One year ago today, the World Health Organization deemed COVID-19 (or the Coronavirus as it was then described) changed life as we knew it. That day also marked my first comments on the subject. They would not be the last:
Although the Coronavirus became a global public health concern at the end of January, it has only been over the past week or so that I every time I walk out into the streets of New York City nearly every conversation I hear is about the Coronavirus. The only other I ever experienced something like this was in the days following the September 11th attacks when I lived in Boston (no doubt those conversations in NYC were a thousand fold). The difference is that those conversations in 2001 concerned an event which had already occurred whereas with the Coronavirus conversations the discussion revolves around an event where the worst is yet to come.
And the worse did come. COVID-19 changed our lives and then soon began to end lives. According to Johns Hopkins University, at this hour, there have more than 118 million COVID-19 cases worldwide (118,357,116) along with more than 2.6 million deaths (2,625,729). No country has suffered worse than the United States and the tragedy here is that it didn't have to be. There have been more than 29 million cases (29,206,727) and today we recorded our 530,000th death (530,523).
Much of this suffering was exacerbated by the malevolence of former President Trump. Fortunately, our country had the good sense to elect Joe Biden who has moved Heaven and Earth to secure more vaccines and ensure Americans are inoculated. President Biden's signing of the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law will expedite this process. In a little over an hour from now, President Biden will address the nation on our next steps in fighting and defeating COVID-19.
A year ago we were only beginning to comprehend how much COVID-19 would disrupt our lives whether it be work, school, getting health care and just going out in public. What I remember the most about the day was partaking in the Lousy Bowlers Club at Bowlero Queens. It was there that we learned that the NBA had suspended its season and that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson had tested positive for COVID-19. It was a shock to the system. Needless to say, it would be the last night of the Lousy Bowlers Club.
The following night I remember the long lines at the Westerly Market on Eighth Avenue and West 54th Street as panic had set in. That Saturday I went bowling in a vain effort to live a normal life. It would be six months before I bowled again.
I cannot the say same about swimming. The last time I went into a pool or any body of water was March 16, 2020.
Two days later, I was sent home from work after someone at the law firm where I was assigned tested positive for COVID-19. I would never return to the Chrysler Building as I was officially laid off on April 3rd.
Seventy two hours later, I would move into an upstairs apartment to socially distance from my Dad. I would remain in that apartment for nearly 7 months until I moved to Atlanta in late October.
During my last months in New York, masking and social distancing became the norm. Down here in Atlanta, where there are only local mask mandates, while people are required to mask indoors most people remain unmasked outdoors. As for me, I have retained the mask habit established in NYC. I do not go out in public without wearing one. This will not change anytime soon.
With a pandemic comes chaos and displacement but there is also opportunity and discovery. In the grand scheme of things, I have done alright. I have not become sick (despite a brief scare here in early December) and I managed to find a better paying job after more than half a year of unemployment. Meanwhile, back in New York, my Dad recently got his first shot of the Moderna vaccine.
Despite cause for optimism these past 12 months have felt like 12 years - probably more. Even when life turns back into something to which we are more accustomed this time is going to leave a mark however we might try to forget it. I wonder what outlook we will have on this day a year from now.
No comments:
Post a Comment