COVID Perspectives - Chicago
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.
Grace isn’t normally one for selfies, however this spot definitely called for an exception
Name: Grace
Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea
Current Home: Chicago, Illinois
Occupation: Jewelry designer, although my formal title is creative director
Why Leave?: Lived in Hawai‘i since the age of 12 and left in 1985 to make a new start and attend college
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: I realized that we had to be much more strict about cleanliness. Made sure we all had masks when going out and was religious about hand washing / sanitizing. We restricted our activities to just the essentials from the grocery store or Target for cleaning and hygiene supplies.
Q2: As the magnitude of the coronavirus came to light, what were the restrictions in your area?
A: For Illinois, they had a multiphase restriction protocol, which was very clearly laid out.
No gatherings over 10 people, six-feet distance between, masks worn in public. Schools, salons, any non-essential businesses including restaurants and bars were closed. Travel was discouraged unless absolutely necessary. The Chicago Tribune had a very good set of articles on the statewide restrictions. We were to move through phase 2 to 3, where restrictions would be loosened if the positivity rate went down below 8%, I think. We were really good for awhile so the restrictions were relaxed to phase 3, but shot up as cold weather came on and the Thanksgiving holiday came around. Now we haven’t formally gone back to phase 2, but they are issuing a strong advisory to go back to quarantining.
Q3: As time went by, how did the situation/restrictions change? What were some of the concerns of your friends, family or coworkers?
A: The people I’ve spoken to had all the concerns about unintentionally infecting loved ones, especially the elderly. There was one coworker who kind of resented having to be told to wear a mask all the time, but I believe she has come around.
Q4: How did your work situation change?
A: As soon as the governor issued the stay-in-place order, our company did an excellent job of letting everyone who was able to work from home do so. They made sure we were set up with company laptops and VPN connections to the servers. Our team did an exceptional job of transitioning to a work-from-home environment. We’ve been using Microsoft Teams to have our team meetings virtually.
Q5: How did you spend time at home? Did you take up new activities or hobbies? How did you feel?
A: At first I felt so fortunate to work from home; I was relieved and really love working from home. We cooked a lot before COVID, but now we cook even more. We do intentionally order carry-out once a week to support our neighborhood restaurants. I do get out to take walks two to three times a week and my stress level has gone down a lot. Time does pass differently, since my routine tends to be simpler and smaller. In some ways it’s a little monotonous, but I’m more of a homebody anyway so it doesn’t bother me as much as some of my extroverted friends. I don’t see ever going back to being in an office every day.
Q6: If you have children, what are their current situations? Challenges?
A: Jae is a sophomore at University of Illinois in Champaign. He lives in an apartment with three other friends and is quarantining in his apartment, learning remotely. Fortunately, the other apartments on his floor are all his friends, and they’ve all been quarantining as well, so they’re in a ready-made pod. He seems to be doing okay.
On the other hand, my youngest, Evan, an 8th grader, is learning remotely from home. The Chicago Public School system has provided all students with their own Chromebooks, so it’s been okay. He really misses his friends, though, and lately has found a good connection with his old elementary school friends (who all go to different schools now) by playing online games together. I try to encourage him to get outside to get some physical exercise since most of his time is spent in front of a screen, but it’s like pulling teeth.
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: I do occasionally go into the office to pick up samples for review. The building is mostly empty, with a skeleton crew of customer service staff who still come in every day to process orders, but there is a security guard who takes everyone’s temperature, and we have to wear masks when in public spaces within the building. The cleaning staff disinfects the building every day and all the conference meeting rooms are closed off.
Q9: Looking back on the past few months and spending a moment to reflect, what are your impressions now?
A: I think this is going to be the new normal for awhile. Even if a vaccine becomes widely available, COVID won’t go away completely for a long time. Our ideas of personal space and public behavior are forever changed. (Editor’s note: As of press time, a vaccine has been approved in the U.S., and people statewide have been getting vaccines in the first wave)
Q10: What is the “new normal” for you at home, at work?
A: I wake up around 7:30, sans makeup/hairdo, pull on my comfy stretch pants and a sweatshirt, roll downstairs, make coffee, fire up my computer and let it churn in the startup menu. We migrated to OneDrive, so it takes awhile to get everything going. I check emails to see if there are any fires to be put out and go about my day. I break for lunch around noon, heat up some leftovers, then if the weather is nice, I go out for a walk. I usually have meetings throughout the day, so I have to schedule my walks accordingly. I have Teams downloaded to my phone, so I always take it with me to answer questions from the team. I’ve also taken to listening to inspiring podcasts while I’m walking. I’ve really enjoyed Michelle Obama’s podcasts, as well as Invisibilia and Hidden Brain.
Q11: Is there something positive you or your family have experienced during this time?
A: In some ways it’s brought my family closer, but in other ways, we’re each trying to carve out our own spaces. Fortunately, our house is big enough for the three of us to find our own little corners of privacy. We’ve made dinners and other chores more egalitarian—I make dinner three days a week, my husband Pete takes the other three days, and Evan takes one night. We actually had a family meeting about it to make it more fair. Pete used to make dinner all the time and it was burning him out since he still works outside of the house.