Jonathan Peterson ‘23
Staff Editor
My back aches. My mind is tired, whittled down to an unproductive nub by countless hours of mental strain. I’ve never worked this hard in my life, and my body, hunched into a position fit for someone fifty years my senior, is beginning to reflect that fact. The pillow caresses my grossly convex back, a seemingly well-intentioned act undercut by the extreme lack of lumbar support. My TV plays what must be the millionth episode of some sitcom, affirming that I am Netflix’s most dedicated customer. A knock on my door—my mom has brought me dinner. Life is hard.
Suffice to say, despite the melodrama playing out above, I had a cushier quarantine than your average Wahoo. I was, like many before me, locked in my room for ten full days after exposure. I, like many, saw the outside world mostly through my window and interacted with friends entirely virtually. However, because of my own personal situation—living at home—I likely retained more amenities than most in a similar position. Oddly, it felt reminiscent of high school. Scarily, I can’t say I hated it.
For that to be the case, my story is necessarily riddled with privilege. I am lucky. Lucky to have a vaccinated mother, lucky to have caring friends, lucky to be capable of Zooming into school. And I am blessed to have remained COVID free. Which is why my personal experience is perhaps not the best to highlight when trying to talk about the strains of quarantine and isolation, or what one should picture if they have a friend or acquaintance going through the same. It isn’t easy. Which is why I believe it’s important to talk about what people can do for those going through it.
The most difficult part of quarantine is perhaps the loneliness. In our technological era, it isn’t especially difficult to kill time, although doing so enjoyably is its own beast. However, Snapchats, texts, and even FaceTime calls don’t exactly substitute the coffee-and-muffin-conversations we enjoy in ScoCo. Even the brief wave and smiling eyes of a passing friend in a hallway have a different impact than virtual interactions. Of course, when in quarantine these options aren’t available, but interaction remains essential nonetheless. Interaction is of paramount importance to those who are either coping with the worries associated with having COVID, of which there are many, or the fears of possibly contracting the disease. And, for those two groups of people, that coping is done alone out of necessity. There is no one who can be there for them, at least not physically. Which is why it is important that, if you are a friend or an acquaintance of someone going through quarantine, you check in on them. It is a small gesture and as I’ve stated above, it’s no substitute for actual interaction. However, for those in quarantine, simply having people reach out to them every once in a while—to check in on how they’re feeling, if they have symptoms, how school is going, anything along those lines—is a pleasant reminder that, despite their current loneliness, they are not alone.
Pictured: It felt as though life were passing me by as I watched, lonely, from my window. Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Peterson '23.
Another important thing to remember, especially when interacting with people who have COVID, is that they’re scared. They’re scared for themselves, but even more than that, oftentimes, they’re scared for the host of known and unknown people they may have impacted. And it’s necessary to understand that even the most COVID-conscious among us can, without error on our own part, become infected at any time. Even a simple trip to the grocery store, fully masked, yet made at the wrong time, can be all it takes. And yet, for those who contract the virus, many of them feel fundamentally responsible. Responsible for contracting the virus and responsible for possibly, innocently, passing it along to others. This message of responsibility is important on a societal level—if individuals didn’t feel responsible for these things, what would nation-wide COVID compliance look like? However, on a personal level, when dealing with those around you who are in this situation, it’s important to remind them that this is a global pandemic. These things are, often, uncontrollable. The guilt that accompanies a positive test result is frightening and, for those who are already going through the mental strain of a fourteen-day isolation, crippling. Briefly, to qualify this, not all who contract COVID are blameless. However, I believe the vast majority of people are not intentionally reckless. Nonetheless, they may feel responsible for their test results, and that guilt makes the already extremely difficult experience of isolation that much more harrowing.
My goal in highlighting this is to point out that if a friend or acquaintance gets COVID, these concerns may be on their mind. However, times are crazy. Some even say unprecedented. Personal accountability is important, and it’s hard not to feel accountable when staring an astronomically deadly virus in the face. However, guilt is not necessarily the appropriate response. Certainly, if there’s a lesson to be learned about following protocol, that lesson should be learned. However, that feeling of loneliness which is fundamentally a part of isolation is only exacerbated by the fears that you may have infected not only your friends, but your community. I do not believe that people already struggling with COVID should, or need, to feel that added guilt.
So please, if there’s anyone you know in isolation or quarantine, just reach out to them. See how they’re doing. Ask if you could drop some food off for them. That alone will mean the world and show them that they aren’t alone and that they aren’t ostracized. It’ll show them that COVID is the danger, COVID is the enemy, and not our suffering friends. We can still care for them, even from afar, and look forward to their return.
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jtp4bw@virginia.edu