The Netherlands
April-May 2022
I am scientifically educated myself, but funnily enough, it was through my son that I learned about the new coronavirus very early on. He has friends from all over the world, so he heard rumours in December 2019 that something was off. At first I thought it would be okay. With SARS-CoV-1 it also ended with a sizzle. But then in January it started to become very clear, and it was my son who first concluded: mom, this is going wrong.
Read more
The Netherlands
April 2022
At the beginning of the pandemic, even before the first lockdown, I was approached on the street by a man in Amsterdam, who seemed to be working out at the gym regularly. He took issue with me wearing a face mask, and said that face masks made no sense at all. I felt I had to counter it right away. I told him that a grandchild was on the way, and that I would like to see them grow up. But he didn't listen to me at all.
Read more
Southern Netherlands
April 2022
In March 2020 my partner fell out with a colleague at work who was coughing violently and who wasn't following the government advice already in force at the time, namely to stay at home if you had any symptoms. He then went to HR, where people still doubted whether they should do anything with the situation.
Read more
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
March-April 2022
In January 2020 I read in a newspaper about the coronavirus in China and was immediately alert. I started reading up on it. The first reports I came across from China were confusing and disturbing. Within a few days, my alertness grew into worry and real stress. I sensed that this was going to disrupt everything soon, unless we took action.
Read more
North-Holland, The Netherlands
April 2022
Four years ago I had a conversation with a colleague about ‘the pandemic that was going to happen soon’. They worked in veterinary science and studied avian influenza. Back then, the scientific community seemed convinced that a ‘flu would be the culprit of the next worldwide outbreak. The damage would likely be considerable, my colleague told me.
Read more
The Netherlands
April 2022
I retired just before the pandemic started. That had been quite a turning point for me. I had worked in education until I turned 66. All my life I have been in front of the classroom and was I able to help children and my colleagues.
Read more
Tasmania, Australia
March-April 2022
We had recently moved to Tasmania from New South Wales, and had built a house in Southern Tasmania when the pandemic began. Frank, my husband, works remotely from his office, which is based in Sydney. We used to return to Sydney every six months or so, so that he could go into the office and we could visit our friends.
Read more
The Netherlands, Northern Europe
March-April 2022
The initial decision to shield for me came based on the reports that we were getting from China (mostly through Twitter and personal contacts at this point) about people experiencing severe pneumonia, breathing difficulties and deaths.
Read more