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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
On top of all of the previous disappointments associated with the ongoing pandemic, a week ago we learned that my husband’s oldest brother has been diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. It’s heartbreaking for the entire family and doubly worrisome with COVID-19 still rearing its ugly head here, there and everywhere. His siblings and in-laws want to see him, hug him and reassure him. But can we? Should we? Is it safe for him? For us? If he chooses to undergo treatment, will he be isolated due to the virus? Will he fight for his life with only strangers at his bedside? Right now, it is all too much to process. 2020 has definitely been a year of heartache and sorrow.
October 23, 2020
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Have you or people in your community been harassed, threatened, or attacked since the pandemic began, either in person or online? If so, what happened?
The school situation seems to be the worst, as far as harassment. There is so much division between people - adults and students - wanting to be safe, require masking, distancing, etc., and those who want total freedom. Our local vaccination rate is barely above 30%, and infections/hospitalizations are at an all-time high. Our governor has made it illegal for school districts to require masks or offer online school options. Within a week of starting classes, the schools had to shut down due to large numbers of faculty/staff/students contracting COVID or in quarantine. The schools were forced to use built-in "inclement weather" days for the shut-down, as there is no provision for COVID. I am at a loss how parents are treating the health and well-being of children and their local school employees with such disregard.
September 8, 2021