"I'm in Rome right now under the lockdown. I work in a restaurant in the center, and the new law is all restaurants have to close at 6pm, but can stay open until midnight for deliveries only (like Uber, Deliveroo, etc.). The city is a ghost town, and we have lost a lot of business, so my hours were cut. I also teach English in two schools, and schools are closed until at least April 3. We have to stand one meter apart from the people around us, and there are huge lines to get into grocery stores. Yesterday I had to wait a half an hour! There is no food shortage, though, and Italians do not stockpile toilet paper like Americans, probably because we all have a bidet in our bathrooms, LOL. My family was supposed to come for Easter, but they cancelled their trip. My sister is a travel agent in America and she has lost a TON of business and many cancelled trips, so she's hurting a lot too. We aren't supposed to leave our homes unless it's for work, groceries, or pharmacy, so it's like being under house arrest but I am a homebody so I don't mind." - pandabear14
"My anxiety has come back in full force. It was getting better.
I'm about a year out of treatment for breast cancer. Whenever I'd feel anxious in a crowd, I'd think back on something I did or think of something I can't control I'd take a few breaths and be like, 'You got through cancer, this is nothing.'
But because of the cancer and a congenital heart condition I have I am more susceptible. Thinking about the cancer reminds me of this and ramps up the panic. My fear of coronavirus seems to be undoing the years of coping skills and therapy I've done. It sucks.
My therapist knows and we have a plan for either of us being unable to make it but even signing the forms made me panic."
- j4b5d1e118
"Hi everyone! I am Italian, I live in Rome and we are stuck at home. If we go out, we can go one at a time and bring a paper showing where we go (only food shopping is allowed).
I am to be married on April 4th, if we will be able to...just me, my husband and two witnesses.
Today we hit 1K deaths and 15K positive for coronavirus.
We live in fear, hoping all measures we take are enough, and our prayers go to all our loved ones who can be in danger. This virus knows no gender, social status, age, nationality.
To everyone who can read this, please stay safe, don't go out if you can, avoid crowds, and fill your days with love.
It's time of compassion and responsibility.
A virtual hug to everyone, more than ever!"
- awfulunicorn19
"I am a senior in high school and I've been accepted to several schools. Two campus preview days in LA county have been cancelled for me. I'm also looking to get a job so I applied to work at a new Raising Cane's. Went in for my interview and I found out that all interviews and openings of new stores will be halted for a month. I'm a hospital volunteer as well and I get an email every day on how the policy has changed due to the virus. I'm scared to death that I'll be exposed because during my shift a lot of sick people ask for me to help them get to the ER. It just sucks. I also was really looking forward to the new 007 movie and A Quiet Place Part 2 and those have all been postponed as well. I'm scared that my school will get a case soon in Orange County and senior end-of-year events might be cancelled. It's just a terrible time. I hope this virus goes away soon."
"My company mandated work from home today, and in anticipation of the social solitude, my team has scheduled every other day virtual "coffee meetings" where we can just sit and chat while we drink our morning coffee. My team is across three time zones (some of us will be on our second or third cup!), so the added benefit is that we can learn more about our teammates in other offices we may not have connected with socially before.
My coworker and I also started a company-wide Slack Tag (we have offices across the world!) where the tagged person must answer a 'get to know you' question. Something fun that also helps us get to know people we work with virtually.
Even though the idea of being isolated for a month is a pain, we're being creative and having fun with it."
- ashleyb94
"I am Korean-American. I have not, thankfully, been personally touched by the virus. I've lived here since I was adopted at the age of two. I also have a compromised immune system due to being on immunosuppressants following a kidney transplant in December. Which means I have to be careful about where I go and who I can interact with. But that's not the most difficult part of my experience. The most difficult is being Asian.
I have to go into the clinic for labs weekly. These days whenever I go in and sit in the waiting area I find myself with a decent amount of room. So silver lining, I get my personal space. I've had people move across the room and sometimes they make excuses as to why they're moving. Like, 'oh I didn't see that magazine over there.' They actually verbalize it even if they're by themselves. I made the mistake of sneezing in an elevator and every head whipped around so fast it would have made a prairie dog jealous. One man started hitting the 'door open' button while we were still moving. I understand the concern and fear. Truly I do. But at the same time I'm concerned about the stories I'm hearing about people, Asians, being attacked verbally/physically due to the fear that anyone Asian is carrying it.
I also look at my two younger high school aged brothers who are Chinese and try to let them know that while it's ok for people to be cautious and scared, it's in no way excusable for anyone to be racist/cruel, etc. It's a stressful and concerning time, to put it mildly, but I hope that people will step in if they see anyone being racist towards someone just because they fear they may have this virus. Stay safe everyone and I hope you all find a way to smile and laugh."
- hannav4d7d4809c
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