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2021-04-14
As we have rounded the corner of the one year mark for the COVID-19 pandemic, many still wonder when it well end. Now that vaccines have begun to roll out hopes feel higher for some and thanks to the use of mask, the spread of COVID-19 has been limited in many places as well. The sign pictured is one that Flagler College students know too well and it thanks those that pass by for their efforts in helping prevent the spread on campus. Along with these lawn signs as well as text or email notifications, Flagler students are able to be aware of conditions on campus such as moving into Phase Two or the available vaccines on campus.
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2021-06-12
Several disposable masks littered the grounds around the Golden Gate Bridge Park on the north end of the bridge. This photo shows a blue disposable mask near a lookout.
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2021-06-12
While visiting the Golden State Bridge, I came across this blue fabric mask with a penguin print.
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2021-04
High school teacher Adam Bagby gives explains how teaching has changed since the Covid-19 Pandemic began.
Walls: Your name, grade you teach, school you teach in.
Bagby: Adam Bagby, 10th grade World History & Honors, St. Augustine High School
Walls: How has the pandemic changed the way you teach?
Adam: Last year our finals were canceled. I’ll let the students use the textbook to fill out their notes and they have to take photos to submit it to me. They are finishing it way too quickly. Either they are cheating or doing it incorrectly. I watched my student do it and he took out his phone to take a photo of it and looked it up. The issue is we have to have our phones out now. I said something to every single class about their cameras on their phones. Either I could make them do this as homework for the rest of the year or make them do book work for the rest of the year.
Walls: What was the biggest challenge in the beginning of the pandemic when classes were remote?
Bagby: The exact same challenge from beginning to now that is not solvable. Students will log in and during our instruction I’ll call on a student and they wouldn’t be on the computer. I would mark them absent. I would get parent phone calls and emails.
Walls: What is the biggest challenge now?
Bagby: The buy in for students from home. I’ll even tell my students to text their friends
Walls: How do you think students are doing? What are their biggest challenges?
Bagby: My issue is for my students to remember turning in their work online. Some are doing worse because they aren’t able to hand in an assignment. I had some students who enrolled online, but they are working during the day to help their families out with bills. It seems like there’s a lot more stress than there should be. There are some students who have the discipline who can sit down at the computer and do the work, but some students can’t do that at all. I have 2 students I have not seen at all. It’s a blessing and a curse. You can do well with it or not. It all depends on your home situation.
Walls: Do you see anything beneficial coming from the changes you have had to implement?
Bagby: I saw this happening last year, so I put everything online early. I’ve been teaching for 7 years, so I always knew how important technology is in education. I think online integration is going to be permanent, like Schoology. There obviously needs to be a better platform.
Walls: Are you noticing a change in parent involvement?
Bagby: Oh yeah. They’re not there. I haven’t had any complaints. Most parents have been understanding.
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2021-04-28
As a year has passed from the beginning of the pandemic, Flagler College has partnered with Flagler Health to offer the Pfizer vaccine for students over eighteen.
Staff and faculty were also offered the vaccine in a separate event.
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2021-03
Walls- What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required)
Wolf-We never really wanted a big wedding so making it as small as possible due to the current world climate was something that we were more than happy to do. We had to limit the guests to only immediate family even though our original intentions were to have more people present; we just didn’t feel right having any bigger of a ceremony. Our ceremony was also outdoors so our family groups could social distance more effectively and we made face masks mandatory at all times.
Walls- What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic?
Wolf- It was the fact that we could not include many people that we know would have loved to have been there. Our decision to limit to only immediate family was a tough one, but the one we felt most comfortable with. We were worried that some people may have been hurt by this decision. That turned out to not be the case, we were not selective with our invites and instead only invited immediate family.
Walls- Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding?
Wolf- Not really. It was pretty low-key so we were not worried about spreading the virus. We had reservations when we originally planned a larger ceremony which is why we decided to change it.
Walls- What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding?
Wolf- We didn’t have any vendors! :)
Walls- If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund?
Wolf- Same answer as above.
Walls- What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic?
Wolf- Surreal. It is amazing to have some sense of normalcy during this absurdly crazy time. The accommodations we had to make were things we never even considered before the pandemic hit. It is definitely a story we will look back on fondly!
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2021-03
Walls: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required)
Rachel: So originally I was planning on having a bigger wedding around 200 people. I wanted it to be a huge celebration but due to the pandemic My Husband and I made the decision to just have our family, bridal parties, and just a few of our closest friends. I requested that anyone that was attending the wedding get COVID tested. I also provided masks to everyone and had hand sanitizer stations throughout the whole venue.
Walls: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic?
Rachel: My biggest concern having my wedding during a pandemic was the possible chance that my grandparents & any older family members could possibly come in contact with COVID. But they were my biggest supporters and assured me that all was well & that they were taking every precaution to stay safe.
Walls: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all?
Rachel: I definitely had reservations about having my wedding, for weeks I went back and forth on whether it was the right decision. It was honestly mentally wearing but I wouldn’t change a thing. My wedding was uniquely perfect and I had everyone there that I needed.
Walls: Did you have to push back your wedding?
Rachel: I definitely had push back from a few family members about having my wedding, it was a really hard decision to make. But eventually they came around. My wedding date was significant to me because I discovered that my Grandfather had gotten married on the same date I chose. It meant too much to me to change.
Walls: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding?
Rachel: I actually had zero issues with the Vendors because all I needed was a bartender, the caterer was more than accommodating and I had a family friend be my photographer. Everything was smooth sailing.
Walls: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund?
Rachel: Everyone who helped make this wedding possible was very flexible, they understood the circumstances at hand.
Walls: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic?
Rachel: Getting married during a pandemic was interesting, before the wedding I was nervous. I didn’t want anybody to feel uncomfortable, that was my biggest worry. But as soon as the ball got rolling everything felt effortless and magical. It became a very carefree environment where everyone who was there was able to forget about what was happening in our world and just enjoy themselves. Like I said before I wouldn’t have changed a thing, it didn’t even feel like we were in a pandemic. Everyone was able to enjoy themselves and stay safe at the same time. I'm very blessed to have been able to get married during a pandemic. It’s unique and something I will be able to tell my children about one day. These memories I will hold dear to my heart forever. It was just the right people and it couldn’t have been better.
