Corona Diaries - Processing
I’m kind of ashamed to admit that some of this has felt like a holiday to me. Hear me out. I have taken it seriously from the start, currently self-isolating after my husband fell ill, reaching out to neighbours and following the government’s daily briefings closely. I feel awful everyday that I’m not one of the key workers out there helping and I have no idea how this will impact the career that I felt I was slowly establishing some sort of momentum in. But I have also appreciated quite a few perks in the early days of this crisis and, to ward off the feeling of panic that sometimes threatens to engulf me, I have embraced these with open arms. I’ve welcomed the opportunity to step back from a competitive industry and take a breath, to be able to catch up with all sort of life admin that we always said we’d get to ‘one day’ and to see news reports about decreased pollution and increased sightings of wildlife. It’s allowed me to stay upbeat much of the time, to temper the concerns of those around me.
As things have progressed though it’s starting to really bed in. Speaking to a friend who is a teacher yesterday I struggled to compute that, other than being totally isolated socially, her life had had to continue as per normal work wise. That there was no real relief for her, no perks to soften the blow of this awful, strange time. With the government’s financial relief not yet appropriately covering self-employed workers so many friends and colleagues are panicking and those who are key workers are being exposed, and exposing their households, every day to this virus. I can’t compute that the government is begging people to stay home and yet all I see online is out of work freelancers rushing for supermarket jobs. Now people close to us both geographically and emotionally are reporting illness that mirror the symptoms of COVID-19 and it no longer feels like such a remote possibility.
As usual the internet is a source of important information and support while simultaneously terrifying and confusing me. Is the best thing we can do for the NHS to stay in and be as little of a burden as we can? Or should we all be out there helping our neighbours? If so is it true that only cardboard boxes absorb the virus or is any material fine if it’s wiped down? Do you self isolate for 14 days from when one person in the household displays symptoms or is it okay for the initial person to start going out once they’ve spent 7 days inside and for the rest of you to stay for the full 14 days? Should one person be going to the shops or is it safer to order online? Or does that cause traffic and impede people who are more vulnerable from receiving their deliveries?
I think all these questions are why I tried to revel in the uniqueness of the situation while I could. If your brain is all over the place right now, don’t worry. I think that’s a pretty normal human response to whatever this is. I also think it’s okay to respond to this at your own pace where possible. If you have answers to the above though do let me know or if you’re a key worker and know how people who want to can help. I will share anything I learn along the way. Always happy to chat if anyone needs someone to talk to. It’s a weird time, we might as well help each other.
(Illustrations by Sofi Rose)