‘I wish people had been more cautious.’ A decision to stay home amid COVID-19.
Once North Carolina’s Phase 1 transitioned to Phase 2 and then Phase 2.5 of safer-at-home orders, Shelley Stockton had to begin to navigate a world reawakening from the effects of the coronavirus.
“I thought it was too soon,” she said. “It’s hard because I’ve worked in the restaurant industry before. So on one hand, I was happy that those businesses were able to open and people were able to get their livelihood, but I do think certain people were a little too cavalier about it.”
Stockton — who has an autoimmune disease — remembers jogging through a shopping center parking lot near her home and seeing through the windows it was slammed with people.
“I wish people had been more cautious,” she said.
Memorial Day seemed to be a big turning point for Charlotteans’, Stockton said.
“I feel like people were just so tired of being kept in and getting cabin fever that they went out and started doing something, and our numbers started spiking,” she said.
As Stockton reflects on what’s happened so far and what’s still to come, she wishes people would take COVID-19 more seriously, wear masks and social distance. She’s had visits with her doctor because of panic attacks.
“I think mental health is really a big part of this,” Stockton said.
As she continues to navigate the coronavirus with a compromised immune system, she’s had to be extra careful. During a recent trip to Lowe’s, a woman got too close to her, and she kindly asked her to step back.
“And she was very nice, she was like, I’m so sorry, that’s my fault. I apologize,” Stockton said. “I definitely want to speak up about [being too close]. I’ve encountered it, and yeah it’s frustrating because it’s just very selfish.”
While others are out, the Stocktons stay home
Stockton’s new routine of avoiding crowds and hanging out mostly at home isn’t ideal for her or her family, but for her, it’s not a choice.
“There’s certainly days where I feel so grateful that we’ve got a yard, and my husband works from home, so we’re not financially impacted by it,” Stockton said. “And then there’s other days where I really feel like I’m just going to go nuts and mentally I feel like my anxiety has been up and down.”
An attempt at a COVID bubble
Stockton had a COVID-19 scare in June when they started seeing just one family that they’d known from school.
As more people crave social interaction that lacks during the pandemic, COVID bubbles have become increasingly popular. These “bubbles” or “quaranteams” are groups of people who agree to have contact with a small group, but social distance from everyone else.
However, COVID-19 bubbles still pose a risk, which became a stark reality for Stockton. A member of the family in her COVID-19 bubble tested positive, although Stockton’s family had not directly come into contact with that family member.
“We all had to get tested. My husband and our two kids. And it took four days for our test to get back. I think I had like three panic attacks between the testing day and when we got the results, which were luckily negative,” Stockton said.
Missing the little things
While Stockton and her family remain at home, she doesn’t think it’s all bad.
“I think the bad part is just that you don’t have your free will. That’s the downside. I miss just going to Target and grabbing a Starbucks and not having to worry if someone’s next to me or if somebody’s touched this lid,” Stockton said. “It’s hard, I know it’s what we need to do. I know it’s the only way to really stay safe, but at the same time, it’s challenging.”
Coming tomorrow: He fell apart crying: ‘I don’t know why I’m upset.’ Helping children navigate COVID-19.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 9:56 AM.
