Final Multimedia Project

By Parker Dorsey

News Editor

May 5, 2020

Despite the record number of US unemployment applications, currently at 26 million according to the Department of Labor, there are still millions of Americans working at the frontlines to combat the coronavirus and providing essential services to Americans.

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The global pandemic of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to upend daily life for many Americans, with stay-at-home social distancing orders still in effect for the foreseeable future.

The stay-at-home orders were put in place due to the virus's high infection rate, which has infected over 2.5 million worldwide and killed at least 175,000, according to the World Health Organization. As of April 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the United States has confirmed at least 828,441 cases and 46,379 deaths from the coronavirus.

Olivia Ozack, a nurse at Geisinger Wyoming Valley and Wilkes University alumnus, is one of those nurses working on the frontlines. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Ozack’s job was doing patient care such as assessments, giving medications, doing hourly rounding and being involved in her patients’ care. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing last year.

“During this time, patients cannot have family visits and I think that’s hard on them and makes recovery a little bit harder. As a nurse, I’ve been trying to be the greatest support system for my patients, but only being in these rooms a short amount of time it’s hard to really be that for them,” Ozack said.

Hospital guidelines require nurses to wear a mask at all times. Geisinger currently has hand sanitizers and handwashing stations in numerous parts of the hospital as well as personal protective equipment (PPE) for whenever nurses have to enter rooms with coronavirus patients.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. But for some older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and lung damage.

“During this time it has been very difficult to even sleep. The anxiety of coming into work and not knowing what you’re walking into is overwhelming. I’ve seen young people die from this as well as elderly patients. It has been something so unimaginable to experience,” she said. 

She said that it is important to practice social distancing and practice good hand hygiene.

“It’s important for everyone to do their part as this pandemic goes on. The more we listen, the faster the virus will be in the past,” she said.

The coronavirus has impacted the world on a scale almost unforeseen. Social distancing guidelines have been in effect for over seven weeks, and many Americans considered nonessential workers have found themselves out of a job. Many educational institutions, manufacturing operations, legal services, sporting events, music festivals, among other businesses have shut down physical operations during this time.

According to the statewide order, essential businesses include: farms and their suppliers, food manufacturing, medical care facilities, medical products suppliers and banks. Retailers that sell food, gas, automotive parts and building materials may also stay open.

Schiel’s Family Market is just one of many grocery stores where employees are considered essential. David Bubblo, a senior business major at Wilkes University, is one of several employees who has had to come into work at Schiel’s while balancing the college transition to online.

“It is hard for me, just like everyone else. We are all dealing with scary and complex situations and problems. Especially as a college student, our lives have been turned upside down. We are all trying to adjust and adapt to this situation that we are in. I’ve just been trying to take it day-by-day to deal with it all,” Bubblo said.

He went on to say that every employee is now required to wipe down and disinfect all door handles and commonly touched objects and surfaces. In addition, everyone is also required to wear a mask and gloves. Bubblo said that he additionally carries a bottle of hand sanitizer at all times while on the job.

Many restaurants and cafes have had to temporarily modify policies in order to accommodate social distancing guidelines, which could be a challenge during rush-hour or areas that see large volumes of customers. Francesca Carannante, manager of Antonio’s Pizzeria in West Pittston, said that they had to close the dining room and limit customer walk-ins to two people at a time. 

“Now we are even more diligent about sanitizing high-touch areas. We have a Plexiglas shield installed by the register and hand sanitizing stations for us and the customers, and we have been wearing masks and having customers wearing masks,” she said.

Despite limiting in-person traffic there has still been plenty of pizza to go around. The pizzeria has seen an uptick in orders being placed over the phone and deliveries being made through GrubHub. A tent has also been set up in front of the side door, which is now the temporary primary entrance.

Jonathan Kaczmarczyk, a warehouse worker at the UPS Customer Center in Pittston, said that they are disinfecting their entire warehouse, delivery trucks and bathrooms on a daily basis. He said that although their responsibilities have not changed much, they have seen an influx of deliveries.

