Health and economic threats loom large in light of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but there have been great costs, as well, on a personal level.
Life as we knew it, just a few weeks ago, has been turned upside down.
Recommendations to limit gatherings to 10 people are killing plans for personal celebrations — such as weddings, graduations and retirements, as well as birthday and anniversary milestones.
Concerns about spreading COVID-19 are causing parents to keep their children away from the grandparents.
Spring break trips and visits to theme parks — that families had been looking forward to for months, were cancelled.
And, even memorial services for loved ones are being postponed to allow for a larger celebration of life, later.
Retired teachers Judy and Glenn Alvarez, of Lutz, said the COVID-19 pandemic caused an unwanted cancellation in their life.
“We were supposed to go the Master’s — a bucket list thing,” Judy said.
She also noted that it’s annoying to be unable to find things in the grocery store. “Chicken, for example, there wasn’t any fresh chicken.”
The retired Lutz Elementary School teacher said she’d be surprised if schools reopen this year.
“I think that’s disappointing, too. Kids — playing their last game — not knowing they were playing their last game,” she said.
Glenn, a former baseball coach added: “If you’re a senior, this was your big chance in high school to shine. And, all of a sudden, it’s shut down.”
People across The Laker/Lutz News region noted that some view COVID-19 as a serious threat, while others, not so much.
Eighty-four-year old Bettie Coupland, of Dade City, said precautions are necessary.
“It’s a very serious thing,” she said. “We only go where we have to go.”
In fact, she and her husband, Lester, weren’t sure whether they would head to the polls on March 17 for the Presidential Preference Primary.
Ultimately, they decided to go — but, they wore masks.
Charissa Garcia, of Zephyrhills, said “a lot of people are not taking it seriously.”
Her husband, Joe, agreed: “We’re not preparing enough. We’re not ready for what’s coming, and everybody around here is acting like, ‘Oh, it’s just the common cold,’ and all this other stuff, and there’s going to be a rude awakening here.”
He also noted that there’s a lack of consistent messaging from the government and a lack of available tests.
“We’re all walking time bombs, and we don’t know who has what. We could all be carrying it asymptomatic and we don’t know that, and we’ve got nothing but snowbirds around us that are ready to migrate back home,” Joe said.
The couple said they’re doing their best to stay out of public places.
Even though the government is urging people to use social distancing — that is staying 6 feet away from each other to avoid spreading the virus — many are failing to comply.
“I see what’s going on in Italy, and they were in this same situation 10 days ago, and us being Americans — we’ve never dealt with something like this here,” Joe said.
He also noted that Americans tend to believe that things that happen in other countries couldn’t happen here.
So, he said, “people aren’t taking it seriously, and we’ve got a lot of tough times to go through.”
Thirty-four-year-old Brandon Bristow, an educator from Zephyrhills, said he thinks people need to take necessary precautions — but, he also believes that the threat has been blown out of proportion.
At the same time, though, he added: “It’s better safe than sorry.”
Bristow said he works with children, so he’s constantly washing his hands.
“Also, I am watching how much people interaction I’m having,” he added, and being sure to use hand sanitizer after touching surfaces.
Church congregations are being affected, too.
Instead of holding regular services, churches are livestreaming them.
Fred Perkins, the pastor of New River Methodist Church, off State Road 54, in Zephyrhills, planned to broadcast his service on YouTube, according to his daughter-in-law, Amanda Perkins.
The church has been broadcasting its contemporary service on My Facebook Live for a couple of years, she said. But, the church has two other services that are primarily attended by senior citizens.
“They’re not able to come to those, so we are going to be, for the first time, going to be broadcasting on a YouTube channel this weekend, so they can hopefully tune in,” she said.
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes, also live-streamed two Masses on March 22, one in English at 9:30 a.m., and one in Spanish at 11:30 a.m.
To give the services a more personal touch, the parish asked families to email a photo of their family to the church office.
They planned to enlarge the photos to place them on chairs in the church, so the priests could see the faces, while celebrating the Masses.
Kevin Weiss contributed to this story
Published March 25, 2020