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2021-03
Walls: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required)
Victoria: I was supposed to get married in New York City for a destination wedding but because of Covid we couldn’t risk everyone’s health so we had to move it back to Florida, keeping the guest list smaller. We had COVID signs everywhere stating what people should do (staying six feet apart, wearing a mask, and washing their hands). We had masks specially made with our names and date and we had personalized hand sanitizers for people to take. It definitely was very focused on and thought about.
Walls: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic?
Victoria: The thought of anyone getting sick because of our wedding really worried us but we had to just swallow the pill and pray for the best outcome. We luckily didn’t have anyone get sick and it was really amazing to get to see everyone.
Walls: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding?
Victoria: We tossed around the idea of pushing it back but after really thinking about it we decided not to because we had no idea when Covid would be over so it just didn’t really make any sense.
Walls: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding?
Victoria: We didn’t really have any issues with vendors.
Walls: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund?
Victoria: Our photographer specifically was super understanding, he was going to go to New York with us and was completely understanding and okay with us possibly changing the date when we were tossing around the idea of changing the date and he was okay with us staying in Florida no extra charge, I think he just wanted us to feel comfortable given the circumstances.
Walls: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic?
Victoria: If anything it gave us a sense of relief, nobody got sick and like a feeling of reassurance that just because there is a pandemic, while yes keeping it safe, we could continue to live our lives. It’s also cool to think that we can one day tell our grandkids how we got married during a pandemic.
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2021-03
Wolf: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required)
Hamilton: My situation was very unique from a lot of COVID-19 weddings in that we were nine days away from our date when we decided to postpone the celebration. Everyone told us we were crazy and to just do it and Florida shut down less than a week before our original date. Because it was so close to the date and we already had our marriage license we decided to have a super small and intimate ceremony with 13 people including us and the officiant. Our original RSVP number was 152 people. Everything was shut down on March 22nd but we did our ceremony in my in-laws backyard. They built an arbor, put flowers everywhere, socially distanced all the seats and nobody was allowed inside the house except to use the bathroom. We did not wear face masks, but this was really before that became the responsible thing to do. Nobody got close to each other except my husband and I and we only had a champagne toast and cut a small cake before we all split off. It was so opposite of everything that we had planned that day but I am so glad we chose to do a small ceremony because we certainly did not know what the future held and we still don’t.
Wolf: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic?
Hamiton: For us the biggest concern was travel and people not being able to get back home amidst the beginning of the pandemic panic. We also have a lot of older people attending and we could never forgive ourselves if anyone we loved became sick because of coming to our wedding. And as I so think we are allowed to be selfish about one thing, another concern was that it just wouldn’t be the dance party we envisioned. We are both relatively relaxed and wanted to have the “big party” without people worrying for their own safety. For these reasons, we still have not had our big wedding.
Wolf: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding?
Hamilton: We had so many reservations. How could we be selfish and have the wedding no matter what when there is a global pandemic going on? Millions of people have died, and we want to celebrate our love even if it means not having those that have supported us in our partnership throughout the years? It just did not feel right to either of us. Our dream wedding is not about all the expensive and luxurious things… it is about having the support system that has been there for us throughout the years. Without that, it is not the wedding that we want. It has been extremely devastating, but we try to remember WHY we have made these decisions. I am tearing up as I think about it. Yes, we have now pushed back our wedding three times. We had an original date of March 22nd, 2020 and on March 17th, 2020 we chose October 18th, 2020 to be our second date. In August of 2020, we decided to postpone our October date to March 21st, 2021. We were confident we could safely make it happen but come January with reservations from both of us and our families, we decided to indefinitely postpone the big celebration until the world feels safe enough. Come July 2021, we will sit down to discuss if we will move forward with a fall/winter date or if we will push back to 2022.
Wolf: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding?
Hamilton: We are incredibly blessed and have had minimal issues with all our vendors. We chose to support local for all of our vendors and everyone that we picked is people that we personally know. Most people cannot say the same as us, especially after postponing three times. We only “lost” one deposit from our DJ but he is giving us a discount when we do rebook. We had to pay an extra couple of thousand for our venue (The Riverhouse) as our contract was only for 2020 and we had gotten a generous discount, but they were so gracious to us and all of the money we have put forward is being saved on an invoice for whatever date we end up choosing, regardless of if its in 2021 or 2022. So basically, all of vendors saved our money and will apply it to our new date when that time comes. This is very fortunate and we do not take that for granted, by any means. Our wedding was paid in full so with our vendors being so flexible with time and money, its taken a lot of stress of our shoulders and has made postponing multiple times a lot easier because we don’t feel pressured to move forth due to time and money. If it did not go this way for us, I’m not sure what we would’ve done…weddings are expensive.
Wolf: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/refund?
Hamilton: The first time around everyone was incredibly flexible and actually gave us first dibs on a new date since we were only nine days away from the big day when we decided to postpone. Second postponement wasn’t as easy but everyone still stayed flexible. Upon our third postponement, we were worried we would get backlash at saving a date then cancelling which is why we decided to postpone indefinitely until we feel its safe so we aren’t taking a date away from another couple and not stopping our vendors from making money on that day, since we are fully paid. We aren’t sure what will happen when we do choose a new date as that will require signing new contracts but because everyone has been so flexible and generous to us, we have no problem paying extra money for every vendor we chose. We chose each vendor because we really liked their work but we will stay with all of them for how they have treated us. We will pick a date that works for them all because they have done so much to keep us comfortable and we couldn’t imagine our day without them being by our side. We have not asked for any refunds nor will we.
Wolf: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic?
