Chronicles of COVID-19

Title

Andrea, West Waterford

Contributor

Andrea

Subject

COVID-19 (Disease)

Coverage

Ireland; Cork; Waterford; 2020s:

Date

13 April 2020

Language

English

Creator

Cork Folklore Project

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Description

GENERAL PHYSICAL LOCATION RIGHT NOW

Clashmore, Co. Waterford

USUAL LOCATION

same

Q. 1 STAGES

I heard about the Corona/Covid19 virus a bit after Christmas, in mid-January, but I didn't pay it a great deal of attention as it felt so far away on the other side of the world. When it started to affect people on cruise ships around the world, I bucked up and started to consider that it might become a global issue. By the time that it hit Italy, I was certain that Ireland would not escape this devastating virus. I had read some books on epidemiology, dangerous disease outbreaks and global pandemics in the past, and I knew that in our globalised world, everything and everyone needed to start a pandemic was already in circulation in our skies and transport hubs. I am not sure that many other regular people could see the long-term implications of this virus with the same degree of clarity, as I did at that point in time.

Q. 2 EVERYDAY ROUTINE

For the first few weeks of this 'delay phase' I was busy at home devising ways to make resources available to my own students, and those of my colleagues, in order that they might have access to digitised versions of books and articles to support them in completing their individual courses, and ultimately, their academic year. My life isn't the most routine or regimented one, anyway, and I Iive alone, so aside from not being able to justify outings for their own sake, the changes didn't affect me greatly during the first few weeks. I have had a bit more time to catch up on reading, watching TV and self-care. My Mom's friend's husband passed away right at the start of this, and the immediate family of a well-loved and popular man were the only ones permitted to attend the funeral service, despite his passing being unrelated to Covid19. I knew at this point that it would be very difficult for so many Irish people to forgo certain crucial cohesive communal rituals such as our ingrained funeral attendance.

Q. 3 GROUPS

The experience has been different and difficult for everyone. For educators it has been a battle to change horses mid-stream from traditional face-to-face learning to online learning. For an old schoolmate who works in a large supermarket, it was particularly stressful as she and her colleagues were being subjected to abuse from panicked customers on a daily basis. For my own family members and a number of other acquaintances involved in healthcare this has been particularly arduous as they were looking after people who were potential carriers of the Covid19 virus, and in the initial stages of this pandemic, they didn't have access to the proper Personal Protection Equipment. For a friend of mine in the UK who is an engineer, she and her colleagues were being challenged to organise work meetings via Zoom etc. And they faced issues where some of their team could only work from home, at non-standard office hours, due to the fact that many employees were now responsible for childcare and child education in their own homes, and will be, for the foreseeable future.

Q. 4 WAYS WE TALK

A lot of new jargon has entered our vocabulary. Flattening-the-curve, Transmission Vectors, Contact-tracing, Herd Immunity, Frontline staff, Personal Protection Equipment, reagents, assays, cocooning to name but a few. And of course, there have been jokes and memes flying around on social media. The rumours around the virus have also been flying. Some whispers that the virus was a bioweapon that escaped a plant in China, others that it was deliberately created to crash the global economy. On a brighter note, there was a stay-in-the-car St. Patrick's Day parade in Youghal which was deemed a great success by all participants. People have taken to lighting candles and displaying them in their windows to show their support and solidarity with frontline workers and with those who have lost family members or friends to the effects of the Covid19 virus. Living without the normal levels of human contact is one of the most upsetting parts of social distancing. Not being able to hug my parents, family and friends is a terrible deviation from normal behaviour, for me, at least.

Q. 5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE

People in my community of Clashmore village, have organised a local task force to help anyone in the area who might need it. The local shop has remained open, and basic supplies are still available there, and are restocked daily. Passers-by on the road on which I live have been a little more unhurried about their walks, and many have taken time to have a quick chat about the current circumstances, all while safely maintaining appropriate social distancing protocols. So it has been nice to have a bit more time to get to know some of the residents of my area a bit better.

Q. 6 THOUGHTS AND PREOCCUPATIONS

I have been thinking about the historic nature of the current circumstances, and about the way we as a species have been living on the planet until now. And I have also been considering how precarious global supply chains have proven themselves to be.

Q. 7 SIMILARITY TO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

No Response

Q. 8 CHALLENGES AND COPING

No Response

Q. 9 THE FUTURE

It has brought out some excellent qualities in those already possessed of a strong moral character, and unfortunately some extraordinary acts of idiocy and insensitivity in others. The effects on our society of these events heading into the future will be wide-ranging and transformational, and will affect borders, statecraft, commerce, both personal and communal, health and hygiene, information technology, our travel habits, and our privacy.

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

Aside from the poorly received attempt by some celebrities to cheer humanity up with a rendition of John Lennon's 'Imagine', there has been an overwhelmingly positive response from the writers, artists and musicians of our world, in relation to keeping people occupied and entertained while they observe social distancing guidelines at home. The Dundalk group of traditional musicians called The Mary Wallopers has streamed two sessions live on YouTube from their sitting room (one on St. Patrick's Day and the other on Good Friday April 10th). They have built a bar in the aforementioned sitting room, especially for the occasion. They asked the viewers to contribute towards buying them a 'digital pint'. And they did shout outs to those watching and a live sing-along to some traditional tunes for everyone to join in with. Other artists from around the world have also done similar things, including Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Sir Patrick Stewart reading a Shakespearean sonnet-a-day, Carl Cox, the famous British DJ who has been hosting live sets from his record library, and former Black-Flag frontman Henry Rollins who has been doing a podcast radio show where he trawls through his own record collection.

Q. 11 IN A NUTSHELL

We are united by our common humanity, and we must realise that we have survived other extreme events in the span of human history by being aware of how we can support and protect each other. This is what we are doing right now. However, we are also united by our common vulnerability to tiny invisible pathogens which can adhere to us and hitchhike around the world and cause untold upheaval, suffering and loss. We must create a future where we balance risk of annihilation by a microscopic enemy, with the retention of essential human freedoms.

age

36-50

gender

Female