Corona Letters #9 - Tales of Two Cities
Dear Fellow Quarantiners,
Today I have two guest bloggers, a young woman from New York City and a (not so young) woman in Estero, Florida. I think you will find that in many ways their experiences are very different but there are some common threads as well. One is healthy, living in a vulnerable, heavily-impacted city. The other one is not so healthy, living in an area that has yet to be impacted.
The first letter is from guest blogger Caroline. She is a 22 year old, recent NYU graduate living in New York City. At the end of her letter, Caroline has included links to sites that are taking donations for different populations in NYC that are effected by this pandemic. Thanks for the insight into NYC life Caroline!
Thank you both for your input! I wish you both good health!
Today I have two guest bloggers, a young woman from New York City and a (not so young) woman in Estero, Florida. I think you will find that in many ways their experiences are very different but there are some common threads as well. One is healthy, living in a vulnerable, heavily-impacted city. The other one is not so healthy, living in an area that has yet to be impacted.
The first letter is from guest blogger Caroline. She is a 22 year old, recent NYU graduate living in New York City. At the end of her letter, Caroline has included links to sites that are taking donations for different populations in NYC that are effected by this pandemic. Thanks for the insight into NYC life Caroline!
March 25th, 2020
Dear Deb,
I am on day 14 of a self-imposed quarantine. I have not left the house to do anything but go for a walk. I have seen no one but my remaining roommate at a 6-foot distance. Two weeks ago there were five of us. Now only two. I sit in my bed. I sit on my little couch. I sit on the floor. I brought a chair in from the kitchen so I would have another place to sit. Sometimes I stand. I look at my computer screen. I FaceTime my friends, who are in similar situations but perhaps a little less isolated (they live with a friend, they’re still going to work, they just arrived at their childhood home). I can barely bring myself to watch Netflix. I am not sure what to do right now.
Let’s go back. First off, I live in New York City. Or more specifically Brooklyn. Either way the “center of the epidemic.” For those who picture NYC as Times Square, here is a little map of where I live. Right at the base of Prospect Park.
It’s a very residential neighborhood. A mix of of two or three family houses and brownstones, some larger six story apartment buildings. Lots of kids. So many kids. I didn’t even realize how many kids until they were all released from school. The economic lines down here are blurred. There is no brand new high-rise with a Starbucks in it, usually a tell-tale sign of gentrification. But I know there is socioeconomic disparity in this neighborhood. Mostly along racial lines. I know so many people on my street and all across the city will be hit really hard by the economy breaking down, by their kids staying home, by falling ill from coronavirus. For now, I order takeout from my favorite local diner and tip the delivery guy as much as I can.
As I write this 17,856 cases have been announced in New York City. Around 30,000 in the state.
We’ve come a long way since March 1st, when the city announced it’s first case. I was at work. An empty night at a restaurant in the East Village. When it’s slow, we sit in the back corner and chat about our lives, our careers, our relationships, politics, the news, when everyone is next working, etc…. We had been talking all week about Coronavirus, in between predictions of Super Tuesday results (RIP Warren 2020), and now the first case had arrived. It felt scary but also very far away.
I was a little more inclined for concern because the next day I was headed towards the latest COVID outbreak – Europe. A few months earlier my friend and I had planned a trip to go visit her sister in Scotland and then rendezvous with another girl in Paris for a few days. Flights were cheap. We had a free place to stay half the time. It seemed like the perfect escape from city life.
Leading up to the trip, I had set a few career goals for myself to make the 9 days away feel like a deserved break. I wrote 4 or 5 applications to Theatre Directing Programs and had two informational interviews with people in “The Industry.” I was starting my first Assistant Directing gig and was excited to continue upon my return. Where 2019 had been a stressful year of trying to figure out how to get my foot in the door, 2020 was going to be a year of confidence and baby steps towards my future.
On March 2nd I arrived at the airport, armed and ready for our travel adventures against coronavirus. A pack of Lysol wipes, hand sanitizer, and an assortment of cold and flu medicine to alleviate symptoms if we got stuck abroad. My biggest fear was being quarantined on a plane or in an airport because a passenger had coronavirus. The thought of city wide shut downs and travel bans didn’t even cross my mind.
Overall the trip was great. I Lysoled all transportation we boarded, we washed our hands frequently, and avoided people that seemed ill. We arrived in Paris on March 8th as the city approached 500 cases. Things seemed quiet, but definitely not empty. Was the lack of people because of the off-season or fear of pandemic? As more cases were reported daily, restaurants still filled up at mealtimes and Europeans greeted each other with customary cheek kisses, but museums limited their capacity, on public transport people were wary. Our Airbnb host told us he had many cancellations in the coming weeks and was very thankful we decided to show. And then it was over. We headed back to the US.