Hamilton: I could come up with a lot of adjectives to describe how it has felt as we are closing in on almost a year since our “mini mony” as they now call it. It is overwhelming, devastating, beautiful, and happy. (Here I am crying again) On March 13th, as I stood in my wedding dress for my final dress fitting, I cried with my mother-in-law as we were receiving calls, emails, and texts left and right about people not being able to make it due to the arising concern. It was there that we both knew what was needed. We drove home and broke the news to my husband and asked him how he felt. He agreed but didn’t say much. His mother left and we cried. We cried hard; we were SO mad. How could this happen SO close to our dream wedding? It took a few days, but we accepted it and decided to do the small ceremony anyways and wear what we had planned to wear. It was the happiest day of our lives, regardless of what had happened prior to 5:00 pm on March 22nd, 2020. So, while its been one of the hardest and disappointing things we have had to go through, it has made our marriage strong, honest, loyal, and committed. If we can get through our first year of marriage during a global pandemic postponing our wedding three times, I think we can do most things. I got to marry my best friend and the love of my life and I would be so disappointed in myself now if we had let postponing the wedding stop us from getting married. The big party will happen one day and this has taught us one very important life lesson: patience. So while I don’t wish this circumstance on anyone and so many have gone through it, I don’t regret that I got married during a pandemic. What a story for the kids one day, eh?
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2021-06-13
I've never really felt like this before COVID, maybe at times but not as frequent. COVID has been a whole different experiences for me in many ways. I've never really felt so helpless even until now. Having nothing to do or being stuck at home, it took a toll on me. Many of the things I had a passion for or loved doing has made me lose motivation. I have been also slacking on my studies. COVID has also made me realized that I have no friends or personal relations outside of my family. Not going outside as also made me get terrible anxiety and talking to people has been difficult. But I have been working on it as of recently and working on myself little by little every day.
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2020-02-14
For Valentine's Day 2021, I gave my boyfriend COVID! What a great gift, right?
The week before I started to feel down, congested, and I had a sore throat. As it was mid-February, I thought it was just a regular cold, like I get every year. So I really thought it was no big deal, so my boyfriend and I spent the weekend together like normal. But on Feb 14th, I woke up, got in the shower, and realized I couldn't smell any of my soaps! I ran out of the shower in a panic and went to the kitchen to smell all the food we had. I couldn't smell the onion, the salsa, the garlic powder, the coffee...nothing! So we decided to cancel our date plans for the day and went to get tested. My test came back positive so we went in the quarantine together, as we had spent the last four days together. At this point, I was getting exponentially sicker and laid in bed for the next 5 days. About 3 days after I lost my sense of smell, I lost my sense of taste, but only for about 24 hours. What a terrible week! Hopefully, Valentine's Day 2022 is better for us!
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2020
Because of all the restrictions in place last summer, it was hard to watch all the kids in the neighborhood try and find stuff to keep them occupied and happy. I live next door to three little girls. So one day, when they were not home, I built a small fairy house on the tree between our yards. The girls believed that a fairy had moved in and they couldn't be more excited. Every few days or so I would go and sprinkle glitter around the house so it looked like the fairy was walking around the house. It was so much fun to hear the girls yell in excitement when they saw new glitter or a new addition to the fairy house. It made them and happy and it made me happy. Of course, their parents knew it was me, but to their young imaginations, a real live fairy was living in their yard.
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2020
In the wintertime, I work at a restaurant inside a ski resort. This past winter, NYS had just opened up restaurants with very tight restrictions: no more than 4 to a table, close at 10 pm, must order food with alcohol.... and so on.
Anyway, as the restaurant floor manager, it was my responsibility to police all these restrictions. Some people were very kind and understanding about the whole situation. They would split up their party of 5 in two groups; one of three and the other of two, and thank us for our willingness to work during this time. Others, however, were not thrilled about the restrictions and argued with us, as if it was our idea to put in place all the restrictions. We had so many people complain about the rules as if we could actually do something about it. Many left or demanded free drinks because of their inconveniences. It was very stressful to deal with this! Be kind to your servers!!
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2021-06-11
I am thrilled that vaccine testing has started for the 2-11 age group. My daughter is 4 (5 next week), and I will be getting her vaccinated as soon as possible. I know a lot of parents who are on the fence or certain that they will not vaccinate their kids. I understand their fear, but the alternative is a lot scarier. Our kids lives have been entirely abnormal for over a year. This is going to have long lasting side effects on their mental health and education. We need to be able to let kids be kids as soon as possible. My daughter's first school experience is sitting at tables divided from her peers by plexi-glass and wearing a mask all day. I don't think any of us want that for our children.
When we heard on the radio that children could start getting vaccinated (12+) my daughter was very excited and wanted to go right away. I told her it was only for kids 12+ right now, and she would have to wait for the trials to be over for her age group. She literally burst into tears because she was so disappointed. I never in my life heard of child cry because they could NOT get a shot. That is how much it is affecting their lives. Yes many have adapted well, but they shouldn't have to keep adapting.
In sum, I think parents should be far more worried about the side effects of continued covid measures than about the side effects of the vaccine.
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2020-03-30
This is a drawing that I created in Mar 2020 after I had been let go from a 14 year factory job. In 2020 I created a series of drawings to get through the loneliness of the lockdowns. Now in 2021 I am going to school to become a PSW, which is a hospital worker who helps clients with things like bathing ,and dressing etc... hopefully I can make a difference in the future.
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2021-01-14
This is a story I wrote in Washington, D.C. in January 2021, during the pandemic, and in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. I had taken up swimming during the pandemic because the city happened to keep some pools open for lap swimming. This new activity brought me solace and comfort during a very difficult time for our city, our nation, and for me personally. This story captures all of this and distills it into a single poignant and emotional moment of solitude and togetherness at the end of the story.
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2020-03-18
This video is an interview the Democracy Now did with Frank Snowden, Professor Emeritus at Yale University early on in the pandemic (March 18, 2020). Dr. Snowden specializes in the history of epidemic diseases and the history of modern Italy. His father was the first African American ambassador to Italy. At the time of the interview, Dr. Snowden was in lockdown in Rome, Italy. He had gone there to research another project when the pandemic hit, so he changed his focus to studying covid-19. He contracted the disease himself, but was lucky enough to live through it. I was particularly interested in Dr. Snowden's views on the pandemic since I had watched his Yale lecture series on epidemics available on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3AE7B3B6917DE8E6) which was incredible in its thorough exploration of some of the worlds worst outbreaks. In the interview he states that an early modern Florentine would recognize a lot of governments' actions to combat covid-19 as very similar to those used by the Italian city-states and elsewhere in Europe to combat bubonic plague, especially the concept of quarantine. He also addresses the startling commonality between anti-Semitism during the first several plague outbreaks to the Sinophobia and xenophobia seen during our current pandemic.
