Photo provided courtesy of Unsplash.com
By Samantha Dorn, Staff Writer
It’s no surprise to anyone that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live. This is an unprecedented time for all of us, and it will be a time that will be forever engrained into our collective psyche. But sometimes, I wonder how future generations would look back on this…what would they focus on? Would they focus on the thousands of lives that the virus has claimed? Would they analyze the actions that world governments have taken to try to mitigate the spread of COVID-19? Would they review the severe impact it had on our healthcare system?
The answers to these questions would be a resounding “yes.” But one question remains: would they even begin to understand what life was like for the months that we, as a country, as a world, experienced in these times?
I believe that our children and grandchildren will learn about it in school (whether schooling is all online or still taking place in brick-and-mortar buildings by this time- I’ll leave that to your imagination). Then, after school, they’ll probably ask us questions, just like we asked our parents about the September 11th attacks or asked our grandparents about World War II.
If my children or grandchildren asked me, “Mom/Grandma, what was life like during the COVID-19 pandemic,” what would I tell them?
I would tell them, at first, it seemed like we had things under control. The first people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 had just come back from their travels in China, and as long as they were quarantined for 14 days, we would have it under control. [1] We did not expect that, just two months later, the President would declare a national emergency over the rapid spread of the virus. [2]
I would tell them that I did not think it was serious here until Duquesne University School of Law announced (like so many others) that it would cancel face-to-face instruction for two weeks [3] , and then for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester [4] , because it was going to be a while before things got under control. And on that same day, the governor announced that all K-12 schools would close—first for 2 weeks [5] , then for a month, then “indefinitely,” [6] before ultimately cancelling school for the rest of the year. [7] And then, everything but the grocery stores and drug stores were shut down so as to prevent the spread. [8]
I would tell them how I decided to abandon my downtown apartment and move back to my childhood home. I studied at home, while my brother Kenny worked from home and my other brother Michael would complete his schoolwork.
I would tell them of how concerned my mother was for her students. She was a first-grade teacher, and she knew how difficult it would be for 25 six- and seven-year-olds to learn over a computer. She would try to use whatever online resources were available to her, but that there was no replacement for seeing their faces and hearing their voices every day. She could clearly tell which students had parents actively involved in their learning and which ones did not. “I did not sign up for this,” she told us.
I would tell them how concerned my dad was over the volatile economy, [9] and how worried he was about our family’s financial situation. He told me he wasn’t too worried about me and my brothers, reminding us that we’ve been through just as bad of situations in the past, and have come out alright.
I would tell them about how we could still get food at the grocery store, but canned food and bottled water and toilet paper were severely rationed. I would tell them how discouraging it was that the Roman Catholic diocese cancelled masses, weddings, and funerals because social distancing was impossible in those situations. [10] I would tell them how sad it was to not see my grandparents on Easter Sunday because it would be too risky to have them at our house or for all of us to go see them.
But I would also tell them about how good it was that all five of us were under the same roof again, eating dinner every night, watching TV together, and driving each other crazy. It’s always good to be around family in times of crisis.
I would tell them how we learned not to take the things we have for granted. When a crisis occurs, and life as you know it has been turned upside down, you start to miss things like going to a restaurant, or to church, or to a movie, or simply visiting your friends. But you also begin to appreciate things you hadn’t before, like walks around the neighborhood in the fresh air, and the little dandelion weeds growing in the grass in front of your house.
Most importantly, I would tell them that even the most harrowing crisis does not mean the end of the world. If anything, it reminds us how dependent we are on each other for things big and small. It reminds that there are always ways to help a neighbor or a stranger in need. It reminds us that our society is resilient, and that truly, “what does not kill you only makes you stronger.”
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-usa/u-s-confirms-its-eighth-case-of-coronavirus-pentagon-to-provide-quarantine-housing-idUSKBN1ZV3XV
[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-declaring-national-emergency-concerning-novel-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-outbreak/
[3] https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/03/11/duquesne-university-cancels-classes/
[4] https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/pittsburgh-universities-commit-to-online-learning-limit-access-to-facilities/
[5] https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/governor-wolf-announces-closure-of-pennsylvania-schools/
[6] https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/gov-tom-wolf-closes-pa-schools-indefinitely/article_3986f3e4-72ae-11ea-bcc6-4fe463cb8671.html
[7] https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/governor-wolf-extends-school-closure-for-remainder-of-academic-year/
[8] https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/all-non-life-sustaining-businesses-in-pennsylvania-to-close-physical-locations-as-of-8-pm-today-to-slow-spread-of-covid-19/
[9] See, e.g. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/16/stock-market-plunge-coronavirus-131812
[10] https://diopitt.org/news/allmassescancelled; https://diopitt.org/news/bishop-david-zubik-issues-directives-for-sacraments-and-parish-activities
