Though I took many precautions on the subway and at work, I did not take many precautions in my own house. I considered this to be the place where I was safe. This changed one day when my brother, who is a fireman in Brooklyn and living back at my house temporarily, came home sick one day. He was sick with a fever in his room for about a week. My parents and I made sure to stay away from him and we started cleaning the house with disinfectant wipes constantly. Because my brother was a first responder and experiencing symptoms, he was able to get tested quickly. About five days later, his test came back positive for Covid-19. By this point his fever had already went away and he felt fine, though he still isolated himself from the rest of us in the house. That night I texted my foreman the scenario. Surprisingly, he told me I should monitor my symptoms and wear a respirator at work.

After working till about lunch on that Thursday, eventually word got out on the job about my scenario. The school construction authority and the general contractor sent me home. They had different guidelines than my foreman had which required anyone who came into contact with someone infected had to self-quarantine. They sent me home last Thursday and Governor Cuomo shut down all nonessential construction the next day. So, I actually just got out one day early. As for the virus, nobody else including myself are showing any symptoms and because of this, we are not even able to get tested. Due to the shortage of tests, even people who may have been exposed cannot get tested unless they have severe symptoms like trouble breathing. Hopefully this all blows over in a short time, and people can go back to their daily lives.

 

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Social Distancing Crew

Yesenia Montesdeoco