One year later: 5 questions with 5 Charlotteans about how COVID-19 changed everything
March 2020 will always be hard to forget. This was the moment in time when COVID-19 created history, severely impacted the present and altered the course of our futures, including the way we’ll do almost anything moving forward.
On March 11, 2020, exactly one year ago, the first COVID-19 case was discovered in Mecklenburg County. The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the Charlotte community will forever be etched into the Queen City. CharlotteFive connected with five Charlotteans and asked them five questions. Here are their responses to an unprecedented year.
(1) Rubie Britt-Height
Rubie Britt-Height’s work as the director of community relations at The Mint Museum has kept her busy during the past year. Her work merges two aspects that have been vital during a sensitive time: art and community. The upcoming exhibition, “Silent Streets,” is made up of North Carolina artists’ works that were created during the pandemic.
CharlotteFive: Describe the moment you realized your life changed?
Britt-Height: I’d just traveled back from Hampton-Newport News for the March 6-7, 2020, homegoing dedication and services for Dr. Katherine Gobble Johnson, NASA mathematician and pioneer. I was reflective and humbled. I’d been a flower bearer and so deeply moved by her life and how I’d been changed; there was no COVID-19 news at this point. I had no idea that my life would be forever changed, so quickly, so soon. The onset of the pandemic was so surreal and filled with unknowns. The days were frightening and people were panicking. I anxiously watched BBC for a global perspective… it could last as long as 18 months… no one dared think that here. People were saying, “Oh, a few weeks, or a month or two.” I knew then things would be very different. I had no idea what was to come, how many lives would be lost, and how my life and those close to me was never to be the same.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you learned during this year of the pandemic?
Britt-Height: I learned how to be more grateful for the small things: engaging in prayer and mindfulness, enjoying a walk in the fresh air, having longer chats with friends and family, hearing the birds sing outside my window, worshipping at church and at home and feeling my breaths. There was so much I unknowingly took for granted, like the value of life and how quickly it could be lost. I cherish it all more now than ever.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you gave up that you’ll never get back?
Britt-Height: I gave up my old worries. They seem so minute and meaningless now. They were replaced by gratefulness for waking up daily, having a normal temperature and being able to breathe. Even though the days were running together and I often was uncertain, I knew I’d never get back tomorrow, but I had today, and every day was thanking God we were still here.
CharlotteFive: In a perfect world, what’s the first thing you would do post-pandemic?
Britt-Height: I realize through this pandemic that I took being able to freely travel in this global society for granted. I’d want to see the world and engage with other cultures, enjoy regional foods and broaden my worldview. I’d want to explore other continents, particularly Africa and South America, and totally submerge myself in warm blue and green waters and yes, the Montreux Jazz Festival.
CharlotteFive: How do you see your life changing yet again a year now?
Britt-Height: If the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. I’m willing to embrace seeing all the ways my life will change in the next year. I’m taking that forward and I’m open to new, positive and joyful possibilities.
(2) Chris Coleman
The Goodyear House in NoDa opened its doors 48 days before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. While 2020 was not the best year to open a restaurant, the team survived and persevered after quite a bit of planning and pivoting — the team even added igloos for outdoor seating during the winter, chef and partner Chris Coleman said.
CharlotteFive: Describe the moment you realized your life changed.
Coleman: We were gathered for our normal pre-shift line up with staff where we go over specials, anything we’re running low on, and any other pertinent information. We were discussing what might happen since bigger cities were already starting to close restaurants for in-house dining. Then, we got pinged on our phones that Governor Cooper had just made the announcement that restaurants would be closing that Friday. That afternoon, we decided to switch gears to try takeout only service, which meant we had to let 38 people go and keep a small crew to handle take out. We tried takeout for a week, realized we weren’t set up for it and we were losing money trying to stay open. We made the difficult decision to shut down, gathered all managers with a bottle of bourbon and toasted with a vow to reopen as soon as we quickly could. I was at home in sweatpants the following day, which was when it definitely hit me that my life had completely changed.
Charlotte Five: What’s one thing you learned during this year of the pandemic?
Coleman: I learned to not take anything for granted. The pandemic forced the closure of a business that my team and I had worked very hard to get open, but it also allowed me to spend the downtime with my family. I haven’t hung out with my friends in over a year, and “zoom” and “pivot” have entered the daily lexicon.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you gave up that you’ll never get back?
Coleman: I think society has completely changed in its openness and carefree social situations. I think we will be wearing masks for a long time. I don’t foresee giant gatherings anytime soon. So, I think we have given that up.
CharlotteFive: In a perfect world, what’s the first thing you would do post-pandemic?
Coleman: Get together with my close friends, cook some tasty food, open a few bottles of wine, and spend hours just hanging out with each other while our kids run around carefree with each other.
CharlotteFive: How do you see your life changing yet again a year from now?
