JPM

36

01/24/2021

Gainesville, GA

In March my workplace cancelled all events and then, within a couple of days, sent all staff home. We were home for two months. Fortunately, though my job is primarily customer service, we were given work to do at home and continued to be paid. Since May, we have been open for curbside only service on three different occasions and open normally but with distancing and mask requirements in between those times. I was very concerned when it showed up in our area, there was still so much unknown. And if anything has changed, I’m probably more concerned now. I know so many people who have had it or their family members have. Our hospital is a regional hub and has been overcrowded and brought in morgue trucks. My family and I have been as careful as possible, making some concessions to maintain our mental health.

The only places I go regularly are work and home. I had been ordering groceries for pick up, but after too much frustration with not getting what I needed, I have returned to shopping in the store. Occasionally, I will go inside other businesses, but only quickly and very early in the morning. I rarely see family unless we can be outside. I almost never see friends. I am intentionally reaching out to people more by phone or messaging and have started sending and receiving a lot more personal mail - cards and gifts for holidays or no reason. I had never been one to watch TV, but I’ve found myself unable to focus to do much of anything else, like reading or more involved hobbies. I’ve always enjoyed nature, but haven’t been able to spend a lot of time outdoors. When the weather is good now, I’m likely outside and I’ve taken pictures of everything - when different flowers bloom, the leaves on the trees changing - and have noticed a lot of things I’d never seen before. And I have a lot more freckles.

Emotionally, this has been a real roller coaster. Initially, being sent home, I was too anxious to do anything much. After we returned to work, being around those coworkers and customers felt like my saving grace. Now, in winter, and after months of this, I’d rather be home. I think I’ve acclimated to the boredom. I have taken an antidepressant for years and going into the pandemic I’d managed well on the lowest dose for probably a year and a half. I’m now taking triple that amount and am not sure it’s settled yet. I began feeling so much overwhelming loneliness and crying multiple times a day, sometimes on the way to work or on the way home. I am having telemedicine appointments with a therapist. I’m keeping in contact with people any way I can, but have noticed that they don’t seem to be able to engage as much, probably because of their own stress.

I’ve been surprised to hear from people I haven’t talked to in years, almost like making amends. Reconnecting is not a bad thing, but there’s a feeling of urgency about it that is unsettling and seems fear motivated.

I think you could say I’m a second tier essential worker. We open in some capacity of it is at all possible. My workplace has very strict guidelines in place for customers and staff. Masks are required and that is enforced. If a coworker tests positive, the location closes and everyone quarantines. A negative test is required to return to work. We wear gloves when handling materials and clean all work surfaces in between staff members switching spaces. We have an air filter and plexiglass for one particularly enclosed space and are leaving the doors to the building wide open to increase fresh air.

I’m working from home as needed. I don’t enjoy it abs find it very difficult to focus and be productive.

I’m using the internet A LOT for social connection and entertainment. Have subscribed to one streaming platform and been gifted two others - books and movies/ shows. I’ve always listened to podcasts, too. I spend what would usually be considered way too much time on social media, but I live alone and that’s one of my main sources of connection.

Yes, I have a pet rabbit and not being totally alone at home has been very valuable to me.

Spending so much more time in nature, observing and appreciating my surroundings. I live in a rural area.

I don think there’s anything you could have told me about this that would have adequately prepared me. I’m still adjusting after 10 months. And I say this as a person who was aware that it was likely another pandemic would happen sometime.

I hope they don’t forget the lessons we’ve hopefully learned: quick and thorough action in the beginning could have saved so many lives, not to mention the economic and mental health tolls.

I think that crowds won’t be popular places to be for a long time. Our personal space may differ from before. And I’m not sure that we will smile as much or make facial expressions because we’ve gotten used to wearing masks.

Everyone who has adhered to the health guidelines regarding masks and tried to protect their own health and be courteous to others has been aghast at the people who have refused to believe it was necessary to participate. 10 months in a I still see multiple people at the grocery store, which says on the door it requires masks, not wearing them at all. To me, there are times when government has to step in and enforce regulations that are in everyone’s best interest and I think we could have taken mask mandates a lot farther, a lot sooner and saved a lot of lives. Of course, that probably would’ve been proof to the people who didn’t believe it was necessary that the whole thing wasn’t a big deal in the first place.

JPM

COVID-19 (Disease)

Southern Adirondack Library System

01/24/2021

Southern Adirondack Library System

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

English

Covid History

12350443068

Coronavirus Pandemic