Parents Work through Quarantine
May 21, 2020
March 13, 2020 is when the first phone call came, announcing school was cancelled for two weeks due to COVID-19.
Two weeks later, another phone call- two more weeks off.
Now it is May, and school is cancelled for the rest of the year.
People often focus on how the students and teachers feel, but the parents and guardians have had to change their whole lifestyle as well.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, “The number of families with at least one member unemployed increased by 224,000 to 4.1 million in 2019.”
All of these families now either have no jobs, are working from home or have one family member now unemployed.
From working in the office to working from home, or not even having a job, everyone is home all the time with no break.
Quarantine has impacted people’s attitudes and moods.
Tammy Helm, parent of one, has to make the adjustment of being able to work in an office with people from having to work in her living room.
“I started out by enjoying quarantine, but now it is annoying because we have been stuck inside… now I just can’t wait to get outside,” said Helm.
Most adults have many different opinions on this stay-at-home quarantine.
Jennifer Fullem, parent of two, has had to really turn her life upside down, as she used to never have to work these long hours.
“I am sick of quarantine. I do not like it at all,” said Fullem. “My job is making me work extra, and I have no time with my kids. Isn’t that the whole point of staying home?”
Catherine Agostino, parent of two, had moved her job from the office to upstairs in her bedroom, and her husband is now working in the basement.
“I am just tired of staying at home. It does have its perks, but I need to go back to the office,” said Agostino. “It has been very stressful with my kids home all the time. I just need quarantine to be over.”
Fortunately, York County has now moved from the red zone to yellow, hopefully allowing for some people to get their lives back together.