The interviewer also brings up a great question about the possibility of fascism arising out of strict government measures to combat disease. I was particularly curious to hear Dr. Snowden's response in light of the protests in the United States against quarantine and mask-wearing. He acknowledged that while it could be one outcome, it is not the only nor the most probable possibility. Many governments have voluntarily ended their strict measures during pandemics without devolving into fascist states.
Now that the pandemic is, it seems, waning I believe it is abundantly clear that those Americans who feared that their freedoms were threatened by historically proven practices were both selfish and foolish. They and our ineffective and dangerous leadership cause the United States to become a hotbed for Covid-19, while other countries who swiftly enacted and enforced lockdown measures and mask mandates, such as New Zealand and Italy, recovered much more quickly. I contend that Donald Trump and his sheep are responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths.
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2021-06-05T13:07
Late 2019 and 2020 were years of COVID-19, entirely. The long tunnel, so deep and dark that there seems no exit, is what we walked through. But I can find the light these days, and this article is one of the main causes of such an idea. It seems rapid and effective vaccination is making society stronger by developing herd immunity, and this article shows that the process is smoothly ongoing. I hope this news article is the flare for the victory, and it will free us from this pandemic!
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2021-06-06
Our first pandemic thanksgiving
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2020-04-12
When I first told my six-year-old that we would be Zoom-ing with family for Easter, he frowned at the idea. Once logged on, he was engaged with them much more than either of us had expected. After we discovered the background options, it became a dress-up party. We stayed on the call for over an hour. This photograph really drives home the feeling of isolation and the reliance upon technology invading our lives.
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2020-04-17
While Florida is not predicted to peak until the first week of May, some cities are reopening closed beaches now, in mid-April. This hit the national news with much controversy, spawning the hashtag #floridamorons on social media. The day before I saw this article, I spoke with my parents who are at the New Jersey shore. They told me one man there was ticketed for walking his dog on the beach and a couple was ticketed and threatened with jail time for being on the beach.
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2020-05
Being retired, my husband and I spent a lot of time going out to eat and dance and visit friends and grandchildren. Now we get to wave at our neighbors as they pass by separated from us at a safe distance. Some good friends we do not see at all because they have been scared to death by bad information. We spend a lot of time cleaning and re-cleaning the house and a few make work tasks. I have taken up bike ridging and a group of us do twice daily rides around the neighborhood. Our neighborhood has responded well to the stay-at-home by keeping safe distances. We have small group gathering in driveways instead of homes. Talking about the response to the virus has now become a "do not discuss topic" like religion and politics as households form their own opinions on what is safe. Some friends are laid back and some are panicked. Over all though our social circle is hanging in and anticipating the end of the lock down. Within my circle of friends we were always in touch but are now sharing more joke videos as they show up. My husband and I take short drives, break up the day, and visit with small groups of friends in driveways.
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2020-05
How has Covid-19 changed your daily life?
The virus has made me stay in the house and keep myself occupied. Cooking, eating, cleaning, walking, sewing. I have a running list and tackle a few things each day. Clean out the garage, vacuum the furniture, detail the bathroom, sew some masks. I'm still working, thankfully, but that is slow also. Cleaning out files and other things. The picture I am sending is dessert from Green Papaya. Free mask with meal.
How is your neighborhood and/or social circle responding to the crisis?
Lots of people are out walking. Superhero parade for the kids while staying six feet apart. Watching in horror as some people crowd up in their driveways.
How has Covid-19 impacted your perspective of St. Augustine?
Makes me sad to see such an empty downtown but at least people are walking around making the most of it. I love that the restaurants are stepping up and offering discounts, even on margaritas! Certainly gives you a new perspective. Even though the city was getting crowded with all the new construction, still miss the people.
How has Covid-19 impacted your use of social media?
Lots of time spent on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Must know what's going on in my town, my state, my country, and my world.
What practices have you implemented to mitigate the impact of social distancing on your mental health?
I keep regular appointments with my therapist. March was in person but April was telehealth. Weird at first but then OK. Very thankful I get to "see" her. Also making sure my dad and others around me know they are not alone. We are all in this together. Keep busy, make a to-do list - making sure friends and family know to keep busy and it won't be so bad.
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2020-05
How has Covid-19 changed your daily life?
My husband and I moved here in 2014 so I could volunteer with the city archaeologist, Carl Halbirt, and I have been doing that most every day since then. We have two new archaeologists now, but volunteers aren’t allowed until the virus social distancing is lifted. In November my husband died and after a short hiatus from volunteering I started again. Now, I am in my house with my dog every day. I miss being with people. Even our church is doing online services now. On Easter the priest printed large photos of many of our congregation and taped them to the pews, so it looks like we were in church. I saw myself, and right where I usually sit!
How is your neighborhood and/or social circle responding to the crisis?
My neighbors are all staying home like I am except for a few Flagler students who went to their parents homes. Some are furloughed, others are working from home. Since I’m retired, I’m just missing my volunteer work. Several of my friends and I have a group text several times a week so we can keep up with each other. My Community Hospice social worker is staying in touch with each of our grief support group members by phone, and several of us have exchanged phone numbers so we talk occasionally. The Tolomato Cemetery group is planning a Zoom visit on the third Saturday, which is the day we have the cemetery open for visitors. It will be my first Zoom conversation. I’m looking forward to that. My church, St. Cyprian’s is open each day for individual prayer and the commons and labyrinth are open as well for anyone who wants to pray or just sit in a peaceful place.
How has Covid impacted your perspective of St. Augustine?
