Notes from Lockdown: A Pandemic Journal (2020, Part I)

Three years ago today I started keeping a journal about an approaching global health crisis. It was a mixture of personal notes on what I was going through with my family and observations about the bigger picture as each day seemed to get weirder and more frightening than the last. This first installment covers the period from February 27 to March 30, 2020. I hope you find something — anything — to smile at as we all try in vain to put the pain behind us.

Gavin O’Hara
Durham, NC
February 27, 2023

2/27/20: Mike and I went out to the Cradle tonight to see Zen Frisbee. Social interactions felt different. Did a couple distant hugs with people and it gave me pause. Things that started as handshakes mostly turned into awkward fist bumps or shoulder pats. Coronavirus is coming. You can feel it.

2/28/20: The New Yorker always nails their covers in big moments. This one is both funny and horrifying since it would appear our so-called President has been fiddling while the nation is about to burn.