COVID Perspectives - Monrovia
This ongoing series provides a glimpse into how people living outside of Hawai’i have been dealing with COVID-19—personally, socially and every which way—from initial lockdown to its effects that continue to shape our day to day.
Tara and a friend prior to COVID-19 when masks and social distancing were unnecessary
Name: Tara
Place of Birth: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Current Home: Monrovia, California for approximately one year
Occupation: Nutrition and Regulatory Specialist (specifically, food label regulations and compliance)
Why Leave?: Left in 2004 for a job opportunity and have called California home for the past 16 years
Q1: What were your initial thoughts as you began to understand the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation? What was your first instinct to take action?
A: In January 2020, I was aware of the virus, but wasn’t initially concerned because there have previously been other infectious outbreaks and epidemics, and they didn’t affect the country and world like COVID-19 has. Even the H1N1 pandemic didn’t completely shut down the country.
In early February, I had a conference in Washington, D.C. and was concerned with the airplane’s recirculated air (as I normally am), so wore a neck gaiter on the plane in case I ended up sitting next to anyone who was coughing or appeared sick. The conference and flights were fine and I returned with no illness.
As we headed into March, I became a bit more concerned, but took the wait-and-see approach because I didn’t want my wife and I to panic. I wanted us to remain rational, logical and critical in thinking and planning our next steps for dealing with the outbreak-turned-epidemic-turned-pandemic.
Luckily we were already stocked up on toilet paper and paper towels, so we started stocking up on frozen and non-perishable items in the event we needed to go on lockdown. We did so just in time for the California stay-at-home order.
However, we thought we, as a country, would have a handle on this before Fall, and purchased tickets to fly home (to Oʻahu) in late October for a wedding and to visit family. The wedding has since been postponed, and we had our airline tickets refunded.
Q2: As the magnitude of the coronavirus came to light, what were the restrictions in your area?
A: The L.A. County mayor and California governor both issued a stay-at-home order on the same day in mid-March with only essential travel and work allowed, but it didn’t appear to be enforced by law enforcement. The early closure seemed to initially do well for California and L.A. County, as COVID-19 raged throughout New York.
Q3: As time went by, how did the situation/restrictions change? What were some of the concerns of your friends, family or coworkers?
A: Part of the state started to reopen in late May and early June. As much as we wanted to venture out and get back to “normal,” we were very hesitant to do so because many people still didn’t seem to take the virus, mask wearing and social distancing seriously, which then led to certain counties, including Los Angeles, to have to shut down again in July.
As COVID-19 infections and death tolls rose, our initial concerns were keeping ourselves safe, staying observant and vigilant of our surroundings and those around us when going out for necessities. Because there are no visual indicators of who is infected with SARS-CoV-2 and so many could be asymptomatic carriers, it’s really uneasy seeing people without masks or having them invade your six-feet socially distanced personal bubble; not knowing if they are at higher risks of exposure or taking precautionary measures like we were.
My friends, family and coworkers all had/have similar concerns and fears. This pandemic, along with the civil and political unrest going on in the country, really caused and continues to cause anxiety and stress intertwined with trying to get to a new “normal” routine.
Q4: How did your work situation change?
A: My wife and I are fortunately still working and transitioned to working from home in mid-March. I was one of the first in my department to test working from home in a two-week rotation. The intent was to return to the office after two weeks while another group left to do the same for two weeks. However, L.A. County and the state issued a stay-at-home order the following week, and the majority of office employees were instructed to work from home.
Within the next few weeks, office equipment was shipped to employees’ homes to have their office necessities set up. Aside from emails and phone calls, Zoom has been an extremely important application for us to continue conducting business “face to face.” The work-from-home platform has worked out so much that many of my coworkers prefer and enjoy it, and are hopeful that we’ll be able to continue some sort of hybrid schedule after we transition back into the office next year.
Q5: How did you spend time at home? Did you take up new activities or hobbies? How did you feel?
