reflecting the reduced-contact, socially-distanced measures implemented by restaurants to limit the virus's spread. Photo taken by Aaron Peterka on 04/03/2020, four days after Kansas's government-ordered "shelter-in-place" order went into effect. -
2020-05-02
Rock Your Mask, Wichita.
One of a series of COVID-19-related messages from the same electronic billboard on Central Avenue in east Wichita, Kansas. This particular announcement encourages Wichitans to "rock their mask" by personalizing their PPE while doing their part to slow the virus's spread, as the young girl featured in the message does with her customized Wichita State Shockers mask. Image taken on 05/02/2020.