Residents reflect on what they miss most
6 months since COVID-19 forced lockdown
It’s been almost six months since almost every aspect of our lives completely changed — covered faces, remote learning, empty streets and deserted venues.
Six months since the COVID-19 pandemic touched every facet of day-to-day life, forcing a virtual lockdown across the country and a deadly toll.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6.83 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the U.S. As of Sunday, the national death toll has surpassed 200,000, the highest in the world.
Some experts think the numbers could double before the end of the year, bringing the death toll up to 600,000, according to the Associated Press.
California’s death count from the coronavirus surpassed 15,000 on Sunday even as the state saw widespread improvement in infection levels. In Yolo County, officials are reporting 2,747 cases, with 8 new cases reported Sunday. To date, 54 people have died and 182 have been hospitalized as a result of the virus.
It would have been difficult to predict six months ago just
how brutal of a toll the pandemic would take on the nation and local communities, and the simple and profound pleasures that would be lost in the process.
Yolo County residents reflected on what they miss most via the Daily Democrat’s Facebook page.
For many, it boils down to family.
“(I miss) having get togethers with my family,” Woodland resident Teresa Rosales shared. “I (miss) hugging them and just laughing together.”
“I miss spending time with family and sports and the bridge with all friends,” Donna Power Howard said.
Since March, in-person gatherings have been discouraged, as they pose an especially high danger of transmission and spread of COVID-19, according to the state’s California For All website.
Yolo County does not recommend any gatherings of any kind, though it has not set a limit on how many people can gather as some other counties have, according to Public Information Officer Jenny Tan.
Woodland resident Griffin Montoya said he misses “getting a shave at the barbershop instead of having to wear a mask and just get a haircut.”
The county’s barbershops and hair salons were allowed to resume indoor operations in late August, while following state guidance that includes face-coverings and physical distance protocols.
Yolo County code officers can also fine businesses up to $10,000 for not complying with health orders, including not wearing a mask.
“(I miss) my kids playing sports, my kids going to school and teaching chemistry in person,” UC Davis PhD student and tutor Robert Van Ostrand said.
Under current state rules, schools in counties where COVID-19 activity is widespread — those in the purple Tier 1, like Yolo County — are limited to distance learning except for elementary schools that receive a waiver to resume inperson instruction.
Five schools in the county have been granted waivers so far by the Yolo County Health Officer and the California Department of Public Health to resume in-person learning for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.
A few users mentioned missing sports, especially for with regards to their children.
“(I miss) my kids being kids, playing sports and hanging out with friends,” Woodland resident Clarisse Tristan said.
When the state’s stay-athome order was first issued in March, youth sports, including school-based, club and recreational youth sports, were suspended.
In late July, the California Department of Public Health began allowing youth sports training and physical education under specific circumstances, though events and competitions are still prohibited.
Currently, youth sports are permitted outside and with physical distancing enforcement.
Some Facebook users expressed missing “freedom,” though they did not specify what they meant.
Patricia Reed said she misses “not seeing fear in people’s eyes.”
Shelby Berriman, owner of Woodland’s Sunshine Childcare, made a simple but resounding remark in regards to she misses most.
“Everything,” Berriman said.