Working only with people who are vaxxed and are getting tested

General

How is the situation in your city/ country?
At the moment, it seems like cases are trending up once again, but it’s hard to know because the testing and reporting schema have changed.

How did the atmosphere in your country change since the pandemic started?
It depends on where you go…some places – like NYC – had occasions where there were massive case rates and trucks full of corpses parked on the streets…as a result, I feel like we’re generally kind of cautious, although that’s slacked off a bit in 2022.

How are you and your family?
Everyone’s ok.

What is the biggest challenge for you during the crisis?
Combatting loneliness and trying to find a stable working situation…my entire industry shut down for over a year and a lot of people had nothing but confusion and chaos in their lives as a result.

The biggest challenge for me was combatting loneliness and trying to find a stable working situation.

Measures

When did you realize how serious the situation is?
March 10th 2020, days before NYC locked down and all my work was cancelled. I was on a gig in another state and we decided that “this COVID thing is starting to feel serious.” We went to Target or WalMart or wherever and the shelves were stripped bare. It was really creepy.

How did your government react to the crisis? Which measures/restrictions were taken first?
Terribly. At the time Trump was president and was just in active denial about everything. In NYC the city locked down fairly early, but it was already circulating in the community.

Are you satisfied with the measures of your government? What was good/bad?
Nope, not even close. It was a disaster then, and it’s not too much better now.

What would you like to say to your government?
“Fucking figure it out.” But it’s as much the population as it is the government. The US utterly failed this whole thing.

Which sentence of a virologist/politician did you memorize the most?
Trump talking about injecting disinfectant was an eye-opener.

Trump talking about injecting disinfectant was an eye-opener.

The Virus

Do you know anybody who was infected with COVID-19 or even died?
Yes, dozens infected and somewhere between 5-10 died.

Have you already done a Coronavirus test or have you been in quarantine?
I’ve been tested at least once a week since testing became widely available, and some weeks I was tested 7-10x a week. The entertainment industry has really been on top of everything.

Are you afraid of getting infected with the Coronavirus?
Afraid might be too strong a word. I’m being very cautious because I do not want to mess around with possibly having “Long Covid.”

I´m very cautious because I do not want to mess around with possibly having “Long Covid”.

The lockdown

How long is/was your lockdown and what was allowed/what wasn´t?
About three months in Brooklyn. I stayed in for a lot of the beginning, and then I slowly started walking every day, then I started running.

Did you spend the lockdown time with somebody and what did you do during this time?
I was completely alone. No pets either. I worked on my photography and finished writing and shooting for a book.

What did you miss the most during the lockdown? What helped you?
Company, people, friendship, sex.

I was completely alone during the lockdown.

Changes

How did your work situation change since the pandemic started (shorter hours, working from home, etc.)
All my work shut down for at least 6 months.

How did your social life (relationship/friendships/dating) change due to the Corona crisis?
I lost some friends and became much closer to others.

What impact has the Corona crisis on your financial situation?
Negatively. It’s been a bit of a struggle.

Social distancing: How does your daily life look like at the moment?
I’m working a lot, but always with people who are getting tested all the time and who are required to be vaxxed.

I´m only working with people who are getting tested all the time and who are vaxxed.

Perception

Who are to your opinion the heroes of this crisis?
Dr. Anthony Fauci.

What did the crisis show you?
That Americans are, by and large, selfish.

What will you appreciate more after the crisis?
Friendship.

Which images will you never forget?
There’s too many to list.

Which stories/incidents/experiences touched/shattered you the most?
Anything involving medical personnel who were there to take care of people who had to be all alone and who were there to hold iPhones and iPads so people could say goodbye to their families.

It touched me a lot when medical personnel were holding iPhones and iPads so people could say goodbye to their families.

Perspective

What are you afraid of right now?
The future.

What gives you hope?
Not a whole hell of a lot.

Are you planning to travel within the next months?
Not actively, but I’m open to it and have travelled since COVID.

Would you get yourself vaccinated or have you already been vaccinated against COVID-19?
I’m triple vaxxed and am waiting to get my next booster.

What can we all learn from this crisis?
Preparedness, trust science, take care of each other, listen to experts, wear a mask.

If you could give 2020 a headline, what would it be?
“Make it Stop.”

I´m afraid of the future.