How were the lockdowns for you?

[MrsCobraBubbles]

A whirlwind of emotions. It was great at first because I'm an introvert and I love to be home by myself with my kids. Then I started to go a bit nuts--obsessively washed every single item of clothing in the house, alphabetized the spices in the cupboard, scrubbed my kitchen tile grout with a toothbrush, worried constantly about my job when we didn't return to school at the end of the initial 2 week lockdown. My job was not something that could really be done remotely and schools weren't at all set up to accommodate Special needs students in remote learning so my concern was legitimate. So I basically did nothing except take online continuing ed courses for the rest of the 2019/2020 school year while we were remote and I added another certification to my resume.

Then school was out and all summer I agonized over the possibility of losing my job and money was tight because I didn't get paid in the summer unless I worked ESY and of course ESY was remote that summer so no pay for me. That was fun.

Then we all went back to school at the start of 2020/2021 school year and I caught Covid from one of my students, brought it home to my kids, and my son was left with 2 long term health conditions from Covid and then I entered my "angry at the world" phase of lockdown. Our schools shut down again around the time we were trying to get my son's scary symptoms diagnosed and it made it harder to get him care and a diagnosis. My inner mama bear was constantly on high alert during this second round of lock down and I still wasn't able to do any meaningful work remotely so I had nothing to distract me from hating myself and feeling like a piece of crap for getting my son sick. Even though no one could have predicted my son would get these conditions I still got really bogged down in the "what-ifs"; loathing myself while simultaneously trying to pretend for him like everything was ok. We are doing ok now, my son is still sick but he's so good at managing his conditions and doesn't get depressed like he did at the beginning of his health crisis. I'm over it now, but for most of 2021, if I saw someone out in public without a mask I was filled with this feeling of rage that I have never experienced before, never confronted anyone with my rage though, before anyone goes and accuses me of being a Karen. I'm thankful that lockdowns are over, seemingly for good. I hate Covid and I dearly hope we all live a good long time without lockdowns.

 

[indimom]

We never really "felt" the lockdown like some people did. Both DH and I were "essential" and worked a ton of hours that year. It was an income booster for us, but not by choice. DH grumbled; but, we went about our normal life (shopping when needed, traveling by car when needed) with the addition of the mask/hand hygiene.

Our son was in the Air Force; and, said it was business as usual with masking.
Our daughter graduated from undergrad and moved on to grad school that year. She did lose the last couple months of undergrad and her graduation ceremony. The first year of grad school was a combination of virtual; and, social distancing/masking. She felt the lockdown more than the rest of us.

 

[anniemae]

It was scary in the beginning because of the unknowns. The news was so bleak. Hospitals running out of beds, people dying and nowhere to put the bodies, shortage of ventilators etc. Then when everything shut down I felt like I was in an apocalypse movie. I kept saying, "is this really happening?"

I work part time and before the shutdown I was hybrid, only going into the office a couple times a month. For a while, I just worked from home. Was a little challenging with the kids home and dh working from home too. We figured out how to give everyone their own space. Im glad covid seems to be weakening and everyone isn't obsessed with every cough and masks are not a thing anymore and we seem to be back to normal (with a few tweaks). For a while I never thought we would get here.

 

[leahgoogle]

That's terrible.
I'm an employer, and we were in a position to offer all of our employees the opportunity to vaccinate before it was opened up for the general public and I was surprised how few of them took us up on it, and I watched as ardent anti-vax folks who worked for me got it, one's husband was hospitalized for 2 weeks but I'd NEVER terminate someone for making the choice for themselves. Now we do have different protocols for those who have exposures/covid that is dependent on if they are vaccinated or not. But fire someone? No

DH's large steel mill doesn't have different protocols for vaccinated or unvaccinated employees. Given that we now know that the vaccine doesn't prevent a person from getting covid or prevent transmission, why should they? If you are sick, stay home. That's the protocol.

I would respond to your "ardent anti-vax" comment, but I don't want to get the thread shut down.

 

[easyas123]

I would respond to your "ardent anti-vax" comment, but I don't want to get the thread shut down.

