Everyone in the country is urged to stay home and self-quarantine as COVID-19 makes its way to every state in the U.S, with now over 21,000 confirmed cases in America. As more tests are being administered, the number of confirmed cases in New York State surged to over 10,000 as of March 21st, 2020, single-handedly outnumbering any other state. The high infection rate of COVID-19 forced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to take the most extreme step in slowing the spread of the virus: New York State Lockdown.
This lockdown demands 100% of the workforce in New York, excluding essential services such as hospitals, pharmacies, and public transportations, to stop working and commit to self-quarantine. This means millions of working New Yorkers will now have to work from home or become temporarily unemployed for an uncertain amount of time.
Without the normal work routine, many people began to look for ways to entertain themselves. Binging Netflix, face-timing friends, and endlessly watching Tiktok are some common ways people resorted to spending their time.
However, while many are complaining about the long and boring days in quarantine and worried about how to spend time without going insane, a significant number of New Yorkers have a bigger concern. For households that are not as financially fortunate, the lockdown not only meant isolation from social interaction but more adversely, running out of money. Without a job, they have lost their source of income, which is especially difficult for those that live paycheck by paycheck.
Therefore, it is important to always take things into perspective and be grateful for what we have. We should be mindful that buying toilet paper and masks in bulk is not only creating paranoia, but also incredibly selfish. Hospitals and other medical facilities are running low on resources necessary to take care of patients. With inefficient hospital services, more people are left untreated and forced to resort to self- isolation, consequently putting more people in danger. We must work together as a community to conquer this virus.
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