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Coping with Coronavirus in California

Stay Home, Stay Healthy, and Stay Calm

By Natalie RosenPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Maybe I'm a stubborn optimist, but I still think the glass is half full.

The specifics of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are rapidly changing and like nothing anyone alive today has ever experienced. At the time of publication, the virus has sickened nearly 200,000 people and killed over 8,000 worldwide.

As a writer, I’m publishing this in full acknowledgement that things are changing and escalating so quickly that anything I write will likely be outdated within days, if not hours. I also acknowledge that I am not a medical professional, have no firsthand experience dealing with the virus, and yes, I know the Internet is already saturated with coronavirus content.

Still, as an extraverted, California-based millennial working from home and practicing social distancing for the foreseeable future, I wanted to offer some thoughts on coping with COVID-19 as I continue to come to terms with the reality of the situation at hand.

Work from Home and Paid Sick Leave

On Thursday, March 12, my opinion of WFH did a complete 180 within a 4 hour period, after I saw the now-famous “flattening the curve” graphs. Previously, I was not too interested in working from home since I’d normally rather be in the office with my coworkers, but now I’m thankful I work in a field where the remote transition is relatively easy, since almost all of our operations are online.

In some industries and companies, shifting to remote work is not so easy. Sometimes it is impossible. What’s even more concerning is that many workers throughout the United States do not have paid sick leave. This is a vulnerability within our economic system that forces many workers to choose between their health and their livelihood, if their employers can even stay open. With this particular virus having such a long incubation period, a lack of sick leave is especially perilous.

California is one of the few states that does require paid sick leave for workers, and its laws are some of the most generous to employees. California’s Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 may serve as a valuable model for other states to follow. Hopefully, as businesses, employees, and lawmakers scramble to figure things out in the short term, this situation will catalyze the adoption of a more holistic, public-health-centered approach to paid sick leave in the long term.

Stay Connected

Even prior to the announcement of the national 15 Days to Slow the Spread campaign on Monday, March 16, Californians were being advised to practice social distancing as the virus spread rapidly in our state. In some ways, this was made easier as local governments advised more and more types of businesses to temporarily close. As places to go become fewer and gatherings become more restricted, we need to find creative new ways to stay connected. Some of my favorite ideas so far include:

Establishing regular check-in times with loved ones

Making use of video calling apps like WhatsApp and Google Hangouts

Paying attention to the needs of others and offering support

Writing letters or response poems with friends (if you like writing as much as I do)

Watching a movie or TV show -- even if you are not physically together, you can still watch the same thing at the same time and talk about it

Mind Your Mental Health

Wherever you are in the world, chances are the pandemic has been affecting your life to some degree. In a time as uncertain and scary as this one, it’s important to remember to take care of your mental health in addition to your physical health. The CDC website has a page on managing anxiety & stress during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the social connection tips mentioned above, some things that have been helping me so far include:

Trying to stick to a regular schedule and have goals for each day

Meditating and going for walks outside

Checking the news at specific, limited times only

Finding (and creating) content and resources to share with others

Challenging myself to look for silver linings, no matter how small

Certainly, this is a strange and scary time for all of us. While I’m sure the global situation will continue to evolve in the coming days, the best things we can do for now are stay home, stay healthy, and stay calm as we continue making contingency plans and hoping for the best.

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About the Creator

Natalie Rosen

A writer for safer-america.com, Natalie writes about business, law, and consumer safety issues. In her free time, she journals, composes poems, and goes through more Pilot G-2 07 black pens than could be considered reasonable.

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