They were. And they are completely entitled to that opinion just like anyone else with an opinion.

As a business owner & employer I constantly had to thread the needle in order to KEEP people employed, keep them health and try to avoid Covid outbreaks on jobsites and in the office, all while keeping in mind that people have freedoms to make their own medical choices. I had to keep my opinion to myself (which - if it matters, was that vaccines shouldn't be mandated, folks should have freedom of choice) and do what was best for our Company while also attempting to follow CDC recommendations due to Insurance requirements and to avoid large amount of folks who were on work comp because they got it at work and /or being sued because we didn't do enough to protect employees. You wouldn't believe the hoops we had to jump thru in order to keep our employees on the job - vaccinated or not. We busted our *** in order not to have to shut down jobsites and lay folks off regardless of their vaccination status. So when someone who was a self described "ardent anti-vaxer" in my office and preached her stance to anyone who would listened came down with it, then her husband got it and was hospitalized with it for 3 weeks came back into the office and had a new tune to whistle I didn't want to hear about it - and yeah - I paid her & every other employee who had to quarantine before the vaccines became available.

 

[leahgoogle]

They were. And they are completely entitled to that opinion just like anyone else with an opinion.

As a business owner & employer I constantly had to thread the needle in order to KEEP people employed, keep them health and try to avoid Covid outbreaks on jobsites and in the office, all while keeping in mind that people have freedoms to make their own medical choices. I had to keep my opinion to myself (which - if it matters, was that vaccines shouldn't be mandated, folks should have freedom of choice) and do what was best for our Company while also attempting to follow CDC recommendations due to Insurance requirements and to avoid large amount of folks who were on work comp because they got it at work and /or being sued because we didn't do enough to protect employees. You wouldn't believe the hoops we had to jump thru in order to keep our employees on the job - vaccinated or not. We busted our *** in order not to have to shut down jobsites and lay folks off regardless of their vaccination status. So when someone who was a self described "ardent anti-vaxer" in my office and preached her stance to anyone who would listened came down with it, then her husband got it and was hospitalized with it for 3 weeks came back into the office and had a new tune to whistle I didn't want to hear about it - and yeah - I paid her & every other employee who had to quarantine before the vaccines became available.

I respect that and thank you for supporting medical freedom! Obviously, you can probably tell we did not get vaccinated. However, I would never go off spouting to be an anti-vaxxer and I believe that it is an individual choice. We personally know people who were very sick with covid even after getting the vaccine. Two of DH's co-workers had and continue to have problems after the vaccine. So, thank you again for respecting your employees and their choices.

 

[easyas123]

I respect that and thank you for supporting medical freedom! Obviously, you can probably tell we did not get vaccinated. However, I would never go off spouting to be an anti-vaxxer and I believe that it is an individual choice. We personally know people who were very sick with covid even after getting the vaccine. Two of DH's co-workers had and continue to have problems after the vaccine. So, thank you again for respecting your employees and their choices.

Please don't misunderstand, while I totally support medical freedom, I have lost all sense of grace for those who spouted unscientific rhetoric regarding the vaccines to all who would listen only to have gotten it, had a bad experience and come back to say "well, once I talked to the Dr.'s or read up on it I figured I should probably get it.". See, it goes both ways. I heartily respect body autonomy as well science and make my own choices. I would hope, but no longer expect, folks to understand a handful of anecdotes be they for or against the vaccines does not make fact. I didn't much enjoy being told I was a "sheep" or "not thinking for myself" when I choose to get vaccinated...so the respect for medical freedom should go both ways. It doesn't, but it should.

So anyway, back to lockdowns. I took a few minutes to take stock of our local area. Regretfully a few small eateries didn't make it, and there remains Now Hiring signs posted everywhere. A few places still have shortened hours due to lack of staff but slowly those that were able to hang on are scratching their way back. I think the economic results are still to be felt in some places.