“UPS has taken on many different and new customers specifically because of the virus because we have the greatest ability to move things the fastest overnight. Furthermore, because of all of the stores and local businesses closing we have a greater volume of residential deliveries because people are ordering supplies off of the internet instead of traveling because they want to minimize risk to themselves,” Kaczmarczyk said.

Many workers at UPS are wearing masks, especially truck drivers and those making deliveries. Kaczmarczyk also said that the government is using UPS to transport the COVID-19 test kits around the country. 

“If the whole country were to completely shut down, delivery services would be one of the last things to go. I’m still working and my father works for PPL, so luckily he is also still employed. We are just trying to help others and minimize the risk of anything to others,” he said.

Other businesses have moved completely online until the coronavirus pandemic dies down. Travis Antoniello, a web developer at Coal Creative, said that he has been able to work from home on his personal computer without any setbacks. He is responsible for building and maintaining websites, and he often has to communicate with clients to make sure their websites align with their needs and vision.

“My responsibilities have remained consistent, but I do not meet with clients in person - instead we communicate electronically or over the phone. I'm staying home as often as possible - luckily almost all of my work is able to be done remotely, so it's not too much of a hassle!” Antoniello said.

Ryan Hertel, the owner of Socialocca, said that his team is currently remote as well. The video production team, for instance, is currently opting for animation or editing previously shot content instead of recording new material.

“I think there’s a lot of compromises we need to make here for the sake of our economy and the livelihood of its people. Everything is more about survival now. It’s weird because the need to be the biggest and best has just really disappeared. Now I’m more concerned about trying to make sure my team is taken care of,”  Hertel said.

Socialocca offers a wide range of services for a small marketing agency. These services include social media, content creation, design, photo/video, web development/design, public relations, copywriting, branding and other marketing services. Hertel said that the pandemic has been a difficult time for him and his agency.

“Will the clients we have even make enough money to be able to afford marketing services? What if I don’t receive enough income to pay the team of creatives I have working with Socialocca what they deserve? There have been a lot of tough conversations and decisions to make lately and I absolutely hate needing to make these types of decisions. Not being able to provide as much as I’d like to for others isn't a good feeling,” he said.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there are 37,053 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, with at least 1880 in Luzerne County. On March 19, Governor Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to shut down in Pennsylvania. Wolf and State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine held a news conference on April 22, outlining a three-stage plan to reopen Pennsylvania. 

The entire state is currently in the “red” phase, which means stay-at-home orders must remain in place and only life-sustaining businesses are allowed to be open. Wolf said that before a state region can move from red to yellow there will need to be an average of fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 individuals over the course of 14 days.

Some parts of the state with limited coronavirus spread could move from red to yellow as soon as May 8. However, Wolf warned that the date could shift, and even afterward areas could be closed again if they have spikes in coronavirus cases. Until then, stay-at-home orders and non-essential business shutdowns will be remaining in place for the foreseeable future.

According to pa.gov, the purpose of the yellow phase is, “to begin to power back up the economy while keeping a close eye on the public health data to ensure the spread of disease remains contained to the greatest extent possible.”

The yellow phase will lift the stay at home order and limit large gatherings to 25 people. Restaurants and bars will continue to be limited to carry out and delivery only, and in-person retail will be allowed (although curbside pickup and delivery are considered preferable).

Hertel said that even after the coronavirus pandemic subsides he plans to keep operations remote for the most part. 

“The whole landscape of business is going to change completely in my opinion so I’m going to look forward to a completely remote working situation. It seems best for the long run,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many people to find ways to adapt in such an unprecedented situation. The NFL, for example, is going to be hosting the first-ever online NFL Draft through this weekend. Despite the challenges for both essential and nonessential businesses, the shutdown is simply another, albeit extreme, learning experience.

“There is a lot of benefit that can come from a wild situation like this. Things aren’t good right now, but there is a lot to learn from our mistakes. This is also pushing people to become more flexible, versatile and communicate better with each other. There are going to be many repercussions, but some of them will be for the better in the long run,” Hertel said.