COVID-19 evolution from a key worker perspective
We saw this COVID-19 pandemic happen before our very eyes. As a healthcare worker, I also followed the perspective of our Infection Prevention Surveillance Service and Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, which were immediately on the ball keeping every staff member of my hospital up to date with the real tea. Television was praising how well China handled the, at the time, not pandemic, and America was unphased, while we were being prepared for the worst.
On March 13th I've been told my job expertise was required at a different location, rather than my usual office. I was expecting this to last only a few days, yet I am still there and people are talking about COVID-19 extreme emergency measures for August and September.
Almost until March 24th, the government had no measures in place to promote social distancing. Only then, schools and gyms started to slowly close and some cafes were doing take-away only and refusing to serve in reusable cups. The boyfriend and I paused our gym membership less than two weeks prior. We did so apologetically and were almost made fun of by gym staff for overreacting.
As of March 29th, shops are closing, no by law but for lack of shoppers. Also, there's a ban on group congregations with very questionable quantities. 500 people to be precise. A ban that's not followed by any repercussion.
That's what you see in the news.
As for what's my personal experience with COVID-19, well that's a different story.
On March 9th I managed to find a surgical mask, ah the perks of working in a hospital. I thought it could be safe to wear it on public transport, but nobody was wearing masks at that time, especially not surgical ones! I did not want to look like 'one of those Asians'. I just tried to avoid sitting next to people or having someone cough in my face. The latter has proved to be extremely easy since everyone was eye'ing each other as if you could see this foreign virus on someone else's face.
Along this not-so-subtle xenophobia came the great toilet paper crisis. It started small, from the suburbs with the highest number of Asians.
I am not being racist. I am being factual.
The next day I went into work and asked my colleagues if they noticed the empty shelves in their suburbs, and my question was answered with laughter and even more questions.
Nothing changed all the way through the week of the 17th. So much so that I have blogged about something completely irrelevant like me being always cold.
Then, I saw a video: 'Imagine you could see the virus, what would you do differently?' And it changed my perspective on hygiene.
In my whole life, I have never worried as much as I am now about how my everyday actions can affect other people's health. I have always blown my nose in a tissue, coughed in my elbow, and washed my hands after going to the toilet because I am a functioning human being. But now I am pushing the stop-request button on my bus with my elbows and carrying cleaning wipes in case I need to touch someone else's workstation equipment. And I am doing this to protect myself just as much as I am trying to protect everyone else from what I might be involuntarily carrying.
I have seen people stop and pretend to think about existence just to avoid opening a 'pull' door. Spoiler Alert, on the 9th of April I did the same.
Since March 23rd I have made huge improvements as for hand-hygene. I started small, by selecting a playlist and muting notifications before boarding public transport, nobody will get me to touch my phone with dirty hands. I am now tying my hair back because there's no smoothing down a rebel lock or getting wind-swept curls off lipgloss. I am using paper towels not only to dry my hands but to close the tap and open the bathroom door. No more elevators. Hand sanitising my hand-sanitiser. Etc.
The floor is COVID-19.
During the week of the 30th, I have hardly seen anybody around. As a key worker, I still have to go to the hospital and we have removed all chairs from all waiting areas since no patient is supposed to come in for their appointments. There is a 1.5mt distance to be maintained 'at all times' but nobody does it except for bus drivers who don't even open the front doors anymore.
A well-known gin brand had the great idea to bottle up hand-sanitiser in 1lt glass bottles. I bought three, one for me, one for a friend, and one as a present. Because hand-sanitiser is the new wine.
To renew faith in humanity, our main live-action-role-play community has deployed all of their skilled seamspeople to use leftover fabrics and craft scrubs for our hospitals. Kids are sending letters and drawings to doctors and nurses too like it's some sort of 'Dear Santa' letter. No address required.
During the past weeks, I started wearing a mask and gloves at the supermarket. Nobody laughs at me.
At work, I am often asked to help doctors around a computer. I am not wearing a mask there, but I do ask them to step away from their desk, holding my freshly sanitised hands upright like during surgery. Sometimes, I hand them an alcohol-wet smartphone to type on and they look extremely confused.
Did I tell you I am dyslexic in English and it's a lot easier to let them type their email address rather than me guessing in which order they just spelt those letters?
As of April the 6th, they called a stage three lockdown. To this day, I am still confused as of when, where, or what stages 1 and 2 were.
Apparently, they fined a kid practising driving with their mum, and a dude eating fast food in his car just outside a drive-through. If they stop you while driving you have to prove you have shopping bags with you because the only good reason to go out is to get essentials from the supermarket.
Is wine essential?
Maybe stage 3 is self-doubt and taking things too literally.
