By Anonymous
In the first installment of The ER diaries, a California nurse journals from the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic
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Today is my first shift back after the California governor called for us to “shelter in place” three days ago. The roads are noticeably less congested, yet the drivers are more edgy, going nowhere. I’ve received emails all week about changes at work, but until I see the department with my own eyes I won’t really know the impact this disease is having on me and my co-workers.
Parking is a breeze; the courtyard outside the main entrance is vacant. I follow another guy who is dressed in plain street clothes into the hospital. We’re stopped and asked questions that have become so customary I can repeat them in my sleep: any cough, fever, international travel within the past two weeks or contact with known Covid-19 patients? My badge gives me exclusive access while the guy I followed in is turned away. He grumbles a bit under his breath and makes one last effort to convince the security staff that he should be granted permission to enter, only to be shot down again and told more sternly to leave for everyone’s safety. As I walk away down the hall, the new normal of this pandemic sinks in.
Source: A nurse’s coronavirus journal: ‘Rumors abound, stories fry our nerves’
Category: Coronavirus outbreak, US healthcare, California, US news
