Dublin Core
Title
A Fast Progression to Being Concerned: Oral History Account
Interview with Paula A.
Interview with Paula A.
Subject
An account about my grandmother, Paula A's, first days of the pandemic.
Description
The interview was conducted over the phone with my grandmother, Paula A, in early October 2020.
Creator
Nicole Arena
Source
Paula A.
Publisher
Nicole Arena
Date
Interview- early October 2020
Rights
Paula A. gives permission to be interviewed, and for that information to be used on this Omeka website.
Language
English
Type
Oral History Interview Narrative
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
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.
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.