Laura Lian #15
Period 8
Modern Mythology 2020
What is it like working from home?
It’s been a bit tough working from home. At first it was great not having to wake up extremely early everyday, but I’ve really start to feel the after effects of staying home long term. I usually do work at my desk, but being cooped up at home has really decreased my productivity. Without the small physical conversations between peers everyday to get by, it’s been hard to be motivated to do work at all. In addition, it feels as if workload has doubled in quantity, but not necessarily in level of difficulty. I’m sure it’s just so we can better utilize our time since we’re at home with nothing better to do, but lowered productivity isn’t boxing well with increased workload. I still get everything done though.
What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?
As of April 14, the number of confirmed COVID19 cases around the world was approaching 2 million with over 125,000 confirmed deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University(https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html).
In France, President Emmanuel Macron states in a televised address that the lockdown is planned to be lifted on May 11, and that by then there will be enough masks and tests to go by. The rate of infection and death are declining, which is a positive sign for France.
The situation in Russia, on the other hand, is bleak. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia warned officials on Monday that the number of severely ill patients was rising and that medical workers faced shortages of protective equipment. It seems that Russia will not be able to escape the brunt of the pandemic.
In Turkey, the Parliament passed a law to temporarily release tens of thousands of certain prisoners in hopes that the detainees would not be infected.
In Venezuela, oil prices and demand plummeted as the pandemic worsened. This is devastating, as oil is Venezuela’s main export. In conjunction with the oil price war last month with Russia and Saudi Arabia, not only was it too cheap to produce oil in Venezuela profitably, the country had lost its main outlet for selling crude or trading it for refined gasoline. In addition, healthcare is so bad that they lack even the most basic supplies. Although Mr. Maduro was one of the first Latin American leaders to act against the virus (national lockdown on March 15), it’s hard to gauge how many are infected or have died already. (All information cited from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/world/coronavirus-news-world-international-global.html )
Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.
Honestly, the whole pandemic seems surreal to me. I can’t believe that over 125,000 people have succumbed to the virus globally, over 7,000 of which was in New York City alone. The death toll still climbs everyday, and more and many more are confirmed. All the news ever talk about is the virus, and it makes the whole situation seem bleak. I’m not even sure what our president’s stance is on this pandemic - is he even doing anything to help? With the election coming up, there’s going to be a change in leadership- will that be for the better or for the worse? I try to stop myself from spiraling into the rabbit hole of biased news while still being up to date, and to look towards the bright side of things, knowing that many are on the frontlines fighting this and doing what’s right (social distancing, staying home, etc).
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