A: We’re pretty much homebodies, so moving towards watching more TV (and subscribing to a couple more streaming subscriptions), cooking more, and adding in some much-needed workouts while being confined to our home have not really affected us. FaceTime and Zoom have helped us stay in contact with friends and family, although we really do miss having IRL (in real life) interaction with them.
No additional hobbies or activities, however, with what we’ve been able to save from not going/dining out or traveling, we’ve been able to purchase household items that make life at home a bit more comfortable and enjoyable. We’ve also done occasional drop offs or shipped goodies to friends and family as a “just because.”
Q6: If you have children, what is their current situation? Challenges?
A: No children and currently no pets.
Q7: If you don’t have children, what are a few of the daily challenges?
A: N/A
Q8: At this time, have you returned to work? How have things changed at your work site?
A: Currently, the majority of the office continues to work from home and there were no plans to transition back before the end of 2020. I go into the office once every couple of weeks for a few hours to take care of certain things, get some cubicle time, and FaceTime with a few others who are also in the office doing the same.
Office protocols are to always wear a face mask and only come in if I’m feeling well without any symptoms or high temperature. There are hand sanitizers and sanitation wipes throughout the office. Everyone who goes into the office spreads out (at least every other cubicle, but distances are often much farther) and maintains at least six feet of distance when speaking with others. Everyone has been very respectful of the new “normal.”
Prior to COVID-19, we used to have several visitors to conduct business at the office and several of my coworkers often travel for their jobs, however, these have all stopped for the time being. Now, all business is conducted over the phone or by Zoom meetings.
Being in the food industry, there was never a shortage of snacks and shared food around the office, but open bags, boxes and containers of food, and office gatherings are no longer allowed. Instead, we have become quite creative with having celebrations—showers (bridal or baby) and seasonal gatherings—with games, contests and skits, all via Zoom. I am very lucky to work for a great company with amazing coworkers who continue to be supportive and keep up morale.
Q9: Looking back on the past few months and spending a moment to reflect, what are your impressions now?
A: There’s continued anxiety and uncertainty for what’s to come, and I think a good chunk of that is due to currently not knowing if we’ll have the same or different administration in office in January 2021. Where we are now in COVID is not where I thought we’d be back in March through June; I thought we’d have a better handle on this by now. However, I’m still hopeful that we can and will get through COVID. It’s just going to take longer than people expected or hoped for, but hopefully society will have enough tolerance and patience for the varying COVID color coding levels needed for reopening cities, counties and states. The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic lasted a couple years, surely with all the science and technology that we have now, we should be able to figure this out sooner, right?
Q10: What is the “new normal” for you at home, at work?
A: For work, I roll out of bed, do a quick workout to get the blood flowing, and get ready for my 15-second commute to my home office setup. I tend to work longer hours because it’s harder to stop when work is right there, but I do make it a point to not check emails on my days off. Need to mentally be able to separate work and home when both are under the same roof.
For home, the main difference is that we’re not going out to events or physically seeing people that we normally would prior to COVID. We love where we currently live and have our staple places to grocery shop and pick up take-out food. The only thing that would brighten our home life a bit more is to adopt another furbaby. Our beloved cat passed away about a year ago and we have been without a pet since. The initial plan was to be pet-free while traveling more and not having to worry about boarding or finding a pet sitter...but then COVID happened. It’s been challenging not having a pet while staying and working from home, however when the right time presents itself, we’ll adopt one looking for his/her forever home.
Q11: Is there something positive you or your family have experienced during this time?
A: My wife and I have been through many ups and downs throughout our years together. Our time through COVID has supported the fact that regardless of what happens, we can get through anything together. My wife and I are together basically 24/7 and we have not pulled out our hair yet, so that’s a good thing! The time together has resulted in us communicating more, reflecting and discussing local, national and world issues, and basically just enjoying our time together. We also use Facetime/Zoom, phone, and text to stay in contact with close friends and family, and feel like we’ve gotten closer to them in many ways despite everything going on.