Various Degrees of Concern
First Days of Nicole Arena
Not Concerned
March 11, 2020
Newark, NJ to Bergen County, NJ
The World Health Organization announced on March 11, 2020 that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. The following is an account of what I was doing, thinking, and feeling on that day. My opinions and actions currently are drastically different from this day, because I, like many others I am sure, did not anticipate how serious, fatal, and devastating covid-19 would prove to be.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
My Wednesday’s this semester are always super busy, so like any other Wednesday morning I roll out of bed half asleep and start getting ready for my day. Yesterday we got the email from President Barchi that classes at Rutgers would be cancelled due to covid-19 risks starting tomorrow and through spring break, which ends on March 22nd. Honestly, we have hit the point in the semester where I am exhausted all the time, so I do not mind having an extra two days of break. All I need to do is show up today, and then hopefully I can relax a little bit. I woke up ten minutes before I had to leave to be able to avoid the heavy morning Newark traffic and to make it to my 8:30 A.M. Genetics class on time. I was rushing, so I threw on some blue jeans and a sweater, grabbed a Belvita breakfast bar, and ran out the door.
I had an assessment during first period, and then immediately after I had my Literature and Medicine class at 10 A.M. My professor made class optional today for people who did not feel comfortable going to class with the virus risk, and there were not many people in class. We did have a paper due, however our professor told us we could submit the work remotely at a later date as our safety and well-being were more important than a deadline. President Barchi also stated in his email that from March 23rd to April 3rd we would be doing classes from home or remotely. In class we went over an updated syllabus and what the upcoming weeks of remote schooling would be like. I feel very grateful that my professor is so understanding, and I feel relieved that she is willing to work with my class given that we are trying to transition from in person to online learning, at least until the beginning of April. I know that remote learning is not what many teachers or students are used to, so I am interested to see how this is all going to work out. I also feel bad for professors who are old school and do not really use technology that much.
Our professor asked us if there was anything we wanted to talk about or if we were having any anxieties during this time. Honestly, I was not really worried that much. Professors kept asking if we were fearful, and some people had such grim looks on their faces. I do not know why, but this virus is just not really worrying me. I commute, so I had not thought about this, but a couple of students in my class live on campus and were frustrated that they had to leave campus so quickly. The email stating that those in the residence halls should leave within a couple days came out yesterday, and many were stressed that they needed to leave on such short notice. They did not know if they should take all of their belongings with them, or even how they were going to get their things home as some did not have cars as well as other family members might not be able to help them move due to work. My cousin goes to a different university and dorms out of state, and it made me think about the complications for other students who might be living out of state. I think if I were in this situation I would be frustrated too.
After my Literature and Medicine class, I had a meeting for a course I was taking in the Honors College at 11:30 A.M. The course helped students come up with a topic for a senior thesis project, and I ended up changing my topic so that now it would relate to covid-19. I thought it would be interesting to focus on a subject that was affecting people very presently. The meeting was short, and I had time before my next class. Being that I had time to spare and was recommended a book for my potential thesis topic, I went to the library and checked it out. I still had some time, so I went to the History Department where I work. During work I went to the bathroom, and someone did not wash their hands! I was so grossed out! It is nasty to not wash your hands after using the bathroom in the first place, but it makes it even worse that there is a virus spreading! I could not even tell them to wash their hands because they left the bathroom as soon as I was stepping out of the stall. People really are unbelievable sometimes. I made sure to Lysol many of the surfaces in the office.
At 12:55 P.M. I headed to my 1 P.M. Physics class. My instructor informed us that the Physics Department was working hard on coming up with a plan for remote learning, and that she would be giving us specific instructions next week. She gave us advice on not touching our faces, washing hands frequently, and following the CDC’s guidelines. Also, she told us she would miss us and that she was going to try her very best to make remote schooling interactive as possible so that we would still be learning. I was grateful for her understanding as well, and I was thinking about the extra risks posed to her as she was pregnant. She seemed calm, but I imagine now that this time might have been stressful for women who were pregnant.
When class was finished I was going to leave Rutgers, but my sister was coming to campus for her 4 P.M. class and wanted to take my parking spot. Being that Rutgers-Newark is a city school and is made up of a majority of commuters, parking is essentially never available. I leave my house hours before my classes to be able to get a parking spot, so I understood my sister wanting me to wait. To kill some time, I went to the Starbucks on campus and ordered myself an iced tea and her a caramel macchiato. I had a nice conversation with the barista, and then waited in my car until my sister came to the parking lot.
