The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately ravished Black and Brown communities around the country and St. Louis is no exception.
It was a year ago last week that the first COVID-19 case was detected in St. Louis and since then our normal has changed to what we’re now calling the “new normal.”
Throughout the year parents and students have had to adjust to school closings, openings and reclosings, as well as hybrids of at-home and at-school classes.
Most businesses, with the exception of those in frontline industries, have gone all virtual. Many companies have still not specified when their employees will be asked to return.
Restaurants, bars and other social gathering venues have been impacted severely – many having shut their doors permanently.
Prime 55, a “fine dining” restaurant in the Delmar Loop is one of many businesses that has had to adjust. At one point, Orlando Watson, co-owner with his friend and business partner Tony Davis, said it was a challenge having to close.
“We had to shut down for a bit like everybody else did and resort to curbside pickup, which didn’t really gel well with our business and menu,” Watson said. “We didn’t make much money those two months we were shut down.”
Amber Tomlin, owner of the baking company, Bebe’s Bake Shoppe faced uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic when customers cancelled their orders in response to the citywide lockdown. To survive she had to adjust to the new way people were celebrating. Soon, her orders increased with the popularity of birthday parades and virtual parties.
“The pandemic actually helped my business in the aspect that people really started to get creative and do a lot of personal individualized treats,” Tomlin said.
When restaurants were allowed to reopen at 25% capacity, Prime 55 actually became more successful, but it had to reduce it’s staff by nearly half. It operates now with 14 employees. But they also had to make other adjustments, like spacing tables to adhere to CDC social distancing guidelines, sanitize all areas much more frequently, and staff have to wear masks at all times.
When the pandemic first hit, most schools closed and transitioned to virtual learning.
Alexis Shelton has a 10 year old daughter and a newborn son. She’s had to juggle with changing school schedules and work. She was relieved when her daughter’s school finally reopened so she could get back to work. Family helped out with her newborn.
“I had to go back in order to make ends meet,” Shelton said.
Both Watson and Tomlin also have had to deal with the challenges of changing school schedules. This change was especially difficult for Tomlin’s daughter, who just started kindergarten at a new school.
“She didn’t understand why all of her friends were on the computer, why she couldn’t meet her new teacher in person, or why she couldn’t go anywhere and give anybody hugs,” Tomlin said. “It was really hard trying to teach a five-year-old how to use a laptop so quickly, she got it a week before school started.”
Shelton’s 10-year-old daughter’s school experience differs from Tomlin and Watson. She started off virtually, then eventually Shelton felt comfortable with her returning to the classroom.
“Of course I get leery because of the pandemic, but it was easier for me to send her back to school since I work full-time.” Shelton said.
Watson and Tomlin both agree that being at home with their families during the pandemic has its pros and cons.
“It got to a point where we were getting on each other’s nerves from spending too much time together,” Tomlin said. “I started to look at it differently, because normally my husband would be at work. Now, we get to spend more time together.”