LIKE MANY FAMILIES, we're practicing evidence-based techniques of self-isolation--such as the ready-made face protection shown in the photo. I've also observed three items related to surviving during the 2019 Corona Virus. The three images in this post are the three most-viewed through my Flickr account on Friday, March 13, 2020.
1. People want to hear expert advice.
I have a lot of respect for Darren Ryan from Clonmel Childcare (above). I listened to him while inside the TippFM roadcaster as he explained the impact children have to community health. I worry about the financial and physical health of the child care sector in Ireland and hope major interventions can be offered to stabilise this sector of life.
2. Public intoxication is less obvious.
The current Irish lockdown overlaps Paddy's Day when you would normally expect a supercharged national drinking session. However, I see fewer public drunks and haven't spotted spent pint glasses sitting around on window sills or doorways when walking on the path near pubs. Stories on Instagram show people are still enjoying their pub sessions and the two pubs I've visited had regular customers sitting and chatting well inside the recommended social distancing circles.
3. Remote digital connections are helpful.
Self-isolation affects our family tree across eight time zones at the moment and we're connecting more frequently with cousins in Oregon, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Drogheda through handheld apps like Skype, Zoom, and Marco Polo. I wish the grandparents would invest in home broadband or would learn to use data services on their handset. Their grandkids are growing up miles away from their front doors and they are losing connections to them because "people should put their phones down and talk" instead of flicking through photostreams and newsfeeds.
I wonder how self-isolation is affecting you? Let me know--I'm @topgold on all good social networks.
[Bernie Goldbach teaches creative media for business on the Clonmel Digital Campus of the Limerick Institute of Technology.]