I am happy that our city leaders have been proactive in closing so many businesses. I feel so sorry for the small business owners and workers who have lost their jobs, and I hope when the danger has passed we can get to a new normal. I don’t thing everything will be the same. I am hopeful the city will be able to help the businesses and workers with tax relief or some other means. I am proud of the way the police and firefighters are connecting with us by social media.
How has Covid-19 impacted your use of social media?
I’ve used it much more to keep up with friends near and far. I have also been using FaceTime with my daughter and son who live in other cities. I’ve been using Shipt to order my groceries for delivery to my house.
What practices have you implemented to mitigate the impact of social distancing on your mental health?
I’ve tried to make a small list of things I want to accomplish each day, but if I don’t finish it, I don’t beat myself up about it. It helps to keep me from sitting around watching mind numbing Hallmark movies. I’ve tried to walk most evenings around my neighborhood, just to be outside. I am reading books and doing jigsaw puzzles as well. I’ve cleaned/organized several cedar chests and drawers and I am working on bookshelves now. I am also writing a Corona Virus Journal describing my feelings (and there have so many emotional times during this quarantine) and making note of things I’m doing and friends I am talking with. It’s on my computer and I have no idea what I will do with it, but maybe my children will read it someday and maybe I will too.
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2020-04
Maple Street located in historic St. Augustine was deemed an essential business during the statewide quarantine. To help the community they sold extra toilet paper, cases of water and paper towels, which were out of stock at most grocery stores.
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2020-07-27
Located in Saint Augustine, FL. Business closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic 2020
The Social Lounge was forced to close forced to close amid the pandemic. As of June 2020, they were unable to open due to state and city mandates. Owners Scott and Coleen Moulton commented: "We hope to open as soon as possible, and when we do we want to make sure it is a safe environment for our staff and customers."
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2020-06-15
Maple Street Biscuit Co restaurant located in downtown Saint Augustine, FL. Several signs posted on the front doors read: "Dear Guests, Your safety is our top priority. If you have any of the following symptoms, we ask that you do not enter: Fever, Cough." Another sign read: "We ask you please wear a face mask upon entering our community store." A sign that sits on the counter by the register read: "Out of respect for other guests and our team, please do not reach behind our counter."
Brief interview with Community Leader (Store Manager) Emilee O'Kelley:
What Plan did you come up with to ensure the safety of your guests and employees?
It is actually not my plan. The plan was implemented by corporate and distributed to all locations. In the beginning of lockdown, we tried to do as much to ensure that we could keep our stores up and running. First, we shut down our dining rooms. We made everything to go and third-party delivery. We went down to a limited menu. And we opened a community store where people could buy pasta, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap, paper towels and produce to ensure that our community was taken care of as well. Right now our dining room is back open to 50 percent capacity in compliance with Florida guidelines. All of the tables are 6 feet away from each other and were taking extra precautions by making sure all of team members are wearing masks. We offer guests plastic cutlery. We stopped operating self-serve stations and now a team member assists guests.
Do your employees currently receive hazard pay?
No
How has your business operations or income changed since COVID and quarantine?
Income definitely. We were used to doing $2000-dollar weekdays and $6000-dollar weekends and during quarantine we were only making max 600 dollars a day. With the travel ban lifted we have slowly gotten back to normal operations, but it is still not the same.
Did you implement curbside takeout? How did that transition go?
We did not advertise curbside takeout, but if they called and asked us to bring it out to their car, we would. We mostly shifted in a way to make our guests as comfortable as possible while following our corporate guidelines.
Have you had any issues with customers since the implementation of new guidelines, specifically the mask mandate?
No, because our store does not strictly require a mask mandate. We politely ask that our customers wear a mask, but they will not refuse service.
Are your employees allowed to ask customers to wear a mask?
No
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2020-07-27
Located in downtown Saint Augustine, FL. Closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic. Remained closed as of July. Owners were unavailable for comment.
The Prince of Wales Restaurant and Pub was forced to close in April due to state order close of all nonessential businesses. They have yet to reopen as of late July 2020.
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2020-07-14
Earthbound, located on Saint George Street in Saint Augustine, FL displayed several signs throughout their store. Outside they had signs that read: “Wearing a face mask is required for both your protection and ours.” And “To help us follow CDC guidelines, we're limiting the multiple entry points to this location. We are requesting only 15 people to occupy this store at a time.” Signs were also displayed in the store encouraging visitors to maintain a 6-foot distance from all other customers.
Interview with crew member Bryce:
What plan was created to ensure the safety of your guests?
Our store was briefly closed during quarantine, since we were not considered an essential business. During reopening we all went through training to start sanitizing all of our areas that people would touch in the store.
Do your employees currently receive hazard pay?
No
How has your business changed since COVID?
We are limiting how many people can enter the store at a time, other than that nothing has changed that much.
If you are a restaurant did you implement take out or curbside, and how did that go?
We are not a restaurant.
What steps did you have to take in order to comply with local and federal government orders?
All of out crew members and customers have to wear masks. We are required to limit how many people enter our store, since it is small. We are not allowed to have any testers out for things such as makeup.
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2020-07-29
Prohibition Kitchen and Roosevelt room located on Saint George Street in Saint Augustine, FL had several signs in bright orange to grab ' attention. The most extensive was a sign (pictured) detailing how to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and the symptoms. Other signs stated that guests were required to wear a face mask upon entering, and stated that seating would be limited due to the new social distancing guidelines provided by the state. They also provided a barcode to scan and read a digital menu on your phone.
Interview transcription with manager Charles:
What plan was created to ensure the safety of your guests?
Our restaurant currently is operating at 50 percent capacity. During quarantine we closed the restaurant and stayed closed until Florida had moved into phase two of reopening. All of our tables are frequently sanitized, and our servers are required to wear masks. When they start their shift, they are required to answer questions about their health or any symptoms they may be experiencing.
Do your employees currently receive hazard pay?
No
How has your business changed since COVID?
We operate slightly differently now. We have to be more careful and we are not able to accommodate as many guests.
If you are a restaurant did you implement take out or curbside, and how did that go?
No, the restaurant was closed and there was no way to do any kind of curbside takeout.
What steps did you have to take in order to comply with local and federal government orders?
