Chronicles of COVID-19

Title

Alan, Dublin

Contributor

Alan

Subject

COVID-19 (Disease)

Coverage

Ireland; Dublin; 2020s:

Date

22 April 2020

Language

English

Creator

Cork Folklore Project

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Description

GENERAL PHYSICAL LOCATION RIGHT NOW

Tallaght, Dublin 24

USUAL LOCATION

Dublin 2

Q. 1 STAGES

Talk of an epidemic engulfing China and similar places began in December 2019 or January 2020 as far as I can recall. My initial reaction was that it was probably going to take the course of Swine Flu or similar outbreaks, i.e. some extra cautions may have to be exercised. At this stage of the year, I did get wind of an increase in anti-Chinese racism, both casual and serious emerging in places like New Zealand. There were joke messages being circulated around, but I did not take part in spreading them, as I felt they had racist intent, even if it were unconscious. I was away in Copenhagen when the first confirmed case of Coronavirus hit Ireland. This would have been late February 2020. When I returned, the news seemed to unfold bit by bit. TV programmes focussed on hand washing and maintaining some sort of social distance, but nothing disruptive. I don't think too many people took it seriously. I continued to work and meet people socially up until the second week of March, when the magnitude of what was happening began to take hold. St Patrick's Day festivities were cancelled. Around this time, we were getting reports of the scale of the crisis in Italy. I had been at the house of my employer, who is in his 70s. I regularly work closely with him in his home office. He said to me that he was anxious about it, and it would most likely be the biggest event of my life (with the possible exception of Climate change, he didn't include himself as he was born during the 2nd World War). I decided to stay in my parents' house in Tallaght until things became clearer over the weekend. At this point, people began to work from home. Footage of a packed pub in Temple Bar was released, as well as a huge delegation of Irish people going to Cheltenham, both of which were heavily criticised. People began to call for pubs be closed. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made his speech on Television, on St. Patricks Day, advising people that they should observe social distancing, shop online where possible and work from home unless necessary. There were rumours of the army being deployed to enact a total shutdown. I also heard a rumour directly from a journalist, who in turn directly got it from the heads of the Department of Health that we were facing a 15 week period of severe disruption, but the lockdowns would be rolled out bit by bit so as to ease panic.
I continued to work remotely from my parents’ house, and occasionally help with some renovations in my brothers' house that lived nearby. We had a birthday cake for him on the 18th of March, but made him fan out the candles with a card, rather than blow on the cake we were going to eat. A second address was put out by Varadkar announcing a lockdown period in Ireland. All essential work was to stop, no journeys allowed beyond a 2km radius of a person's house, no social gatherings allowed of any kind. A special social welfare allowance of 350 per week was announced and available to anyone who lost employment as a result of the outbreak and restrictions. This lockdown has been extended and will be reviewed on the 5th of May. (Current date 22 April). Most people expect it to go on much longer.

Q. 2 EVERYDAY ROUTINE

I was able to continue my main work for about 2-3 weeks. My job is as a research assistant to an author. I also work as a tour guide, and that work halted immediately. I have had bookings for May cancelled, as visitors don't want to travel. I still have bookings for July and September, but I expect these to be cancelled. At present the amount of work I can do remotely has ceased, and I have applied for the special payment. My daily routine varies. I am trying to keep busy by cooking for the family. I have also spent a lot of time reading. Currently I'm trying to take advantage of the time to read larger books (Lord of the Rings, Dune and Das Kapital). Being at my parents’ house I have my younger brother for company, and we spend much time working on making model war games and watching films. I have started a remote personal training session with a friend who is based in Denmark. I am also enrolled in a tour guiding course, so some of our activities have been turned into assignments. I also had to deliver a virtual tour on Zoom in lieu of an examination, which was a bit frustrating, but necessary. My father, a coachbuilder, is currently working on converting a van into a camper, so I am also helping out with this occasionally. His work involved some HSE (Health Board) contracts so he is still employed for some days. My mother continues her school secretary work from home. Most of my media comes from radio, TV news and online sources from Facebook. I generally try to get information from reputable publications. I have noticed a significant increase in conspiracy theories at the moment. People are spreading misinformation about 5 G technologies which to me does not seem grounded in fact. The claim is that coronavirus is a hoax, designed to keep people at home so 5G masts can be erected in secret. The purpose of 5G seems to be to spread sickness in order to get people falsely vaccinated. None of this seems credible to me so I do my best to counter it. A protest was held by far-right conspiracy theorists in the Four Courts yesterday, against movement restrictions, in which 100 people gathered. A smaller protest nearby held by laid off retail workers (Debenhams department stores) was broken up by the Gardaí. So far I have not known anyone who has died, but it seems distressing for people who cannot see loved ones in their final days. We have had some significant birthdays. My brother turned 34. We had some cake for him before the lockdown restrictions took hold, but he fanned out his candles rather than blow them out. My nephew turned 7 during the lockdown and nobody could visit him at his mother's house. My brother, his father, was distressed at not being able to see him on the day.

