Since the pandemic started in March of 2020, so much has happened, and so much has changed in all of our lives. Of course, some of our lives have changed more than others. During the time since the Covid-19 pandemic was announced, I was furloughed from my job, my job was eliminated, I took a temporary job as a contact tracer, and then took a new permanent job. I am honestly grateful for every piece of the puzzle that was my life during the pandemic and realize it could have been so much worse. Many, including myself, have lost family and friends to Covid-19, and we know others who have had their health impacted long-term due to lingering effects of having the virus.
The pandemic actually taught us we could do things with technology that we had recently only speculated about. It was amazing to see how technology took over our communications because we had no choice. Technology was front and center at keeping communication open during the pandemic. Due to technology, we were able to provide virtual care to patients in most places all over the country, so patients would not have to come into the office and risk exposure to the virus.
As of just last week, we have received the go-ahead from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that we can take off our masks in public except for certain places of exception.
The day after the announcement was made by the CDC that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks in public, I took a trip to the local grocery store, and YES, without my mask on. I felt guilty almost instantly, as I somehow was noticing the people with masks more than the people without masks. When I was at the check-out, I told the clerk that I was feeling guilty about not wearing my mask. She said that the staff hadn’t gotten the “go ahead” to not wear masks while working. For some crazy reason, I felt the need to tell the clerk that “I had worn a mask faithfully for over a year after we went into lockdown.”
Needless to say, I’m now back to wearing masks in public again, and realize that I am still in a pandemic state of mind. I don’t want anyone to think that I am being disrespectful of anyone else’s health and well-being. I also now have a stronger sense of the value masks have against other respiratory illnesses. Personally, I think masks are a great line of defense when in crowded areas, with or without Covid-19. I have become ill on occasion before Covid after a cruise, and after attending public events where there were lots of people. I have no doubt the time will come soon, and I will not feel guilty without a mask, however; the pandemic has also taught me that I still like ordering groceries online, I still like cooking at home, I still like watching Netflix, and I still like working from home, but believe me, I can’t wait for our family vacation at the beach this Summer!
My main point here is that it is going to be quite sometime before many of us get out of the pandemic state of mind, and that’s okay! The Covid-19 pandemic is historic and has placed us all in trying times, and some say we are now facing what is a new normal due to the fallout from the pandemic.
I would love to hear your pandemic stories as they will be so different, but yet the same in that we all had to pivot somehow during the pandemic. What a whirlwind it was, and let's hope the worst is over!
Stay safe and quite well,
Karen Griffith RN, MSN, BC-NC