We have all of our guests and servers wear masks. If a guest enters without a mask they are asked to leave. We have several signs on our door that state that. All of our table are either six feet apart or we only seat guests at every other table. Our bar is currently closed, but we still have live music for the dinner guests.
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2020-07-19
Sign outside encouraged customers to use the outside seating and follow CDC social-distancing guidelines. Sign read: “Our Schmagels family wants you and your family to be happy and healthy.”
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2020-07-27
Ben and Jerry's outside doors displayed lighthearted and creative signs encouraging guests to comply with local and federal social-distancing orders. The first stated: "We're sure your smile is lovely, but... masks must be worn in the shop."
The second sign read: "Please follow the cow markers on the floor" and showed a picture of cows standing six feet apart.
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2021-06-04
Through this Pandemic, I personally had to mature past the age I currently am. Now having to take on such a huge responsibility to be safe and avoid as many people as possible, it really took a toll on my social skills. Especially for someone who had problems with anxiety, I found some peace and salvation being around and talking with the people I liked. now having to avoid them? Well, that was one big change. Although it was hard at first, I encourage whoever sees and reads this to embrace change and curve it to your steering. After all, I overcame my anxiety through this quarantine. Some people may say COVID has affected them in ways they may not recover from but I just assume that it is all adults speaking. I have grown as a person and have actually realized the small little injustices that happened to students and the misleading nature of the "system'. At this time, this era, highlights of racial acts have now shown itself as if you sprayed insects with raid pesticide. Surprisingly, it was more common in Police Departments believe it or not. The people who swore to protect and serve justice were the ones who were at the epicenter of injustice. Schools no longer served students but rather misled them into thinking they were being helped. The first I would love to emphasize on is the fact that nothing they simply teach us in school relates to anyone's lifestyle. Sure if you went the technical route to want a specific occupation it was helpful, but other than that, it was absolutely useless. As a straight A student, I found myself in "unknown" territory when I was outside of school. Nothing of what we were taught is to be put in use. We don't solve x to make a U turn, we don't need to do an entire analysis on a red stop light to know that it says stop and we certainly didn't need to know that the rocks that we kick on our walks to home are sedimentary rock or igneous rocks. The education system is flawed in helping individuals learn what they need to know. Handing out 7 different subjects when your goal is to be a computer engineer? that doesn't seem right does it? I'm sure you said yes and you are now beginning to see my point. A few months back, February 14, 2021, information was leaked on the edu system. These tests that they give us, these regents and state exams.. it's all a cover up to their hunger for money. They lie to us that our performance on the tests dictates whether or not we pass but that's not the case. It actually dictates how well the school is funded and how much the teachers are paid. YOUR TESTS.. they aren't doing anything for you. The better you perform, the central host that funds schools, uses that information and says "oh wait.. this school performed well. Lets fund them more and pay the teachers better for their *HARD WORK*" These things don't help us. That is why America Continues to see their homeless individual growth rate increase every year. The people are conditioned to do good on selecting a, b , c or d but have no idea how to get a job, do their taxes, get a business loan in real life!!.This problematic system needed to be changed and for my time, it won't. I hope that someone in the future sees this and does a comparison and contrasts on how things have changed or if it has even changed at all.
I apologize for the long rant on school at this time, it's just at the center of all the youths' problems currently.
Back on track to injustices here present. If we were to take a step back and really look at the racial events partaking currently, we begin to see how one of the most notorious orgs that stands against racism is to be considered a terrorist org. That is the BLM foundation.
Now you may have thought that they do good, but I assure you it isn't what it seems. Let's first analyze what makes an organization a terrorist foundation.
1) The people sway from the cause and place the blame on someone else
2) propaganda is at the forefront of the organization
3) they destroy and hurt lives more than they help.
Let's compare al Queda to BLM. al queda, the organization that was behind the 9/11 incident is no less different from BLM.
1) Al Queda sole purpose was to send a message to the US saying that they will fight back at any US involvement in the Middle east. They swayed from that and blamed all their actions on the US including the beheading of innocents and the raping of innocent women. They blamed the US even though the US was not present in the Middle east.
BLM was to stand and say that there is injustice to black lives but they swayed and pinned all their problems on the White people.
2) Al queda said they were to bring peace for the people they represented but they instead lied and used those peoples as their weapons. The BLM founder used all the funds to make a large property investment.
3) al Queda, destroyed buildings and hurt the innocent. BLM riot's and protests, destroyed small business, beat and killed innocent bystanders, robbed stores, robbed innocents of all their belongings, destroyed any from of mobile property and most importantly, went against peaceful protests and went against the law. BLM representatives also took part in Black on Asian crime.
This is to evaluate the fact that COVID was not only a small problem but helped highlight the true concept of humanity and it's injustice that went on in the darkness.
In many ways COVID 19 was bad indeed but in high alert, it showed us what people really are when the light is shined on them.
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2020-06-04
The operation will take only a few minutes. I don my mask and slip the gloves and pruning shears into my back pocket and take to the streets.
Walking briskly, I pass a row of 1900s brownstones, each with a small garden plot in front. On this block the specialty is roses, and every home seems to have a different variety growing. Towards the corner, there is a house with its iron gate ajar, and an overstuffed mailbox by the front door. I had already removed two small bags of garbage and moldering cardboard and a crushed toy fire helmet from the front yard, and also ripped out a row of mugwort that was blocking the big rosebush.
I don’t know what variety they are – a peach-colored hybrid, with massive blooms that bent the rose stalks down. I deadhead the big old roses and the stalks spring up, attempting to gash my face. One does nick my arm, and I wipe the blood off on my mask, not thinking that I have left a red splotch of blood in its center, like a tiny pair of lips.
Pretty soon I have collected about thirty roses – all massive and past their prime and bring them home in a plastic bag I brought with me. I don’t think anyone would mind, and I am sure the person who planted these roses doesn’t mind. A hybrid rose plant like this needs a lot of tending, but the blooms are enormous.