Coleman: My partners and I are looking towards what’s next for Goodyear House, and what’s next for our partnership. We have plans for expansion and for new concepts, and I think we will be hard at work pursuing those. I also can’t wait for my kids to be able to return to in-person schooling; my daughter started kindergarten this year and my wife and I have really struggled watching her experience her first year of school virtually.
(3) Barry Greene
“Charlotte’s plant guy” made being stuck in our homes a little bit easier. With the extra time to pick up a new hobby and take care of our homes, many people in the Charlotte community — like Barry Greene — started falling more and more in love with plants.
CharlotteFive: Describe the moment you realized your life changed.
Greene: Several articles were released on my shop and my love for plants. My Instagram shot up 3,000 followers in 24 hours. I knew I’d have to prepare myself with even more knowledge. I was so excited to bring people into my world of plants after three years of indoor gardening.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you learned during this year of the pandemic?
Greene: Self care is important and it may look different for many people. One of my new favorite things to do after my plant routine is to simply enjoy a bowl of cereal at the table in peace. No phone or T.V., just some lofi music and my own thoughts.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you gave up that you’ll never get back?
Greene: My anonymity. I’m slowly being identified as Charlotte’s plant guy. I’m recognized even in my mask when doing everyday tasks such as grocery shopping, apartment hunting or at dinner. This is great, you just have to be prepared to answer plant questions in the meat aisle from time to time.
CharlotteFive: In a perfect world, what’s the first thing you would do post-pandemic?
Greene: Play ultimate frisbee! There was something about networking and fellowshipping with strangers in the middle of the week. An opportunity to unwind and get to know the incredible people within this beautiful city.
CharlotteFive: How do you see your life changing yet again a year from now?
Greene: Retail will never be the same. We have to get creative with how we engage and educate our customers. Virtual workshops will be an even bigger option in the year to come as we readjust to things.
(4) Diana Tejada
Frontline workers in Charlotte — and across the country — have sacrificed a great deal since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Diana Tejada, a Novant Health certified critical care nurse, is one of many. She cares for patients who are on the brink of life and death and who are critically ill and unstable. More specifically, she takes care of COVID-19 patients who have been in the hospital for 15 or more days.
CharlotteFive: Describe the moment you realized your life changed.
Tejada: Exactly one year ago, I remember coming into work and looking at all of our rooms covered with isolation gowns and N95 masks. The hospital closed to visitors and we got our first patient diagnosed with COVID on life support. Our MICU had been designated as the COVID ICU. That’s when I realized the virus was officially here in Charlotte — this wasn’t a fabricated lie by the media — it is real.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you learned during this year of the pandemic?
Tejada: Life is not promised and can be taken away in an instance. So, love your family members and communicate with them because this virus has no limits on who it can harm.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you gave up this year that you’ll never get back?
Tejada: In the last year I found myself working a lot more due to the national nursing shortage, and I will never get back that time with my kids and family.
CharlotteFive: In a perfect world, what’s the first thing you would do post-pandemic?
Tejada: The first thing I would do is book a flight to Peru to see my family and enjoy a vacation.
CharlotteFive: How do you see your life changing yet again a year from now?
Tejada: Honestly, I am not sure before this pandemic that I was super positive about life in general, but after all this death and this uncertainty of where the world will go with this virus I just hope to continue to be resilient. A year from now, I hope I can still be caring for patients and families during the worst time of their lives, but hopefully without masks and gowns. Like everyone, I am tired of the mask and just want my patients to see a genuine smile again. And, I don’t want our patients to be isolated from their families anymore.
(5) Billie Vuckovich
Like many Charlotteans, Billie Vuckovich realized about a year ago that COVID-19 was changing her life at work. The married mother of two had to balance working from home while caring for her two daughters and ensuring they were engaged in learning at the start of the pandemic.
CharlotteFive: Describe the moment you realize your life changed.
Vuckovich: I was sitting at my desk and I just canceled my trip to our San Francisco office on March 9th because my coworker was concerned for our safety at that airport (SFO). A few days later, an employee from Brighthouse Financial tested positive for COVID, which was only two buildings away. That day, our HR informed us to work from home for the rest of the week. At that point in time, I realized that we were not coming back to the office.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you learned during this year of the pandemic?
Vuckovich: That even the companies that believed that a company can’t be productive with employees working from home, can actually produce more. I learned that people and policies can adapt quickly when they want to.
CharlotteFive: What’s one thing you gave up that you’ll never get back?
Vuckovich: I was managing an ad operations team and they discontinued the department. It was collateral damage of the pandemic.
CharlotteFive: In a perfect world, what’s the first thing you would do post-pandemic?
Vuckovich: Travel to New York and see a Broadway show and some family there.
CharlotteFive: How do you see your life changing yet again a year from now?
Vuckovich: The one thing the pandemic gave me was the opportunity to work in another department, and it exposed me to new opportunities. I may or may not return back to digital marketing.
Editor’s note: Answers have been edited for punctuation.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 6:30 AM.
