Columbia neighbors cope with coronavirus isolation by coming together in new ways
A concert on a neighbor’s porch, a parade of teddy bears in windows, a generous lift to the grocery store.
As businesses shut down, social distancing takes hold and worry spreads in the time of coronavirus, it seems a sense of darkness has befallen communities across America.
But Columbia neighborhoods are shining glimmers of light in the darkness, coming to one another’s sides (figuratively speaking, of course) to meet needs both physical and emotional.
“One of our neighbors here ... said something that caught my attention: Social distancing, not emotional distancing,” said Stephen Hait, a resident of Columbia’s Hollywood-Rose Hill neighborhood, where nearly 100 households have studded their windows with teddy bears and other stuffed animals and trinkets as a sort of treasure hunt for families walking through the neighborhood.
After another neighbor sparked the idea and dozens of others jumped on board, Hait compiled a Google Map tracking the bears. The “bear hunt” concept has caught on in a number of neighborhoods around the city, from Shandon to Earlewood, offering a sense of levity and simple joy for the many families who are working and schooling from home, battling cabin fever and anxieties.
“I think it was initially considered something for the kids, but I think it ended up being an amusement for adults. It gave them something to do; they’re cooped up just like the kids,” Hait said. “I think it’s just been kind of a way to do something in a community-oriented way without having to get close to everybody else.”
One of Hait’s Hollywood-Rose Hill neighbors, Lynn Shirley, has seen hope and helpfulness spread through the community email chain he manages. He’s never seen as much response to anything in the email chain as there has been to the “bear hunt,” Shirley said.
‘A little bit of brightness’
A few days ago, Shirley put out a call for people who need help of any kind and for those willing to help.
The response? Overwhelmingly, more people have been eager to serve their neighbors than there have been needs to meet at this time, Shirley said.
“Let’s just let people know that there are people that care,” he said. Should neighbors find themselves with physical needs in the days and weeks to come, “we’ve preset an environment in which people would feel comfortable asking because there are volunteers.”
Earlier this week, Shirley set out his metal-framed, light-covered Palmetto tree, normally reserved for Christmastime, in his yard, matching his next-door neighbor’s. He hopes others might see theirs and follow suit.
“I think it just provides a little bit of brightness at night when you look out and there’s no one out, and no cars on the street,” Shirley said.
It’s a time of social isolation unprecedented in modern America, with some 175 million Americans being asked or ordered to stay in their homes as much as possible across the country, according to The New York Times. Health and government officials are encouraging the practice of “social distancing” to help slow the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections.
While Columbia residents currently are under no official orders to stay home, many have embraced the principle of keeping away from others as much as possible. But for some, that’s not to the extent that they’ll leave needs unmet for those around them.
‘You can always do something’
Chloe Giordano, a 21-year-old junior at the University of South Carolina, has seen most of her school friends leave town since the USC campus closed. Able-bodied, energetic and with a bit more free time on her hands these days (though she still has online class responsibilities to attend to), Giordano is now running errands for those who aren’t able to do so themselves.
“They’re telling us to sit inside, but you can always do something,” said Giordano, who is considering joining the Peace Corps when she graduates. “Especially when a lot of other people can’t do anything, they have to stay inside because they’re more at-risk. ... There’s something that can be done.”
A friend, fellow USC student Benny Yusufoglu, had suggested they put out a wide call volunteering to help anyone who needs it, Giordano said. She spread the word earlier this week on multiple social media sites, including Facebook and the neighborhood-centric Nextdoor app, and by Tuesday she was picking up a pair of elderly residents from a nearby assisted living community to help them buy their groceries and run errands.
“I just want to make it easier for people and make their lives better,” Giordano said.
Hope in music and normalcy
The weekend was sunny, after days of rain.
From across their backyard fence in the Rosewood neighborhood, Allison and Bob Askins learned from their neighbor that there would be a concert: “Grab a beer and come on out; we’ll keep a safe social distance.”
Later that afternoon, from a porch on Hope Avenue, hope indeed sounded through the guitar and the microphone, as the music of James Taylor and Kenny Rogers played away the worries of the worsening pandemic.
“It was a really nice moment of normalcy. You kind of forgot for a little while what was going on,” Allison Askins said. “We all just kind of understood why it mattered to do these things. ... As long as we do this kind of stuff, we’ll get through this.”
As they sat in their yard, listening to their neighbors play and sing, seeing friends gathered at safe distances in their own yards nearby, Askins said, “you kind of felt like Armageddon wasn’t coming.”
Are your neighbors — or your neighborhood — doing special things to get through the crisis? Send your stories to online@thestate.com.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
