Covid-19 Pandemic Reflections

August 4th marks five months, since Covid-19 touched down in Los Angeles, and in that time, 156K Americans have perished. With so many occurrences and notable American historical events such as the slaying of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter Unrest, and the passing of the Civil Rights Legend, John Lewis. I would like to focus on the thirteen days, leading up to the Stay At Home order.

Los Angeles's official shut down was on March 18th, 2020, and weeks prior, I had two jobs where I would be considered essential. As a socially anxious and natural introverted person, I was somewhat prepared but I felt safer being overly prepared. So, I quit my weekend job because I expected a decline in my mental health.

Yet, I was obsessed. To watch humanity be threatened by this unknown chaos, people were willing to disregard their own humanity for the undeveloped ideal of self-preservation. Toilet paper will never be seen as essential but I had a moment of weakness because I currently have more pints of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream than toilet paper rolls.

In early May, Los Angeles pre-pubescently went into phase two and reopened some non-essential businesses with masks requirement. In late July, the California virus cases spiked and we were threatened to shut back down. With school starting in a few weeks, I am filled with the same emotions from when the virus touched down in Los Angeles. If adults cannot collectively preserve humanity, how are we suppose to expect small people?