After 6 1/4 months, or 27 1/2 weeks, or 192 days...Alex has returned to the physical classroom. He is teaching at a new school this year and loved the first four weeks of remote classes. We both have felt really anxious about going back out "into the real world" because of how insulated we have been since the spring. Despite Alex's return, and my presumed case of COVID, I am still under medical quarantine. The rules and regulations have shifted as the landscape of a "responsible restart" has taken form over the past few months, but my provider has been clear that while Alex is allowed to leave our home, there are several strict precautions he must take in how he interacts with the world and how he decontaminates before entering my space.
My doctor is worried for me that a re-infection could be disastrous as I am still getting better from my last bout with the virus with symptomatic blips every couple weeks for a couple weeks. It is a scary time all around. For that reason, I am allowed to work from home, but not outside. I may still go to doctors, pharmacies, and the houses of people "in my bubble," but must take extra precautions even with these tasks.
For other excursions I have an incredibly strict set of protocols to follow (for example, when I went to donate my plasma) if I am motivated to leave my house for other needs. We are hoping for a reprieve soon, but will continue to follow the experts' advice.
Having just hung up the phone with my husband, he is the only one in his school wearing an N-95 and a face shield, but he is really, really happy with how the day went. He received nicknames ranging from astronaut to beekeeper for his safety gear, but apparently that was all from his peers. His students main comment?
"You are so much taller than we thought you were!"
Definitely not a new normal, but at. least sort of Next to Normal.
Prepare, don't panic,
-Allison
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