All photos originally appeared on covid19dispatches.
Nicole Ezeagwu
March 25
The weather here in Georgia has been relatively warm and sunny. In a conversation with a friend, they made a funny comment saying this doesn't feel like corona or pandemic weather. Out of curiosity, I asked what type of weather would they associate with this time, and they said rainy and cold weather.
As the coverage of COVID-19 gets worst, my only saving grace is the sun. The sun gives me a reason to experience the outdoors, therefore bringing me to my local park, where I walked the trail and sat to think. With a void of human life, nature seems to be taking over. Compared to my visit to the park last week, I’m surprised by how empty it is, causing me to wonder how have people have been dealing with social distancing.
April 20
My brother and I take turns taking my dogs out in the morning. It was misty out, and I was eager to get back to bed, but my dogs clearly didn’t understand that. Our rose bush caught my eye while I was forced to wait on my dogs. I realized that not trying to rush through everything, I could pay more attention to detail. So, as I waited, I attempted to count the number of raindrops on each flower.
April 30
Living in the suburbs has a stillness to it that echoes throughout my house. When branches fall, or cars pass by, I find myself looking up to trace the path of sound. With stillness all around me, I find myself attached to the familiar sounds I’ve grown accustomed to. At this point, I can tell if the mailman is on time just from sitting in my room.
Mia Hariz
March 25
One of the most stressful aspects of this whole pandemic is how nervous my mom is about it. She is constantly cleaning, spraying, sanitizing. She wears a mask and gloves to the market and disinfects every single item, one by one. Understandably, my mother is terrified.
March 26
My brother finally decided to come home. He’d been in New York trying to weather the storm, but after numerous pleas from my mother, he bought a ticket to LA. He landed at midnight and is quarantining in the room next door. Usually, it’s a delight when my brother and I are both home. The house feels complete, full of movement and chatter and smells emerging from the kitchen. But with both of us locked up in our respective bedrooms, the house feels uncomfortably stagnant. Unlike me, my brother is not a homebody. He is only content when he is moving. The concept of sitting on the couch for the length of a movie is difficult for him to bare, so I’m curious to see how these two weeks in his childhood bedroom will play out. His anxiety is palpable through our shared wall. Even though physical interaction is limited, there’s something deeply comforting about the four of us being under the same roof.
April 19
Today my cousin Karl tested positive. We were all shocked. He was one of the two who’d come with me from New York to LA. He got sick shortly after we arrived. But that was weeks ago. we thought he’d recovered by now. Especially since Ralph, the other cousin who was with us (and Kark’s roommate both in New York and here in LA), received negative results on Sunday. We invited Ralph over for Easter lunch, and today, we’re all frightened that he possibly passed on the germs from Karl’s positive to my high-risk mother, father and uncle. Now, we’re just waiting to see if anyone falls ill. Ralph came over to pick up some groceries—from a distance. We ended up talking for an hour about how strange this all is.
Kelsey Jean-Baptiste
Ahmaud Arbery, 25, died on February 23, 2020. He was jogging in Georgia when he was shot by a father and his son. Ahaud was an unarmed African American.
Over that past month his story has gone viral on social media, and on May 8, 2020 it was #runwithahmaud. The world had the decision to jog or walk 2.23 miles in honor of him.
Yesterday my boyfriend and I combined our mileage in honor of Ahmud Arbery, may his soul rest in peace.
I am ready to go outside where I am no longer paranoid about who is standing next to me.
I am ready to be with my family and friends again.
I am ready to start a new type of life.
I am ready to be free.
But I am constantly stuck behind blinds.
Staring from the inside out.
One day this will all end.
How will our world react?
Never did I think I would end my time at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism this way, but I trust the process. My time here was everything I could have hoped for and I am ready for the next phase of my life.
I think my family, and loved ones, that helped me along the way. Most of all my brother Kyle Jean-Baptiste, who watched over me form heaven. His spirit is how I got through the hard nights.
I walked in here with a Bachelor in Communications, and now I am leaving with a Masters in Journalism.
