Covid-19 in NYC: our community shares stories of quarantine and self-isolation. Today, meet Katherine, from Russia
The pandemic is dramatically reshaping life in New York. Beyond the headlines, members of our community share their first-person accounts on navigating the outbreak. Katherine, who grew up near a nuclear plant in Russia, explains how this experience has equipped her to deal with the current health crisis
READ ALSO: NWNY Covid-19 resource list for immigrant women, from food access and financial support to reliable sources of information about the virus.
Text and pictures by Katherine Ocheret
If you grew up in a town near a nuclear power plant and your parents are still working there, you are prepared for a situation like this. A virus is similar to radiation: you touch it – you have it; you are near something contaminated – you have it. And from your early childhood, you know how to deal with it.
Living in Brooklyn, I go outside now only for grocery shopping or laundry. I put on clothes, masks, glasses, and vinyl gloves. When I come back I take off all the “cover” – dispose of gloves, take off all my clothes to underwear and leave it in the hallway – “dirty zone”. Just like my father does it every day at the nuclear plant. It is as easy as a daily routine. Then I wash hands, face, and sanitize mask, phone, and keys. You feel like in a disaster movie.
Two views from Katherine’s window in Brooklyn. Pictures: Katherine Ocheret Once busy, streets in Brooklyn are almost empty since the outbreak started.
When someone tells me a mask doesn’t work, I don’t believe it, because the nose and the mouth are the first “gates” for the virus, no matter how it spreads [New York residents must wearing masks in public when social distancing is not possible, including on public transport, in stores and on crowded sidewalks]. I know how to make a mask out of the pillowcases – from the school lessons (remember, I am from a small town near a nuclear plant). And finally, my knowledge became useful and I can share the handmade masks with grocery workers in my neighborhood because they work on the frontlines without any protection. Since the disposable masks have already ended, I had to sew from my husband’s shirt. It’s amazing how much you can make of shirts: pillows, patchwork blankets, now here are the masks. I gave a couple to the employees of our local store, otherwise they would be standing the whole day without any protection.
Epidemics and quarantine are not easy things. But you can find a silver lining even in situations like these. I am enjoying my time with my child at home, and I am finally doing all the stuff I haven’t had time for. I also know that this crisis, like all the crises, will not last forever. Unlike radiation, the virus will come to an end one day.