 

[Kae]

We were considered essential workers so we rarely worked from home. I work in an office with my DH & BIL. I got yelled at in the office parking lot a few times and had someone "turn me" into the health dpt for not wearing a mask in my office, my desk can be seen from the parking lot.

We never left our purchases in the garage or wiped down things we bought. my brother is a dr so we followed his guides on what to do or advice. None one in our household had covid to our knowledge. We believe my sister had it in February 2020 after a trip to Mexico, and my dad and his wife have had it twice. I have friends who have had it more than once.

 

[1420Elexismc]

I wasn't a fan of why we were locked down, I felt for anyone who had to experience having covid and so many got SO sick and that was awful. However, I got to work from home for a few months while my son did virtual learning. I cherished the time at home with him, as well as not having to "people" so much(I'm very introverted). I felt like I was much more productive at home. The one thing I had a hard time with was when I had to go to the grocery store, not because of the masks/directional arrows or anything like that. There just seemed to be so many folks who were either angry, nervous, or trying to make a point by purposely breaking the rules. They made me anxious. We were all so stressed, and it affected people in so many different ways.

 

[easyas123]

We were all so stressed, and it affected people in so many different ways

I think that is a great way to put it, there were a lot of different experiences & responses to the situation. I wasn't really stressed at all, but sometimes you could really see it in people while they were out & about and I did really feel for them and what they were experiencing.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Schools were closed essentially through 2021. For my two High Schoolers it was awful. DS fought the restrictions at every turn and I think came out mentally healthier for it. DD went along with it - the total rule-follower, and paid the price. "Asynchronous Learning" are two words that should never be used in the same sentence ever again. DD ended up very depressed and got to the point where she would not leave her bed.

The good news is we also fought back. We moved my youngest (2nd grade at the time) to a private school the next county over that never closed (let that sink in). We lost complete confidence in the public schools in our county so she is staying there until High School.

Back to my DD High schooler - we got her counseling, then had her try out for a club lacrosse team when it looked like the sports were going to be cancelled in our county for the 20-21 year. BEST THING WE EVER DID! She got a whole lot better, both mentally and athletically, and that led to her playing in college. I don't know if I would have been able to convince her to go to college if not for that. She's starting her pursuit of a degree in Computer Science in the Fall.

Follow up question; what was the most absurd thing you did "because of COVID"? Not talking about the politically charged biggies like mask wearing, I'm talking about the not-a-chance-in-hell-this-does-anything restrictions. Mine was that club lacrosse tryout. DD found herself in a group of a couple hundred other players, none of whom she knew. I tried to watch her from the top of an adjacent 4-story parking structure. I was there 5 minutes before they kicked me out. apparently standing all alone at the top of a parking structure was too big a risk (LOL). I then joined some of the other parents of returning players who had gathered in another parking lot. It all seems so ridiculous now.

 

[1420Elexismc]

Schools were closed essentially through 2021. For my two High Schoolers it was awful. DS fought the restrictions at every turn and I think came out mentally healthier for it. DD went along with it - the total rule-follower, and paid the price. "Asynchronous Learning" are two words that should never be used in the same sentence ever again. DD ended up very depressed and got to the point where she would not leave her bed.

The good news is we also fought back. We moved my youngest (2nd grade at the time) to a private school the next county over that never closed (let that sink in). We lost complete confidence in the public schools in our county so she is staying there until High School.

Back to my DD High schooler - we got her counseling, then had her try out for a club lacrosse team when it looked like the sports were going to be cancelled in our county for the 20-21 year. BEST THING WE EVER DID! She got a whole lot better, both mentally and athletically, and that led to her playing in college. I don't know if I would have been able to convince her to go to college if not for that. She's starting her pursuit of a degree in Computer Science in the Fall.

Follow up question; what was the most absurd thing you did "because of COVID"? Not talking about the politically charged biggies like mask wearing, I'm talking about the not-a-chance-in-hell-this-does-anything restrictions. Mine was that club lacrosse tryout. DD found herself in a group of a couple hundred other players, none of whom she knew. I tried to watch her from the top of an adjacent 4-story parking structure. I was there 5 minutes before they kicked me out. apparently standing all alone at the top of a parking structure was too big a risk (LOL). I then joined some of the other parents of returning players who had gathered in another parking lot. It all seems so ridiculous now.