Noor Kalouti
USA, Brooklyn, NY, March 25, 2020. I spent the whole day in bed. Not because I felt depressed, but because I was very productive...in bed, and that's a new phenomenon for me. Pre-Corona pandemic, I would face my reflection on a laptop screen and feel ashamed, almost pathetic that I had been glued to my Mac for hours. These days, though, it almost feels like a company, it's eerie.
USA, Millersville, PA, April 6, 2020. Anieze and I have been living together for over 2 years. Today was the first day in the Airbnb we rented in Pennsylvania; we left Brooklyn because we had been quarantined there for 18 days and our apartment is very small. So being in this cabin near the forest, we both feel a whole lot lighter.
April 27th, 2020. Geneva, Switzerland. My brother and I got tested for antibodies today. I tried to shoot this without getting too close to him or the nurse (it was a very small room) and without invading his privacy. Photo Noor Al Kalouti
Clarisa Melendez
Due to the coronavirus outbreak in New York, I was forced out of my housing. I had no other option but to grab my things and leave the city I had dreamt of building a future in. Given just a week to vacate, I decided to move back home to Florida. I booked a flight to Fort Lauderdale airport in FL from La Guardia airport in New York. The plane had various empty rows with just a few people scattered as they kept their distance from each other. Life felt lonely, but when I stared down from the clouds and spotted the lights gleaming from the Florida ground, I felt whole for a second. We may all be separate, but we are all in this together.
3/29/20
Before the corona virus outbreak in NYC, I had the chance to meet Richard Nolasco at the Greenmarket Farmers Market. His family immigrated from Mexico and now has a farm in Androve, New Jersey. He spoke about the American Dream and the struggles they faced from not having enough food to put on the table to now being able to rely on their own produce. I checked in on him again, and he says his main concern now is whether the Green Market will shut down. “We are a small farm so this is our way of income for us as a family and our workers,” but for now he says his customers are still coming out on the weekend to support them.
03-30-2020
Music and a candle to bring light into my own life. Remember to smile and value every moment. Let go off what is out of your control and focus on what is: Your spirit, your energy, and your mindset. A lot has happened, and I personally have not processed it all yet. But you start somewhere, and sitting in my backyard in the sunshine until sunset seems like a good start. I’m creating a little piece of my own heaven on Earth. I invite you to do the same.
Gabby Miller
USA, New York, NY, March 31, 2020. Portrait of a Lady Under Quarantine ● Today I sat on my fire escape for the first time since before grad school began. I used to sit out there with my best friend and roommate in the summer, dreaming of what our lives would be like at Columbia’s Journalism School, full of excitement about our dreams finally becoming reality. Now she’s in San Francisco quarantining. I miss her so much. And I wish we could push through this time together, on our fire escape. I’m thankful, though, to be with Eliza, my rock through what’s been a really hard time for me. I’ve spent so much time physically fighting off this virus that I didn’t have the energy to worry about my mental well-being. Now that I’m mostly healthy again, I’m feeling sad. I’d been outside to run emergency errands, but I hadn’t sat outside to enjoy the fresh air. I feel the best I’ve felt in weeks—rejuvenated even. And my view of Eliza from the fire escape isn’t half bad.
USA, New York, NY. April 11, 2020. “Looking for that missing piece.” What does love under a pandemic look like, especially when you can’t be around loved ones? Many are turning to the internet in inventive ways for new love connections, especially Zoom, since going on coffee dates or meeting up at bars is no longer an option.
SA, Harlem, NY, April 7, 2020. After Eliza attended virtual class on the fire escape, we went to the Mt. Sinai hospital nearby (while wearing protective gear and following the 6 ft distancing guidelines) to drop off disposable masks since there's a nationwide shortage. We took a box of our own as well as a good friend's, who was too fearful to go inside and be potentially exposed to COVID-19. We didn't mind since we both had the virus at the beginning of the pandemic.
Keya Imani Rice
USA Brooklyn, NY April 20,2020 Caption: Every morning that my mom leaves for work she stands in front of our living room mirror and adjusts her mask. That mirror is more than just an accessory for us. It is a metaphor for our emotions, our thoughts, our pasts, present and future. Sometimes it isn’t easy for us to recognize who we are. The Kathleen and Keya or mother and daughter that we used to be are far from the people we are now in the face of a pandemic. I blended a photo of myself wearing a mask on top of her. The mirrored reflection goes over the hallways because in some ways there are parallels between the journeys we take in life and the reflections that follow us.
