Lisa

53

8/21/2020

Pico Rivera, California

Although my first date of COVID-19 awareness was in early February, my first impact occurred on March 12, 2020. That was the day I received hordes of emails from my workplace, bank, church, library, my insurance, AAA, and even from Office Depot and Barnes & Noble, all about the Coronavirus.  My boyfriend Mike had gone to Walmart earlier today, and he saw hordes of people grabbing cans of food, toilet paper, and bottles of water. He said many were just sweeping whatever was on the shelf onto their carts without even bothering to see what they were loading. Within a week, all the entrances to my workplace were bolted shut, except for one. I also had to contact the authorized temperature check of the day and be cleared before I could report for duty. Life seemed to drastically change so rapidly that it felt scary. Worry intensified on March 24 when the first case was reported in my city. Its location was determined to be 2 miles from my home. I also got to especially worry about a treasured high school friend who was living with HIV and other workplace friends with asthma.

I had to stop with my weekly visits with my mother and brother, a decision my mom had a hard time with as she seems to believe and act as if I have nothing and would starve to death. So, admittedly it was a nice break for me to be away from her highly anxiety-ridden, weekly helicoptering. However, things have gotten worse between me and my boyfriend as our views of the Coronavirus were total opposite. I firmly believe in taking precautions, and he thinks we have all been duped and overreacting. He’s vehemently vocal about all the decreased or lost jobs around him, and seems to blame me for the consequences of the economic lockdown. It got to the point where I even considered breaking up with him and living in the streets, as the talks got to the point of me shutting down. I was eventually counseled to request that he stop talking to me about the Coronavirus issue. I did and that has helped. As for work, my main stress has been about the frustration with getting supplies. First, I struggled for almost a month to receive masks, and now I’m on my fourth month without a phone.

As of August 20, I am feeling better. I relieved stress by emailing friends and did some counseling.

At first, there were reports of people helping each other out. We shared food, celebrated in other’s birthday or graduation,...Then in July, I felt unsafe after members of an online neighborhood watch forum got hateful with me for a view I had shared based on my experience. I felt the outrage so strongly that I wondered whether I would be accosted or physically attacked if any of them were to recognize me at the gas station or the supermarket. I called on some friends for prayer support for the hate I was feeling. After a week or so, the situation blew over and I returned to normal about errands around my city.

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I am considered an essential employee. I do security at a dental manufacturing plant & administration. Precautions taken include a daily temperature check and screener questions, mandatory 6-foot distancing, and required facial covering. After one employee was sent home for emerging symptoms, the plant and administrative offices closed on a Friday, and cleaning crew was brought in to clean and disinfect. However, I was assigned to report to work, so the custodial manager insisted I be masked and gloved whenever I was inside. Fortunately, I had just received the mask and gloves the day prior. The precautions I tried to take at home was met with resistance from my boyfriend. For two weeks after my workplace got disinfected, I tried maintaining a 6-foot physical distance. He honored that on the first days. After that, he would dismiss it with “Flu season is over” or “Don’t be silly”. Fortunately, I didn’t succumb to the Coronavirus—that I know of.

Not laid off or furloughed but feel bad at those at the administrative office who have. As a former adjunct faculty, I know what it’s like to be laid off.

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No. Mike has two grown children and one 8-year-old granddaughter, all of whom are living with Mike’s ex-wife. I think of them from time to time, whether his free willing youngest disregard social distancing and bringing the virus home to his grandmother or how the 8-year-old granddaughter is doing with her education and the pressure of schools to reopen.

Inspired by a Facebook friend, I’ve taken to doing mental health checks with friends. Copied from that same friend’s post, I would send this to other friends via email. MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-IN [1] I’m doing great [2] I’m okay [3] I’m meh [4] I’m very worried/anxious [5] I’m exhausted [6] Things are tough, I’m struggling [7] I’m having a hard time and wouldn’t mind if someone reached out to me [8] I’m in a really dark place

I had to turn down a baby shower appointment with my cousin because as an essential worker out in public, I don’t know if I could be an asymptomatic carrier.

Donated money to a few food pantries Offered to help a friend who had mentioned in her email that she was “not being confident of rent or meals”.

I’ve learned of my friends’ bouts with COVID-19 through Facebook. At first, it was like “Oh my God!” But then I learned they disclosed of the illness after they’ve beaten it. Fortunately, for them, it wasn’t that bad. However, I know about many others who weren’t as lucky.

Lisa

COVID-19 (Disease)

Southern Adirondack Library System

Southern Adirondack Library System

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

English

Covid History

11921893082

Coronavirus Pandemic