Q. 3 GROUPS

The people facing the greatest difficulties appear to be frontline health service workers. They are still required to attend work and are often under equipped with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Nursing home staffs are also very anxious as most cases have taken hold in these environments. Many nurses have left private homes to work for the state health service (HSE). These homes also severely lack protective equipment. In general, the crisis has taken its toll on the elderly worse. Over 70s are forbidden to go out in public and rely on people delivering shopping to them. My position is relatively ok. There are four of us here in the house all under 60 except one, and all in good general health.

Q. 4 WAYS WE TALK

'Social Distancing' is one of the new terms that people use and understand. Humour, spread online, seems to help people keep their spirits up. Some jokes include referring to people who are praising Leo Varadkar's response to the crisis as 'Flushirts' (A play on Blueshirt). Anti-social distancing right wing protesters in the United States being called the Flu Klux Klan also. The jokes are endless, and I'm sorry I can't log all of them here. Most of them are in a visual format anyhow. There is some apocalyptic language being used, and I think people expect things to be permanently different from now on, even if normal life resumes. People seem to be looking to the future with a sense of optimism. There is lots of talk of things never going back to the way they were. I think that people appreciate that the pace of life has slowed down a lot. There seems to be a lack of materialistic concerns. People are shaving their heads due to a lack of a barber. Most people are going about their day in casual clothes. It also seems that people have banded together in great ways. There is lots of talk of people looking out for each other, and being 'kinder'. Seeing people on TV in gatherings, shaking hands and kissing already seems quite jarring. People have quickly become accustomed to the lack of personal contact. I feel sorry for people in relationships who are unable to see each other. Some people seem to continue to use online dating apps and sites, but the purpose of that astounds me. Unless they are meeting in secret, of course.

Q. 5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE

Some friends of my mother are making facemasks and donating them to nursing homes. (The efficacy of these is debated). I have seen online videos of people screening outdoor films for their neighbours. Here in Kingswood there has been a noticeable increase in graffiti appealing to people's solidarity. Some of these have even spread internationally. A local artist Emma Blake has had millions of shares of her work on the walls of the estate. I am in favour of these. Some irritating behaviour comes from people treating the supermarket as a place to browse. Supermarkets are operating a strict one in one out policy. Indoors however, some people pass by closely, without paying much thought to social distancing. These are the minority, but it is annoying when you are trying your best. The response of the nation has been positive. It is a refreshing contrast to a lot of apocalyptic predictions in media over the last few years. In general, people are concerned for their elders, neighbours, family and friends. People have been eager to help where they can. Some of the political and business class are talking of a return to work, but I think people would rather not take the risk. The role of essential workers in providing food and healthcare is greatly appreciated, and my hope is that these people are greatly rewarded in the future.

Q. 6 THOUGHTS AND PREOCCUPATIONS

I'm trying not to overthink. From early on, I expected the crisis to be prolonged. I'm just taking things as they come. I broke up with my partner at the start of the year, so she is on my mind a lot. I do miss her, but there's nothing I can do about it even if I wanted to. I'm just trying to keep my mind busy reading and enjoying hobbies. I wish I got my bike fixed before the lockdown. Some freedom of that kind would be nice, but I'm not feeling down or prohibitively restricted.

Q. 7 SIMILARITY TO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

No Response

Q. 8 CHALLENGES AND COPING

It can be frustrating to spend time with the same people for weeks on end, but overall I think we are all coping well. I made the decision early on to give up buying alcohol for the period of the crisis. I miss the pubs, but mostly for the social atmosphere. I occasionally have a glass of whiskey, maybe once a week, but only from a bottle we have in the house anyway. Sleep patterns are erratic, but I try to get up before 9am and not waste any days unless on the weekends.

Q. 9 THE FUTURE

I hope that the basic needs of any society are now made clear. A society needs a food production and distribution system, and a system of public health care that prioritises need over profit. I hope that people appreciate workers in general and that billionaires are not bailed out by the taxpayers. We had one recession in my adulthood already, and I don't think people will pay for a second one. If things return to normal, climate change will also bring greater challenges. I hope the resources and work of the world is shared fairly, and in a way that protects the environment. I also hope that the pace of work slows down and people can continue to appreciate the value of things we once took for granted like social interaction.

Q. 10 IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT SPRINGS TO MIND?

Perhaps a question relating to the different approaches taken by different countries. Ireland has handled it fairly well, but other countries have not. It is very easy to get information globally, so the comparisons are on people's minds.

Q. 11 IN A NUTSHELL

Most of what I contributed earlier has covered the issues. If we have failed to sow the seeds of a better society then I can only apologise. The scale of the crisis may only be beginning. I hope the solution not only deals with the disease, but also re-prioritises the important things in life.

age

26-35

gender

Male