The coronavirus outbreak in 2019 was ultimately contained but had a devastating effect on the United States and world. Municipal, state, and federal governments approached the crisis in various ways, and my state instituted the ‘New York on PAUSE Plan’, which required residents to stay home to the extent possible, and to avoid all nonessential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason. But leeway was given for those working in essential businesses, which included nurses and pharmacists.
My name is Lenore, but most people call me Leni, and my husband, David, who is a somewhat introverted pharmacist, and I were living in a condominium community in upstate New York when the stay-at-home order was given. He was twenty-eight years old at the time, and I was twenty-five, and had quit my teaching job to care for our four-month-old daughter, who I was breastfeeding.
Our best friends in our condominium complex were, and still are, Bryan, a flirty and gregarious businessman who was twenty-seven at the time, and his wife, Megan, who is a registered nurse and was twenty-five. They live next door to us, and we socialized a lot with them, being careful to stay at home and use good hygiene practices, even before the stay-at-home order was issued.
We were so close that we had been sharing food, toilet paper, cleaning products, and other resources, and considered ourselves to be one family, sharing the sheltering experience together. But as the virus spread, proved to be more contagious, and the stay-at-home order was issued, we became more concerned about David and Megan, who were still working in their critical roles, being exposed and bringing the virus home to Bryan, me, and my daughter.
My name is Lenore, but most people call me Leni, and my husband, David, who is a somewhat introverted pharmacist, and I were living in a condominium community in upstate New York when the stay-at-home order was given. He was twenty-eight years old at the time, and I was twenty-five, and had quit my teaching job to care for our four-month-old daughter, who I was breastfeeding.
Our best friends in our condominium complex were, and still are, Bryan, a flirty and gregarious businessman who was twenty-seven at the time, and his wife, Megan, who is a registered nurse and was twenty-five. They live next door to us, and we socialized a lot with them, being careful to stay at home and use good hygiene practices, even before the stay-at-home order was issued.
We were so close that we had been sharing food, toilet paper, cleaning products, and other resources, and considered ourselves to be one family, sharing the sheltering experience together. But as the virus spread, proved to be more contagious, and the stay-at-home order was issued, we became more concerned about David and Megan, who were still working in their critical roles, being exposed and bringing the virus home to Bryan, me, and my daughter.