At some point during our half-empty plane ride back on Wednesday March 11th, Trump announced that he was imposing a travel ban on Europe. We landed to texts from family and friends worried about our ability to get home. Still for me the panic had not yet set in. We breezed through customs, called an Uber, and went home.
On Thursday, I called out of work for the weekend, just to be safe. No one had told me to stay home, at this point even the CDC hadn’t registered France as a high risk country. I decided to stock up on some groceries and commit to isolating for at least 5 days. The grocery store was impressively stocked. By the end of the weekend, my restaurant had shut down, most of my friends were working from home, toilet paper was a commodity, and New York State’s cases were doubling rapidly. The CDC updated their guidelines – “Stay home, monitor your health, and practice social distancing for 14 days after you return from travel.”
For a while I decided I was going to tough it out. Maybe when my 14 days were over I would walk the 5 miles to my boyfriend’s apartment and try to isolate there. This was 2020! The year I get my shit together. I couldn’t just leave. Then my best friend’s entire company was laid off. She works for a Broadway marketing group. Their best estimates were a reopening of the theatres in early fall, if not later. She headed back to Canada. Another friend went up to Vermont with the family she works for. Another is going back to New Jersey on Wednesday. My coworkers escaped to their hometowns near and far.
So what am I still doing here? In theory I want to stay. Volunteer to help make lunches or buy groceries. Be a resilient New Yorker in the true sense of the word. Plus, there have been some nice things about self-isolation. I watercolor. I clean. I cook. I take walks around the park and judge the people in groups greater than 3. I scroll endlessly for hours.
In reality, I have no job and won’t for a while. Those programs I applied to? That show I was working on? Most have been suspended indefinitely. I have no health insurance in New York. I could likely be asymptomatic if I got sick and put others at risk. Plus, I am getting increasingly lonely and anxious. Was that just a cough or a contagious viral infection?
For almost 5 years, New York has been my home. But Thursday March 26th I’m leaving for an indefinite period of time. I’m headed to Chelmsford for a few days and then onto New Hampshire to isolate with my boyfriend for at least 14 days - thanks covid ;) - who I won’t have seen for a month. In these coming weeks (months?) away I need to reevaluate my priorities. I want to take a beat and reset. I hope I read a book.
I love my little New York life. And I am lucky to be able to leave it. I am hyper aware of this privilege.
Below are some resource pages for workers and families negatively impacted by the economy shutdown. I implore you to consider donating to a direct relief fund. I know I will be.
Best,
Caroline
Where I’ve Spent Most of My Quarantine
RESTAURANTS & SERVICE WORKERS
DOMESTIC WORKERS
ARTISTS & FREELANCERS
HEALTH & HUNGER
The second letter is from a 78 year old woman in Estero, Florida (AKA my mom). My mom has several medical conditions that make in vulnerable, in a state where every other person is in the same predicament as her. Her letter is shorter, with no links, but she gets to the point.
Dear Deb,
There are pluses and minuses to living in a state with so many seniors during this Coronavirus scare. The major minus would be that there are so many elderly that if a large number came down with the virus there would likely not be enough equipment to handle it. Since I'm particularly vulnerable, I find that particularly scary. However, I have rarely left my home so I haven't actually seen how crowded it is; the numbers so far aren't too bad.
On the plus side, the major grocery chain in the area (yes, where we are there is only one major chain) is opening up an hour early two mornings a week for those over 65 only. However, since that means a large part of the population, it's still not advisable to shop then if you don't want a lot of people contact. The other problem is that it's highly likely you won't get everything you want. We ordered online with the option of picking up the food at the store and found out to our dismay they could not fill my order for chicken or pork as they were all out. Clearly I have to improve my shopping style. However we are fortunate in that the community in which we live is offering meal delivery or pick up since the dining room is closed. In addition, our development is going to have its own Farmers Market several mornings a week to better serve the community who lives here. The first one is later this week so I'll have to see how that goes but it is certainly a generous thing for management to do to help the residents who are having trouble meeting their food needs at the grocery stores.
But like everyone everywhere we are feeling the loneliness that comes from not getting together with other people. We do a lot of reading, watch a lot of TV and Netflix, take walks and check up on friends and family by telephone and skype but it's not the same as actually getting together with other people.
In other words, it's pretty much the same for everybody no matter where they live. Just a little scarier for those who are old or whose health is already compromised in some way.
Love,
Mom
Thank you both for your input! I wish you both good health!
Take Care! Stay Connected! Stay Virus Free!
Deb
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