Chronicles of COVID-19

Title

Secondary School Teacher living in Beara

Contributor

Secondary School Teacher living in Beara

Subject

COVID-19 (Disease)

Coverage

Ireland; Cork; 2020s:

Date

10 April 2020

Language

English

Creator

Cork Folklore Project

Rights

Cork Folklore Project

Description

GENERAL PHYSICAL LOCATION RIGHT NOW

Countryside in West Cork (Beara)

USUAL LOCATION

Same

Q. 1 STAGES

At first I felt this was going to be like SARS. (Not like Ebola as the severity of the diseases aren't comparable.) An epidemic that confined itself to Asia mainly with some small spread to the rest of the world. Even in early February I remember some of my students saying that they were worried about Leaving Cert projects being delayed if school was out for a while and I told them it was such a small likelihood that they should not be worried (and that it was not something they had control over anyway and allowances would be made if that ever came to pass). It was only at (mid-February) midterm when it started to hit in Italy that I really started taking it seriously. But at that stage the advice I was giving was wash hands, cover any cough, don't open a public door with bare hands and mind older people in particular. At this stage I understood that although COVID-19 was less severe a disease than SARS that also meant that it was much more easily spread as so many people had it without knowing. It was obvious by early March that schools would be closing for a while but I thought/hoped that it would only be for the 2 weeks before Easter. On Wednesday 13th of March I was discussing the situation with a friend who, like me planned to go away for Paddy's day and the 2 nights before. We were both thinking we could/would still go and that even when the schools closed we could let our kids meet up as long as it was outside. None of which we did once the school closures were announced the day after. Even then I was very resistant to the idea of cancelling my 2 nights away as I reckoned we wouldn't be out in pubs as our child was coming with us and we weren't going to a very busy place. And I reckoned it was the least risky time we'd get within the following 6 months. My sister-in-law lives in Italy and they were already confined to home at that stage but even having talked to her I still felt we weren't running a big risk in going away. I suffered from TB as a child so there's a high enough likelihood that if I contracted COVID-19 I would be one of the 20% that it affects badly. But I didn't feel (and still don't) that I am likely to die as I'm otherwise healthy. When the schools closed all the teachers I talked to felt we'd be out till Easter and not just 2 weeks but we fully expected to be back after Easter. But since then as the virus spread exponentially everywhere (and everyone started looking at those Worldometers exponential graphs every evening) it became increasingly obvious that we most likely wouldn't be heading back to school before Summer and even running the Leaving Cert would be a challenge. The general (and my) disapproval of the way the UK handled the situation (no closing till weeks after us) and of those Irish who went to Cheltenham brought home to me how serious the situation was/could become. My husband was still working till 2 weeks ago when the non-essential lockdown was implemented so all shopping etc. has been left to him as he was already out and I'm more susceptible. So basically I've semi-self-isolated for nearly 4 weeks at this stage. It seems to me that most people have reacted like me, assuming at first that we'd more or less get away with just a few cases but then accepting the necessity of ever greater social/physical distancing measures. My husband tells me there are still "strangers" coming to town (from shopping accents and car regs) but anyone I know is just staying in their own home. One of my sisters-in-law lives 2 mins walk away but we haven't seen her or her kids in the 4 weeks at all so the level of priority given to distancing does vary from family to family.

Q. 2 EVERYDAY ROUTINE

My routine is very different. The only people I've seen besides my husband and child in the last 4 weeks are my in-laws and their kids who live right next door (outdoors only) and 2 older people from up the road out walking on the local road separately. It's Easter holidays now so not so different right now but where I'd normally be catching up with people and visiting my family in Cork I'm just staying at home/walking the rocks/fields/beaches right next to us. Workdays: Instead of driving to work before 8 I get up at 8, get my daughter dressed, fed and schoolwork set and then upload work for/start my first online class at 9am. The whole workday is basically spent on the computer and initially trying to decide what apps to use to teach online and then learn how to use them all properly took up a huge amount of time. My daughter normally finishes the work I set her at about 10 and wants to be on all my online classes which is difficult. She also resents the time I spend at home not paying attention to her and on the very first day of teaching from home asked me "Do you prefer your other kids to me?" I normally take a break with her at 10.20 and if I don't have an online class (uploading work and online Q&A instead) try and give her half an hour. We've been very lucky with the weather so I've been able to leave her outside to play with the 2 cousins from next door every schoolday which has been a Godsend. (Even now, we're still allowing that. We justify it in that there are 7 people only between the 2 families and we're not seeing anyone else.) I stop for lunch again at 10 past 1 and feed us both and set her more schoolwork for 2 to 3. I finish schooldays at 3.50 latest (on the days I finish earlier I bring all 3 kids for a walk to the beach across the fields) and spend time with my daughter till it's time to make dinner at which point she's allowed watch TV. After dinner it's check how virus has gone today (news and worldometers) and then when my daughter's in bed it's back to prepping the following days classes and online corrections (both of which take a lot longer than normal). It did help when my husband was off the last school week as my daughter was less demanding of my time during the school day and I felt less guilty but he spent a lot of time doing farm work so I still did the vast majority of her schoolwork. It was also my daughter's 6th birthday a couple of days after all non-essentials shutdown. Presents didn't arrive; no party and not even her cousins from 2 mins up the road could be present. However, we had a cake outside with her 2 cousins from next door and some cards and books arrived so in the end she still enjoyed her day.

