Erin Stafford is prepared for the coronavirus outbreak.
Stafford, a financial services content strategist, has a month’s worth of food at her home in Boston. Cans and cans of tuna, beans and soup. Frozen salmon patties. Ramen noodles. While Stafford normally works from home on Fridays, her office has told employees to work from home during the week, with remote working expected for up to one month.
“I definitely think it’s the best thing for society as a whole,” Stafford said of measures intended to lessen close person-to-person contact amid the outbreak. “So, I am 100% on board with the game plan.”
Yet, Stafford is concerned about one potential effect of this preventive measure.
“I live alone, I do not have pets, I only have my plants,” she said. “So, I’m a little bit nervous about what it’s going to be like to spend this much time in isolation. Other than going out for a walk along the river, because that’s what I consider safe social distancing at this point, I’m really planning on avoiding other social engagements.”
Stafford is one of potentially millions of Americans whose daily life will be impacted by coronavirus-spurred measures to minimize in-person contact. As the number of US coronavirus cases continues to swell, both government authorities and private concerns have taken steps to foster “social distancing”.
Various US states and cities have enacted policies that limit close contact between people, in an attempt to slow this fast-moving outbreak; some of these mandates have included closing schools, prohibiting large gatherings, and limiting patrons at restaurants and bars. New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, ordered the closure of all Broadway shows until 13 April.
Meanwhile, the National Basketball League suspended its season, as did Major League Soccer, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball. Performances and cultural events have been put off, as have some political rallies. Businesses across the US are increasingly encouraging their employees to work from home, as happened with Stafford’s place of employ.
These measures don’t just keep people apart: they inevitably keep them from going out, requiring them to keep busy at home.
“I have at least 10 books I’ve never read and I’m like, ‘Oh, this will come in really handy,’” she said. “I was planning to start a drawing class in April, because I’ve always wanted to get into painting. I’ve got all these art supplies. Now, I can pull up some YouTube videos, and teach myself to work on that.”
With her smart TV, she can do yoga and strength training exercises in her living room.
“I stocked up on some wine, so I can probably have FaceTime and wine hangouts with some friends,” she said.
Rebecca Dennett, a freelance stylist residing in Brooklyn, said she would prioritize when to leave the apartment and stick close to home. She would FaceTime and call people, and go on walks with friends.
If the situation deteriorated and going outside, while maintaining distance from others, wasn’t as viable an option, she’d go on Netflix and “sort things out that I haven’t” around the house. “Marie Kondo my apartment, that was one of my ideas,” said Dennett, referring to the Japanese decluttering guru. “I’ve already done that, but I’m probably just going to re-do it, have a wardrobe clean out.”
She doesn’t tension with her roommates – two cats.
“They’re fine,” she said. “They’re probably going to be really happy, because I’ll be around a lot more.”
Dana Humphrey, CEO of Whitegate PR, neither wants nor intends to weather mass disruptions of social activities at home.
“I am supposed to fly to Guatemala on Wednesday, and I sat on hold for two hours last night to see if i could fly out earlier,” said Humphrey, a resident of New York City’s Queens borough. “Sitting at home, not being able to go to events, is not OK for me.”
“I just feel like there’s no point in being in New York,” she said. “I don’t want to be here. I want to get out of here.”
“If you’re constantly afraid of what your neighbor is up to, it’s no way to live.”
Ryan Walker, who DJs post-punk and goth rock at the Pyramid Club in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, said the venue is closed temporarily due to the outbreak. Walker, who also spends time at the Pyramid Club when he’s not DJing, said he has fewer friends leaving home, “so it’s kind of less people to hang out with”.
“There is still reason to go out,” he said. “I feel like, the people that are going out, we have a sense of humor about things, we understand the severity … but it’s just our way of keeping our morale up.”
Walker – who said that while he’s not “welding my door shut”, he is limiting contact with older family members – said that he would find ways to occupy himself if the situation worsened.
He would watch Netflix with his girlfriend or take online finance courses.
“So yeah, that and probably just listen to more music,” he said. “I’m always on the lookout for more music for my DJ sets. It would be an excuse for me to hang around and find danceable stuff that I’ve never heard of before.”
Walker said his two roommates appeared to be handling the outbreak without incident.
“So far, in our apartment, you probably wouldn’t know there was a global pandemic outside,” he said. “That could change, you know, it’s supposed to be doubling everyday … so, we might be freaking out if you called me a week from now.”