As part of my quarantine routine, I take walks in the early morning. After a while, I got tired of seeing weeds hiding the “nice” plants and began reflexively pulling them. It was fun! Especially after a rainfall, when the weeds pulled out so effortlessly. After a few minutes work I would have a sheaf of shepherd’s purse, lambsquarter and mugwort under my arm. Fortunately, there is always an empty construction yard in our rapidly developing neighborhood, and that’s where most of my weeding crop ends up, lobbed over the green construction fence.
Nobody has ever bothered me, except for the times older women will ask if I eat the weeds. Since the trees planted by the city have little tags on them that give tips on how to take care of them, including one that instructs citizens to keep the tree pits free of weeds, I consider that my carte blanche. “I work for Bette Midler!” I want to tell somebody, but nobody asks.
Some houses show evidence that they were owned by gardeners that took a lot of pride in their plants but abandoned them this year. I see mugwort and lambsquarter cropping up in beds of well-tended plants –gardens that might have received some care earlier in the season but, for some reason, have been untouched these past few months. I reach over and – yank –problem solved. I know they would do it, if they were able.
One home I pass by regularly had an infestation of mugwort that covered some nice lilies and other shrubs. After a few days I had cleared all the mugwort out, and stopped by every so often to rip the tiny mugwort sprouts that persisted – some of the roots are tough, baseball-sized clumps that live for years, and you often find odd things wound up in them like bottle caps and corks.
This past week, our local news had the notice of the death a Haitian doctor in our neighborhood of longstanding repute, who had died of COVID-19. For the obituary, they showed not a photo of the man, but of his doctor’s office, which was the old house where I had been waging my war against mugwort.
So many have died in our neighborhood – so many gentle people who once sunned themselves in front of their houses and apartment buildings and maintained the cheery tradition of saying hello to all neighbors. When they moved here, Flatbush was cheap, and a family from Trinidad or Guyana could buy decent homes for an affordable price, in what was then a highly unfashionable neighborhood. The untended gardens of my older neighbors are hard to miss, when you know what to look for.
“Maybe they just went out of state, you don’t know,” say my kids, when I showed them the peach-colored rose bush I had been surreptitiously tending. They were horrified, and nervous that I was breaking a law. My daughter even closed and latched the small iron gate, while sternly looking at me, warning that I could get arrested, or worse.
But I’ll be back. Those roses need me.
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2021-06-03
These are the two Facebook posts I made the day I got my first shot and my second. I received the Moderna vaccine. As a teacher, I was able to get mine sooner than many others. Many people I know had (and still have) reservations about getting the vaccine. I believe in science. I believe in vaccines. It is disheartening and dangerous to see so many Americans throwing away an opportunity to protect themselves, their families, and their community because of politics. Science should not be political. The vaccine did make me feel ill, especially the second one, but it was temporary. I would do it a hundred more times if I had to. A friend of the family said they would not get the vaccine because, "What's in it for me? Even if I get Covid, I am young and healthy, unlikely to die." I found that statement alarmingly self-centered. Getting the vaccine isn't about you as individual as much as it is about you protecting your community and the world. As the saying goes nowadays, "Until all of us are safe, none of us is safe."
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2020-06-23
These are unpublished photographs I took while reporting for my school's newspaper, The Californian. These photographs show the people who attended the protest, including a mixture of students and parents. There are also a variety of signs showing various motivations for protesting. This entry is connected to the "San Ramon community protests SRVUSD spending and issues with remote learning" submission.
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2021-06-03
In the early days of the pandemic, like many others, I needed a haircut so badly. Again, like many others, I took to cutting my own hair. Instead of just chopping at my hair, I closely followed a youtube video posted by celebrity hairdresser Brad Mondo.
Since I have given myself three or four haircuts in this same style. It works! I always get compliments and no one ever suspects that I did it myself. I have long and thick hair so this method is saving me a lot money each time I need a haircut!!
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2020-09-17
The article discusses the positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment and climate and proposes possible strategies for global environmental sustainability going forward. The open-access article is posted on the U.S. National Institutes of Health website.
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2021-06-03
The story describes the difficulties of dealing with emergencies during the pandemic time and how social isolation negatively affects one's ability to weather these emergencies.
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2021-06-03
My daughter is attending 3 weeks of summer school for PACE training. It's basically a test to determine if your child deserves extra resources for gifted students. When she goes to campus on Monday, she won't need a mask unless she's within 3 feet of other students. It's incredible to see how dramatically policies and infection rates have shifted behaviors. The vaccine seems to be keeping infection rates low. She has the chance to regain a little bit of normalcy.
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2020-06-29
This is a set of three articles from The Californian, the student newspaper of California High School, each one arguing in favor of a different stance regarding the reopening of San Ramon Valley Unified School District schools. In the articles one can see the concerns that motivated high school students (well, three students in one high school) to form opinions about various forms of learning during the pandemic. One article argues for fulltime in-person learning, one article argues for completely remote learning, and the third argues for hybrid learning, a mix of the two. An illustration also accompanies the set of articles.
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2020-06-27
This is a news article I wrote about a protest for my school newspaper. The protest was convened to support the ability for students in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District to be able to return to school for the 2020-21 school year, and to oppose raises for district management and certain purchases made by the district. The protest occurred on June 23, 2020, at the SRVUSD offices in Danville, California.
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2021-06-02
The experience of how life changed during COVID-19 was a rather pleasant change of pace from how life had traditionally functioned. As soon as the pandemic happened and the transition to remote work and school took place I realized how little the amount of time was that we spent with the people we live with. Instead of heading out the door to an office before everyone was even awake everyday I was able to see me family every morning before we went off to our respective work spaces for school or work. Having three teenagers usually means kids disappear from the house but for the last year I have been home with them every day and it has made for relationships as close as when they were small children. My partner and I are able to see each other much more often and spend time together we never would have had outside of quarantine. While it appears the change to remote school will be going away my transition to working from home will be permanent for the foreseeable future. While I do find there are way more advantages than disadvantages for me in working from home it would definitely be better for the kids to be in physical school rather than distance learning. They will all be vaccinated by the fall and return to in person school leaving me home by myself during the day. While I am excited for many of the aspects of the eventual return to normalcy I will miss the time I had spending the days with my family. While I will miss the kids I sincerely doubt there will ever come a time where I look forward to going back to an office.
