With large gatherings canceled and quarantines, Who is at risk?
Large conventions and other gatherings have been canceled, leaving and entering countries has become much harder, and people are being quarantined. One thing is clear– people are at risk due to the current pandemic, and some more than others.
COVID-19, short for Coronavirus Disease 2019, according to data released from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, places older people and people with preexisting medical conditions at a higher risk of getting very sick from the illness.
The CDC’s website has had a significant spike in views, according to SimilarWeb, and the information presented on their website is aimed at being helpful for nursing homes and long-term care facilities in general.
Now, the outbreak of this disease impacts my project tremendously. I really wanted to go to a nursing home, speak to workers and the people that live there and flesh out a story based on what’s happening there as well as in local government.
Given the fact that the CDC is saying, “Visitation should be limited further to only those who are essential for the resident’s emotional well-being and care,” this makes it very hard, maybe even impossible, for me to visit in person.
I think I’ll do more research since even the Boston Globe is posting stuff on the topic I’m looking into, but the article doesn’t reach a conclusion on the question of whether or not nursing homes are facing backbreaking problems due to understaffing.
Personally, I’d love to do a story right this second on it. However, I don’t have too much of a motivation to do it since I’m so overwhelmed with classes and stress.
It’s an important story, but I also want to do it justice. Talking about people’s lives and the impact this virus has on the community is not something to be treated lightly.
Sure, I could pop off calls left and right but I can’t find the courage to pick up the phone. I don’t want to interfere in the lives of others who have bigger things to deal with. I don’t think the quality of my piece would do justice to the conflict. I’ve made this error before, which is why I’m so hesitant to run the possibility of repeating my error.
Once again in my life, I ask the question many other college students have asked me, “Why are you taking this so seriously?” I don’t know. Should I act like the things I write don’t matter?
Thinking nobody will read my stories or even this blog, does it not reflect back on me as a person if I decide to not care what I say? I want to believe my work can have an impact.
You know, now I can kind of understand why I’ve been told often that I overthink things. Well, I suppose the answers will reveal themselves in time.
I hope our break will make things a bit easier and give me some time to breathe.