After talking to my sister a little bit, I drove home and relaxed. I was getting a snack to eat, and I realized we had so much food in the house! My aunt was going on about stocking up on groceries just in case. I personally thought she was being a bit batty, but I was glad I had tons of options for my snack. I was so glad the week was over, and I was excited to have some time to sleep and see my friends and family over break.
A Fast Progession to Being Concerned
An Interview With Paula A.
The following is an account of an interview in which I ask my grandmother, Paula A, about her experience during her first days of the pandemic. My grandmother is in her late 70’s, and has been to the hospital during this pandemic (not covid-19), as well as lived during the time of the AIDS/HIV epidemic. The interview took place over a phone call, in the beginning of October.
On October 4, 2020, I interviewed Paula A., my grandmother, about her experiences during the first days of the pandemic, specifically around March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. Paula is a New Jersey resident in her late 70’s. While she was watching the news frequently in early March and following what was happening with the virus, particularly in New York, she assumed that the virus would be kept under control in America. She had believed that we had the best doctors and the most up to date medicine, and therefore was not very concerned with the idea of the virus becoming widespread as it did in other countries. This mentality quickly changed as schools, like Rutgers University, announced that they were going online, as well as churches shutting down.
Paula mentioned that the closing of universities and specifically churches, which in her whole lifetime had never been closed, forced her to recognize that Covid-19 was going to be a very serious issue with large impacts. While in the beginning of March she was not worried, anxious, or scared about the coronavirus, by mid-March she was very concerned. Her concern, just like the spread of the virus, progressed very rapidly. She noted that while the public was being told not to worry about things like having to wear a mask at the very beginning of the pandemic, she thought it would a good idea to have some for her and her family. She had heard on tv that there was a shortage of masks for healthcare workers. She was a seamstress and had materials, so she donated them in mid-late March to an organization that made masks for healthcare workers. However, while donating she recognized that it would be a safe, smart decision to have masks, even if homemade. Thus, she started sewing masks for herself and her family. Little did we know that masks would be required in essentially all spaces and environments for months to come.
As soon as Paula became aware of the severity of the pandemic, she became very frustrated and angered by President Trump downplaying it. She continued to watch the news every day, and made distinctions between federal and state responses to the pandemic. She remembered frequently listening to reports early on from the Governors of New Jersey and New York, Governor Murphy and Governor Cuomo, because they followed scientific guidelines put out by the CDC. In comparison, she only watched President Trump on the news when Dr. Fauci was present and would be speaking, because the president totally disregarded those scientific guidelines. Paula understood that this pandemic had a certain sense of urgency, because this virus can affect all groups of people. She recalled the announcements of the covid-19 pandemic and the AIDS/HIV epidemic of the 1980’s. While she felt sympathy for those impacted by the AIDS/HIV epidemic, she considered the covid-19 pandemic more worrisome at first thought because it has the potential to affect every human being, rather than a targeted population. It is this great sense of urgency that angered and frustrated her when she found out that President Trump downplayed the pandemic, and that there continue to be people who refuse to wear masks out in public. She considers these people and President Trump selfish, ignorant of reality, and as having a total disregard for others.
In the months since these first days of the pandemic Paula’s concern has grown, but not necessarily for herself. Paula was even hospitalized in early June, during the pandemic, and was still not as concerned for herself as she was for others like essential and healthcare workers! She had thought that she had coronavirus during this time, as she could not breathe, had pneumonia (a common occurrence for people who contract the virus) and had to be put on oxygen and moved to the ICU unit in the hospital. Despite this, and the fact that she is part of the age group that is more susceptible to the virus, she tested negative several times for the virus and was out of the hospital within a week, which her doctors said was a miracle. While this may seem like it could cause worry and fear for someone, Paula recalls feeling that she was receiving the best care at the hospital and was more worried for those who have to go out and come into contact with others frequently, as this would leave a person more exposed to the virus.
On a personal level, Paula considers herself very fortunate, especially being that she still is able to spend time with her family. She believes the reason she might be less concerned for herself than others is because her family is very cautious, follows social distancing guidelines, wears masks as much as possible, and those in her household are more cautious than she is. On a broader level, she is concerned about the lasting effects of the virus and the future of the country, in terms of the president, our economy, people’s jobs, and the psychological impact of young people in school. She believes it will take years for life to get back to some semblance of normal, but what that normal will be is unknown to both her and others.
Link to archival record of Not Concerned
Link to archival record of A Fast Progression to Being Concerned
Link to archival record of Oral History Interview with Paula A. Transcribed
Link to archival record of Homemade Mask