Q. 3 GROUPS

I think older people are particularly badly affected as they're supposed to be cocooning. Many of the active over 70s find this very difficult (even though they understand the logic of it) and the more nervous just find the whole situation very scary. There is a resentment at being told you're not even allowed walk the road, even in country areas where you will meet no one and having met at least one over 70 on the local boreen who is still doing her own shopping (despite offers from myself and others to do it for her) I don't think all over 70s in the countryside are adhering to the letter of the rules. Young people also must be finding it very difficult as social life is so important at that age. The first Friday after the schools closed one of my fifth years told me to relax when I asked were there any Qs on the work set as "everyone will be going out tonight anyway". I put a message up trying to get them to think how they would feel if someone they were close to contracted a severe case of the virus (basically asking them not to go out/meet up in large groups) and once the schools closed they've mainly had to rely on one meet ups. But the young feel invincible and I know it must be very hard for them not to hang out properly with their friends. Those in city (but particularly living in apartments) are having an especially difficult time too. As a friend of mine who lives in Dublin (and is the only one I know who took the COVID-19 threat seriously back in January, due to her Twitter addiction mainly) in a 1-bed apartment said "this apartment isn't designed, well, for living really". She's now, with many others, partaking of the zumba that a guy in the open area outside the apartments puts on daily, something she laughed at and no one joined in with at first. And escaping to the allotment where she grows veg though that's officially closed now. Where I am living is the only bearable place to be self-isolating I think - lots of beautiful views, fresh air and space. But only a very few of us are in that happy situation. My sister has 3 young kids and is lucky enough to have a garden in Cork city but there's little if anything they can do within the 2km radius given the main road in front of her house, paths that end abruptly and the age of the kids. But she is still one of the lucky ones as she's a garden. Italy has a 300m zone instead of 2km and only 1 family member may leave and must have papers with the permission to go shopping. The lockdown in China was more severe again and most there would not have a garden so overall in Ireland we haven't had it that bad although it may not feel like that to most people.

Q. 4 WAYS WE TALK

I haven't been talking in person to many people I must say. Or been anywhere to see objects in windows/drive by greetings. An awful lot of jokes come into WhatsApp/Viber groups but they are mostly videos - theme of quite a few of them is "Stay the fuck at home". Terms like "Self-isolation/self-isolating/cocooning/ quarantine/lockdown/social distancing" have become very widely used so "How's the self-isolation/lockdown going?" is a more typical greeting than hello. A lot of picture puzzles in social media groups too e.g. identify the rugby team/chocolate bar/place name etc. from the picture clues. Exponential graphs are also something suddenly even the non-mathematical understand. And challenges (things you might see on Tik Tok) come into the groups as well. It's strange to live without the normal social interactions but heavily increased online communication does in part make up for lack of in-person communication. So video calls are a thing we do now, even with my mum. It was always available but it just wasn't a big thing with me anyway. The first 2 Saturday nights I did Zoom (group video meetings) with groups of friends while we had drinks. Not quite the pub but at least we were able to catch up. Nearly everyone on the calls (and their partners) were working from home but then my background is in engineering so the companies most of my friends work in would be set up to allow that.

Q. 5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE

As I haven't been out much I can't really comment too much on this. I know lots of people are offering to help their elderly neighbours (e.g. get their shopping). My husband tells me our community is really annoyed at the holiday-makers who've moved down, this week in particular (week prior to Easter). Feed the heroes is a good national initiative to show appreciation to those on the frontline.

Q. 6 THOUGHTS AND PREOCCUPATIONS

Mostly to do with my job as a teacher: When the Leaving Cert will be run? How many of the 5th years in particular have not engaged at all with the online schooling. The fact that estimated grades is something the media and students seem to think is a runner for LC but in fact is the least likely of all options. Fear that the rumours of this will contribute to 6th years stopping doing schoolwork and the attendant risks of that. Will we be back in school in September? How teaching online is a pure pain and that the 6 weeks after Easter will be a nightmare. When will I get to see my family in Cork again? Even if I see the rest of my family in the next few months when will I see my mum and dad? Will we get to ho yo the caravan in Coutmac at all this year? Will all of us (my extended family and friends) emerge safe from this (I'm an optimist so I tend to not to worry about the last too much)? How are the graphs for the different countries going right now (e.g
UK and USA badly right now but Italy and Spain stabilising)?"

Q. 7 SIMILARITY TO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

No Response.

Q. 8 CHALLENGES AND COPING

No Response.

Q. 9 THE FUTURE

More people will work from home more regularly given that many people and companies have seen that this can work well. This is applicable to certain industries only but it may eventually lead to the greater regional diversity/ regeneration of rural areas, something that has been much talked of but little seen. Wearing of masks when future epidemics touted and people taking possibility of pandemics as a viable threat rather than a movie script. Better hand hygiene and cough etiquette in general. Immediate future: very sharp worldwide recession (hopefully short-lived). Further erosion of high-street shopping in favour of online.

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

No Response.

Q. 11 IN A NUTSHELL

In Europe we didn't really take the possibility of a pandemic that seriously. Our confidence in our superior nutrition and overall health was misplaced. Given that human population growth and encroachment on animal habitats is going to make future pandemics (virus cross-over from animals to humans) more likely this should be a wake-up call to us all. The next pandemic could be far more deadly so we need to react more quickly the next time. Economically this pandemic will be devastating even if the death toll can be kept on the low side so it would be far preferable if we stopped putting so much pressure on our planet and its wildlife to reduce the likelihood of future pandemics. Sadly it's hard to see that happening in the immediate future. Human memory tends to be short-lived so we'll most likely goes back to "normal" once this passes.

age

36-50

gender

Female