In this lonely chaos, I am glad for waterproof smartphones and for empty buses that allow me to shimmy in my seat 'like' no one is watching as I am mentally preparing for another day of virtual interactions.
Image: via
On March 13th I've been told my job expertise was required at a different location, rather than my usual office. I was expecting this to last only a few days, yet I am still there and people are talking about COVID-19 extreme emergency measures for August and September.
Almost until March 24th, the government had no measures in place to promote social distancing. Only then, schools and gyms started to slowly close and some cafes were doing take-away only and refusing to serve in reusable cups. The boyfriend and I paused our gym membership less than two weeks prior. We did so apologetically and were almost made fun of by gym staff for overreacting.
As of March 29th, shops are closing, no by law but for lack of shoppers. Also, there's a ban on group congregations with very questionable quantities. 500 people to be precise. A ban that's not followed by any repercussion.
That's what you see in the news.
As for what's my personal experience with COVID-19, well that's a different story.
On March 9th I managed to find a surgical mask, ah the perks of working in a hospital. I thought it could be safe to wear it on public transport, but nobody was wearing masks at that time, especially not surgical ones! I did not want to look like 'one of those Asians'. I just tried to avoid sitting next to people or having someone cough in my face. The latter has proved to be extremely easy since everyone was eye'ing each other as if you could see this foreign virus on someone else's face.
Along this not-so-subtle xenophobia came the great toilet paper crisis. It started small, from the suburbs with the highest number of Asians.
I am not being racist. I am being factual.
The next day I went into work and asked my colleagues if they noticed the empty shelves in their suburbs, and my question was answered with laughter and even more questions.
Nothing changed all the way through the week of the 17th. So much so that I have blogged about something completely irrelevant like me being always cold.
Then, I saw a video: 'Imagine you could see the virus, what would you do differently?' And it changed my perspective on hygiene.
In my whole life, I have never worried as much as I am now about how my everyday actions can affect other people's health. I have always blown my nose in a tissue, coughed in my elbow, and washed my hands after going to the toilet because I am a functioning human being. But now I am pushing the stop-request button on my bus with my elbows and carrying cleaning wipes in case I need to touch someone else's workstation equipment. And I am doing this to protect myself just as much as I am trying to protect everyone else from what I might be involuntarily carrying.
I have seen people stop and pretend to think about existence just to avoid opening a 'pull' door. Spoiler Alert, on the 9th of April I did the same.
Since March 23rd I have made huge improvements as for hand-hygene. I started small, by selecting a playlist and muting notifications before boarding public transport, nobody will get me to touch my phone with dirty hands. I am now tying my hair back because there's no smoothing down a rebel lock or getting wind-swept curls off lipgloss. I am using paper towels not only to dry my hands but to close the tap and open the bathroom door. No more elevators. Hand sanitising my hand-sanitiser. Etc.
The floor is COVID-19.
During the week of the 30th, I have hardly seen anybody around. As a key worker, I still have to go to the hospital and we have removed all chairs from all waiting areas since no patient is supposed to come in for their appointments. There is a 1.5mt distance to be maintained 'at all times' but nobody does it except for bus drivers who don't even open the front doors anymore.
A well-known gin brand had the great idea to bottle up hand-sanitiser in 1lt glass bottles. I bought three, one for me, one for a friend, and one as a present. Because hand-sanitiser is the new wine.
To renew faith in humanity, our main live-action-role-play community has deployed all of their skilled seamspeople to use leftover fabrics and craft scrubs for our hospitals. Kids are sending letters and drawings to doctors and nurses too like it's some sort of 'Dear Santa' letter. No address required.
During the past weeks, I started wearing a mask and gloves at the supermarket. Nobody laughs at me.
At work, I am often asked to help doctors around a computer. I am not wearing a mask there, but I do ask them to step away from their desk, holding my freshly sanitised hands upright like during surgery. Sometimes, I hand them an alcohol-wet smartphone to type on and they look extremely confused.
Did I tell you I am dyslexic in English and it's a lot easier to let them type their email address rather than me guessing in which order they just spelt those letters?
As of April the 6th, they called a stage three lockdown. To this day, I am still confused as of when, where, or what stages 1 and 2 were.
Apparently, they fined a kid practising driving with their mum, and a dude eating fast food in his car just outside a drive-through. If they stop you while driving you have to prove you have shopping bags with you because the only good reason to go out is to get essentials from the supermarket.
Is wine essential?
Maybe stage 3 is self-doubt and taking things too literally.
In this lonely chaos, I am glad for waterproof smartphones and for empty buses that allow me to shimmy in my seat 'like' no one is watching as I am mentally preparing for another day of virtual interactions.
Image: via
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