'New York is returning to its usual rhythm': how a Russian-speaking family experiences quarantine

New York has experienced many epidemics - yellow fever, cholera, polio, typhoid fever, Spanish flu. This year it became the epicenter of another - COVID-19. About how the restrictive measures in connection with the epidemic have affected life in the city and specifically its family, in its blog for "Voices of America" said immigrant Svetlana Sischuk.

What has changed since the outbreak in New York

Since March 22, 2020, New York has been paused. So the governor of state Andrew Cuomo called a set of restrictive measures in connection with the pandemic of coronavirus infection.

Since then, much has changed in the city: enterprises, institutions and companies that are not involved in ensuring the life of the city have stopped working. It is forbidden to hold meetings, conferences, exhibitions. Schools, kindergartens, shopping centers, hairdressers, cinemas, theaters, gyms, libraries, museums and the like do not work. Hospitals accept only patients with emergency cases, and all planned operations and procedures are canceled.

Only pharmacies, grocery stores, laundries, and also veterinary clinics and medical offices continue to work, but by appointment.

Cafes and restaurants operate exclusively in delivery and take-away modes.

Public transport is working. True, some metro lines were closed, and trains and buses ply at great intervals. In addition, on May 6, the metro stopped working around the clock.

There is no curfew in the city, but the mayor of the city and the governor of the state insistently during their briefings not to hang around the streets without unnecessary need.

People aged 70 and over should stay at home and go out or use public transport in case of emergency.

You can walk with families, with children, run, ride a bike or scooter, individually engage in sports in the fresh air, walk dogs, subject to the distance. You can move around the city in an individual car.

Parks and beaches have not been closed in the state and city. The only thing is that they have fenced off the playgrounds with yellow tape.

New Yorkers are required to maintain a distance of almost 2 meters. Residents of the city should cover their faces in public places if it is impossible to maintain a social distance. Doctors and officials recommend using scarves, bandanas, multiple masks for this, and also show how to make them yourself. Medical masks are asked to be left for workers providing the vital functions of the city.

Penalties are provided only for non-compliance with social distance. The fine has been increased since April 7. Previously, the amount ranged from $ 200 to $ 500, now - from $ 500 to $ 1000.

On the sites of the city and state, you can complain if you notice violations: a large gathering of people or working enterprises for which this is not supposed. New Yorkers relate to such restrictions in different ways. Mostly with understanding and fulfill them. In the first weeks of quarantine of people and cars on the streets, there was significantly less than usual.

During walks, townspeople politely bypass each other. Masks and gloves are worn by many, but by no means all.

But there are some areas in New York where, since the beginning of quarantine, almost no attention was paid to the established rules. These are mainly quarters of compact residence of Jewish communities, as well as areas where African Americans and Hispanics live. The most obedient were residents of Chinese communities. They even closed grocery stores and restaurants that could work.

How do authorities act during an epidemic?

Almost daily, Bill Mayor, where Blasio and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo broadcast live. They talk about the situation in the city and the state, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, how many people tested, how many are in hospitals, how many have recovered / died, what are the problems with providing hospitals and the like. All broadcasts can be viewed in posts on social networks.

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The mayor’s page even has a separate hashtag #AskMyMayor, where Bill de Blasio answers some questions that concern New Yorkers.

All performances are translated into sign language. On television constantly broadcast social advertising about the rules of conduct during a pandemic.

The story of one family

Members of a New York family described how the restrictions imposed by the epidemic affected their way of life. So, for the mother and son, quarantine began on March 16, when schools were closed in New York. For my husband, a week later, when the hotel where he worked was closed. “I cannot say that the daily routine in our family has changed a lot. The schedule is still adjusted to the son's day regimen. He wakes up early and goes to bed early - either it's a weekday, or a day off, or a vacation. Now the time for getting up / going has changed by only 20-30 minutes, ”the mother said.

Distance learning began for children on 23 March. “Our son is a first grade student in a Brooklyn public school. Quality distance learning is organized here. The schedule of classes is as close as possible to that of the school. Therefore, from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 14:30, the son is busy in the virtual school, and I help him, "she added.

My husband is now in charge of household matters. “He buys groceries, goes to the laundry, cooks. The spouse receives unemployment benefits from the state and a supplement from the federal government. This amount is less than he earned before, but it is enough to cover the necessary expenses: rent, utilities, health insurance for his son, food, ”says a New Yorker.

The family spends their free time on the street, by the ocean, as well as drawing, watching cartoons and playing games. “Our son is the hardest part of the change. The usual way of life is important for him, and he loves school very much, ”my mother explained and added:“ But for me the important question was that the laundries work. Washing machines cannot be installed in our apartments, as in many apartment buildings in New York. Therefore, we use the laundry. "

Another change that the family faced was related to food and goods. “In the first week of quarantine with Amazon, one of the types of feed our kitty eats has disappeared. Then it was, but three times more expensive than usual. Now everything is all right. ”

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One procedure was also planned for March for a cat, but they called back from the clinic and asked to make an appointment after quarantine was canceled.

In terms of precautions, members of this New York family have not changed their lifestyle much due to the quarantine. “We do not wear masks and rubber gloves when we go for a walk or drive a car. I don't wash the floor with bleach several times a day. We do not disinfect clothes when we come from the street. More often than usual, I do wet cleaning in the apartment. And I had wet wipes and a disinfectant in my bag even before the epidemic. Hands have always been washed after the street. Our son is trained to do this from childhood and controls everyone, ”she said. - We are not doing anything special in quarantine, or something that we have not done before. If the weather permits, we go out with our son for an hour or two on the street with a scooter or a bicycle, or go to the ocean. "

The head of the family runs several times a week in the morning on the embankment by the bay. Parents alternately try to entertain their son with something interesting, thus giving each other a rest.

What will happen next

The state government has developed a phased plan to return New York to its familiar rhythm of life. All previous restrictions are valid until May 15.

Last Friday, Andrew Cuomo announced the final decision: schools will remain closed until the end of the school year. “In New York, the school year ends on June 26th, so we still have seven full weeks of distance learning,” said a New Yorker.

To ensure that students were in touch and could study at home, the city’s Department of Education provided for temporary use to those who need it, 300 thousand iPads with an Internet connection.

Free distribution points continue to operate in the city. Breakfast and lunch are available at 435 points from Monday to Friday.

Governor Cuomo emphasized that the resumption of work of institutions and enterprises will occur in different regions of the state at different times. Now they continue to monitor and track new cases of COVID-19.

Initially, it is planned to open institutions and companies with low risk of infection of workers and customers. As the overall level of infection decreases, the rates of opening companies and enterprises will increase. First of all, the state plans to open construction companies, factories and factories.

The city is gradually returning to its usual rhythm. Sirens of ambulances are heard less and less, more and more people are walking in the streets and in parks, shops are opening.

For nearly four hundred years, New York City has responded to disease outbreaks in the city in a variety of ways. In the Big Apple, they built water pipes, new hospitals, quarantine stations, social housing, created parks and green areas. “I think this time we are also expecting updates. Let's see how New York will change after COVID-19, ”summed up a resident of the metropolis.