USA Brooklyn, NY April 7th, 2020 Caption: My window was open, and I could hear people outside. When I looked down, I was surprised at what I saw. People were gathered in the basketball court with candles in their hands. Candles usually indicate death; however, it was likely not due to the corona virus. This was a memorial for someone who was shot, there had been reports of gunshots in my neighborhood on Sunday. People were breaking the rules to hug and stand close to each other which wasn’t permitted during the pandemic. People were making their own rules, how do you grieve the loss of a loved one without being able to feel?
USA Brooklyn, NY April March 23rd, 2020 Caption: There was a time when being home all day was a dream. I used to say if only I had time to do nothing then maybe I would be satisfied. But knowing life when you finally get what you want it’s never what you imagined. Who would have thought that pajamas and head scarfs would be my new fashion and that waking up to sleep and sleeping to wake up would be my new passion? My hands feel like paper scratchy and dry. I’ve washed them so much I can feel the dryness on the inside. I am in this 15th floor apartment alone every day. Mom is off to work so I alternate between watching tv and taking time to pray. To pray for her safe return and the healing of the land as microscopic particles leap from person to person like grains of sand. Corona we’ve had enough.
Stefan Sykes
April 1, 2020
My brother’s in the National Guard. Last week he was called to serve. We knew it was going to happen. New York State is especially struggling with the pandemic. Makeshift hospitals are being built everywhere. Bodies are beginning to pile up. Most people now have a friend, a family member, someone they know with the virus. My brother can’t share what he’s doing exactly but he’s able to come home every now and then to see us and his two-year-old son. He leaves his gear in the garage on the floor. We can’t touch it. When he walks in through the front door my nephew runs to him and we have to hold him back. He can’t hug his dad. His dad has to shower first.
April 7, 2020
Caption: I like to think there’s a dichotomy to everything. For every bad there is a good. Even though we’re in the midst of an uncertain crisis, we’re equally in the midst of Spring. Spring to me is hope. It’s beauty, renewal, and opportunity. Things are bad, undoubtedly, but if we focus on the good, the little things – the sun, the way the wind blows, the sounds of birds chirping – we might save ourselves from insanity.
April 9, 2020
Caption: I sometimes bring my camera with me when I go on walks. I never know what I’m going to see and so I want to be ready to capture whatever comes my way. I stopped at this cliff and decided to film the horizon. Everything seemed so peaceful and still. At that moment, it was hard to imagine something like the coronavirus was happening. It was hard to imagine anything was different from how it usually is/
Annie Werbler
Wednesday March 25
Queenie the Lorimer Street cat attempts to practice social distancing.
Monday April 13
It’s easier to stay inside when it’s raining. There were high winds and heavy downpours most of the day today, and the sirens were blaring nonstop. It certainly seems like the hospitalizations are still increasing in my area despite the good news today that they are plateauing in the state overall. Most people I see outside aren’t wearing masks anymore. I hope it keeps raining so they all stay home.
Monday April 20
It can be difficult to practice gratitude when it feels like things are spiraling out of control. Sometimes we have to choose how to fill our reality.
Logan Williamson
USA, New York, NY, April 7, 2020.
Duane Reade, in following CDC guidelines, allows only a limited number of customers inside at a time, while the rest wait in a line outside, with six feet of space between them.
USA, New York, NY, April 15, 2020.
Sometimes reflecting on your own strength and resilience through difficult times can serve as inspiration for the future.
USA, New York, NY, May 3, 2020. Before the pandemic, Times Square was pure pandemonium, surging with frenetic energy. But all of that has suddenly stopped because of the coronavirus. It is surreal to see one of the city’s most popular places look like this. Aside from a low number of people and passing cars, it is nearly empty. No crowded sidewalks or shops selling cheap goods or souvenirs. It is incompatible with the Times Square I have come to appreciate since I started living in New York, and it is harrowing to see it like this.