I definitely saw a difference in my son(elementary age) and his friends between how they looked on their little screens vs when they were able to get back together again. It made such a huge difference. There was definitely an adjustment period, but they needed that social interaction for sure in my opinion

 

[Lumpy1106]

Oh, should add, just to keep it Disney, we went to WDW in August '20 and August '21. The trip in 2020 was the absolute best ever. We picked a direction and just rode rides - there wasn't a single line that was more than about 20 minutes so no need to criss-cross across the park. No doubt the masks and the closed restaurants and pre/post ride experiences were a complete bummer, but given what we have now with G+, paid LL, and mega-long standby lines, in retrospect, the 2020 trip was better by a mile.

 

[cvjw]

Oh, should add, just to keep it Disney, we went to WDW in August '20 and August '21. The trip in 2020 was the absolute best ever. We picked a direction and just rode rides - there wasn't a single line that was more than about 20 minutes so no need to criss-cross across the park. No doubt the masks and the closed restaurants and pre/post ride experiences were a complete bummer, but given what we have now with G+, paid LL, and mega-long standby lines, in retrospect, the 2020 trip was better by a mile.

We went to Disney in august 2020, October 2020 and February 2021. The august 2020 one was by far the best. No crowds. Each additional trip got more and more crowded.

Then DCL started sailing in august, 2021. Those first cruises were magical.

 

[BrianL]

I did not have any majore impacts. Adjusting to working from home was weird, and then the constantly changing guidance early on was confusing. I mean, we really didn't know - they start talking about 14 days and then.... Here we weren't locked down that hard, and a lot fo the restrictions ended early. The businesses kind of did what they felt was best, and I did to really. I would follow the rules as best as I could, but didn't worry about it too much. It was such a weird time though, and still is to some extent.

 

[easyas123]

We went to Disney in august 2020, October 2020 and February 2021. The august 2020 one was by far the best. No crowds. Each additional trip got more and more crowded.

Then DCL started sailing in august, 2021. Those first cruises were magical.

Agreed! Our trip in 2021 to WDW was great in terms of crowds!

 

[tvguy]

DH's large steel mill doesn't have different protocols for vaccinated or unvaccinated employees. Given that we now know that the vaccine doesn't prevent a person from getting covid or prevent transmission, why should they? If you are sick, stay home. That's the protocol.

I would respond to your "ardent anti-vax" comment, but I don't want to get the thread shut down.

The whole point of the vaccine was to prevent people from dying. Yes, you can still get covid. There are over one million people whose families probably wish there was a vaccine available when they got sick.

 

[jesusfreak75]

Nothing. I ignored them and went about my life.

 

[bbak30]

I'm an ER nurse, so it was stressful. While it was scare, I appreciated getting to leave the house while others couldn't. Stayed away from my mom and dad though, which was not fun. My mom has some health issues and we were very scared of her getting it in the beginning.
The pandemic also gave me opportunity to make a lot more money when we were getting all of the extra crisis pay, too bad that has gone and the staffing is worse than ever.
Looking back, it sucked but it was what it was.

 

[tink2424]

I was living in NJ when the lockdowns hit and I also came down with COVID at the exact same time. For the first 4 weeks I didn't go anywhere except for walks around my neighborhood. I was still working every day remotely and still work remotely to this day. I think the lockdowns in NJ went on way too long but for me I don't have kids and I could still work so it didn't impact me really at all.

The nice thing about having had COVID very early on is that when I did go in public again I had no fear since I had infection acquired immunity so that was great. And despite being around COVID + people since then I have never gotten it again.

Also visited Universal and Disney in late September/early October since I couldn't go on my previously scheduled European vacation and it was very nice. I enjoyed the lines for the rides moving constantly and even though not everything was a walk on I got to do every ride I wanted to (that was open anyway) and got to do some twice. It is definitely the better way for the parks to operate.