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2021-06-02
During the pandemic, I took a graduate history course in which we read Daniel Defoe's 'A Journal of a Plague Year.' I had read the piece about 5 years before, but I missed so many of its nuances because it all seemed so foreign. It was striking to me both how much and how little has changed from 1665 to 2020/21. Quarantine, death tolls, travel bans, hoarding had all suddenly become commonplace occurrences that I could relate to. The centuries may have changed our technology drastically, but nothing seems to have changed about the human condition nor the human spirit.
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2020-06-01
This was during the middle of the pandemic and I took a picture showing how not even a pandemic could stop people from uniting to protest against injustices. People can be seen wearing masks and keeping a bit of distance from one another considering.
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2021-05-07
Daily diary of a covid doctor for last 2 months…. The message towards the end of 2nd wave of pandemic
The last 2 months of 2nd wave of the pandemic have been the most hectic in all aspects emotionally, physically, personally.
Finally got some time to pen down my experience towards the end of this 2 wave.
Working in territory care hospital as an intensivist, managing own start-up Providing doctors on call for a home visit, tele and video consultation, free consultation for underprivileged people.
Every day waking up after hardly 2 to 3 hours of sleep. I will would see 10 to 15 miss calls,
Finish teleconsultation as much as possible and then do a home visit for few patients on the way to hospital,
Home visit for covid patients has been a totally different experience, these were the patients under the most stressed condition not getting hospital beds, their family physician had stopped seeing them due to fear of self infection. with proper PPE protection treating patients at home successfully is so self satisfactory as a doctor which only COVID warriors like us can understand.
Then reaching my COVID ICU where the sickest patients in the city are there, managing such a sharp surge in critical cases has been a Herculean task, time is key in critical care setup, the timely decision to give ventilator support or ECMO support saved few lives. thankfully I have the best doctors, nurses, paramedics, housekeeping, and management guys who make our work easy.
Those grueling 8 hours In PPE without food water or toilet.
And the most important was talking with the family of those sick patients, ask any 1 of our covid warriors every1 has hundreds of sad story of each family. This used to break us emotionally.
Coming out of covid ICU, the number of missed calls for teleconsultation was pending. I would finish them while having lunch In the evening.
During the peak of this my wife working as anesthesia Doctor at BHU got infected for 2 nd time,
And lost 2 elder family member due to COVID,
But the patient's family expectations from me kept me doing my work, and didn't visit my sick wife or attended the funeral of any of my relatives.
Then in late-night had kept free teleconsultation slot for my native hometown Sindri, Dhanbad patients.
And also underprivileged patients from pan India.
After finishing calls, night again would start home visit for covid patients which would go till 2 to 3 am in the morning.
Then finally to find a nap of few hours till the next day of battle.
This is the story of lakhs of lakhs of covid warriors like me.
But think about us now we are also getting burnt out,
So request all people not to relax after 2 nd wave, get vaccinated use mask maintain social distancing even after govt unlocks, it's not over yet………...
Dr Animesh Kumar Mishra
Critical care medicine specialist
Apollo Gleneagles Hospital.
Founder of DCHS healthcare solutions.
9176138128
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2021-05-23
A few weeks ago masks were everywhere. They were required for everything. At first it was frustrating, not because I was opposed to wearing a mask but simply because I would always forget to bring one. Slowly my car collection grew. I now carry one for everyone in my family and a few just in case. Looking down as I drive now, fully vaccinated and no longer needed them for entry in most places, I wonder what will happen to all these masks.
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2021-05-10
I wasnt expecting a take-home craft this year from my Kindergartener especially with covid restrictions mostly still in place. Instead, her teacher and school went above and beyond. We all wore masks and each class took turns in the cafeteria in order to limit the number of people. We were surprised by placemats (spaced six feet apart) with snacks and a water bottle. My daughter was able to show me work and pictures from her Kindergarten year, while I ate my snacks she gave me the sweetest "massage" then read me a book. The kids then got up on stage and sang us a song as best they could. I'm not the sort to cry but I did. I'm not sure if it was because my daughter is just so cute or if it was the realization of how strong she's been this year. Virtual learning was tough, wearing a mask to school was tough, being six during a global pandemic was tough but my daughter showed me that she's tougher. I hope one day she will realize just how much I admire her.
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2021-06-01
As the US relaxes its COVID restrictions and business goes back to "normal" we quickly forgot that we were dealing with a global pandemic. Around the world countries are still suffering, people are still dying, COVID is not gone.
CNN- "Peru has more than doubled its official death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic following a government review of the figures, leaving the country with the highest coronavirus-related death rate per capita in the world."
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2021-05-27
It’s probably a bit tiresome for my best friend when I say “oh man, we haven’t been there in over a year” because for our family, that is everything. Every week, we open up a little more, cautiously, as our case rates continue to decline (under 50 new cases in our county today!) Disneyland, our go to hangout is still out of the question, so we returned to the beach. It’s crazy to think for over a year, it sat 20 minutes away, so close but so far. I feel like COVID not only has made us more appreciative but has also helped us embrace a slower pace of life. Two years ago, a weekday would have seen me at school AP reviews or department meetings, my mom and I coordinating pick up and drop offs for Kumon, gymnastics, piano lessons. I would have squeezed in a Pilates class before picking up my daughter from the gym. My husband wouldn’t be in the equation at all, April and May are full travel months - we barely see him. But here we are. Our pace of life is much slower. My husband is still working remotely, and will probably continue to for at least half the week for the rest of the foreseeable future. Kumon and piano seem simpler to do now that we’re all home. Even gymnastics seems less stressful. If everyone is home on a weekday at 3, why not hit the beach? I know our lives will inevitably speed up. That’s the rat race that is Orange County and I do love our lives. We like being busy, why else would someone live here? Yet, I hope the togetherness we’ve had in the past year and the realization that maybe we should just take more time to run around the beach, get excited at finding a Sea Hare, and just watch the waves without an agenda or a clock will last beyond this pandemic.
