This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/coronavirus-time-what-day-is-it.html
The article has changed 26 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| What Day Is It? You’re Not the Only One Asking | What Day Is It? You’re Not the Only One Asking |
| (3 days later) | |
| A little over a week ago, a local news anchor in Cleveland, Todd Meany, got a call from his producer about an unusual problem created by the coronavirus pandemic. | A little over a week ago, a local news anchor in Cleveland, Todd Meany, got a call from his producer about an unusual problem created by the coronavirus pandemic. |
| Nobody could remember what day it was. What could a local newscast do? | Nobody could remember what day it was. What could a local newscast do? |
| Create a morning show segment, of course, with a dash of ’70s-style game show music: “What Day Is It?” | Create a morning show segment, of course, with a dash of ’70s-style game show music: “What Day Is It?” |
| The segment quickly took off on social media, and Mr. Meany started receiving grateful messages from people in regions and countries very far from his station, Fox 8, in northeastern Ohio. But just like Clevelanders, his new fans were staying inside, working from kitchens and taking virtual classes — stripped of life’s usual rhythm by the coronavirus pandemic. They had lost track of the time, too. | The segment quickly took off on social media, and Mr. Meany started receiving grateful messages from people in regions and countries very far from his station, Fox 8, in northeastern Ohio. But just like Clevelanders, his new fans were staying inside, working from kitchens and taking virtual classes — stripped of life’s usual rhythm by the coronavirus pandemic. They had lost track of the time, too. |
| “In this free-form, kind of weird world that we’re in right now, everybody’s internal clock is thrown,” Mr. Meany said in an interview. “There’s just no reference point anymore. Nobody has a calendar in their house. Everybody’s just on their phone.” | “In this free-form, kind of weird world that we’re in right now, everybody’s internal clock is thrown,” Mr. Meany said in an interview. “There’s just no reference point anymore. Nobody has a calendar in their house. Everybody’s just on their phone.” |
| Among the stranger consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is how, by unmooring the daily lives of tens of millions of people, it has made time itself feel distorted. Psychologists say the sensation is a result of losing social anchors, chronic stress and anxiety, and drastic changes to normal routines. | Among the stranger consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is how, by unmooring the daily lives of tens of millions of people, it has made time itself feel distorted. Psychologists say the sensation is a result of losing social anchors, chronic stress and anxiety, and drastic changes to normal routines. |
| Tom Hanks, while hosting last weekend’s remote episode of “S.N.L.,” summed up what it feels like to be stuck at home and to watch, through windows, TV and the internet, as the world changes at a bewildering pace: “There’s no such thing as Saturdays anymore. It’s just, every day is today.” | Tom Hanks, while hosting last weekend’s remote episode of “S.N.L.,” summed up what it feels like to be stuck at home and to watch, through windows, TV and the internet, as the world changes at a bewildering pace: “There’s no such thing as Saturdays anymore. It’s just, every day is today.” |
| Searches for “what day is it” have spiked online. Some experts, like those at the University of California, San Francisco, are compiling resources to help people cope. And some psychologists have compared the coronavirus’s effects to the aftermath of a natural disaster, except the disaster is moving in slow motion, taking place everywhere and has no end in sight. | Searches for “what day is it” have spiked online. Some experts, like those at the University of California, San Francisco, are compiling resources to help people cope. And some psychologists have compared the coronavirus’s effects to the aftermath of a natural disaster, except the disaster is moving in slow motion, taking place everywhere and has no end in sight. |
| “What makes Covid so weird is that the physical environment looks very normal,” said Dr. Mary McNaughton-Cassill, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “But we have lost every single social anchor that we would normally use.” | “What makes Covid so weird is that the physical environment looks very normal,” said Dr. Mary McNaughton-Cassill, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “But we have lost every single social anchor that we would normally use.” |
| March ended without March Madness, May graduations were canceled, and Friday happy hours have been called off indefinitely, she noted. For those able to work from home, daily cues like commuting and socializing after work have evaporated. Workdays blur together, and weekends are just weekdays with fewer obligations. | March ended without March Madness, May graduations were canceled, and Friday happy hours have been called off indefinitely, she noted. For those able to work from home, daily cues like commuting and socializing after work have evaporated. Workdays blur together, and weekends are just weekdays with fewer obligations. |
| “The difference between Friday and Saturday has been temporarily erased,” Dr. McNaughton-Cassill said. “You know you’re not going out today.” | “The difference between Friday and Saturday has been temporarily erased,” Dr. McNaughton-Cassill said. “You know you’re not going out today.” |
| She said that people’s perception of time was always relative, and generally depended on the anchors of work and personal life: Time seems to go by more quickly when you’re busy or with friends, but it crawls by when you’re bored or sick in bed. “You probably don’t have as many things to do to fill the time, so the perception is that time is going slower,” she said, calling it a “sense of being adrift.” | She said that people’s perception of time was always relative, and generally depended on the anchors of work and personal life: Time seems to go by more quickly when you’re busy or with friends, but it crawls by when you’re bored or sick in bed. “You probably don’t have as many things to do to fill the time, so the perception is that time is going slower,” she said, calling it a “sense of being adrift.” |
| For those still going to work, every day is a journey into a dangerous and uncertain world, with new rules about masks, washing hands and staying away from others. For those who have lost work, there are intense new stresses about income, health insurance and the future. “We have a perfect storm for being cognitively taxed,” said Dr. Elissa Epel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s all changing so fast, our body is just on vigilance mode.” | For those still going to work, every day is a journey into a dangerous and uncertain world, with new rules about masks, washing hands and staying away from others. For those who have lost work, there are intense new stresses about income, health insurance and the future. “We have a perfect storm for being cognitively taxed,” said Dr. Elissa Epel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s all changing so fast, our body is just on vigilance mode.” |
| The ongoing stress and anxiety of living on high alert can take a significant toll on the ability to think clearly, Dr. Epel said. “Our working memory is fragile and it’s impacted by these things,” she said. “Honestly, I’m having trouble tracking time. Now when did this start? February? That feels like ancient history.” | The ongoing stress and anxiety of living on high alert can take a significant toll on the ability to think clearly, Dr. Epel said. “Our working memory is fragile and it’s impacted by these things,” she said. “Honestly, I’m having trouble tracking time. Now when did this start? February? That feels like ancient history.” |
| Having a hard time remembering what day it is can sometimes be a “symptom flare” of stress and overstimulation, said Dr. Christina Weyer Jamora, a neuropsychologist and associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco. She compared it to the physical effects of finishing a marathon. | Having a hard time remembering what day it is can sometimes be a “symptom flare” of stress and overstimulation, said Dr. Christina Weyer Jamora, a neuropsychologist and associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco. She compared it to the physical effects of finishing a marathon. |
| “At the end of the marathon you might not walk another 12 miles because your legs are done,” she said. “The brain is the same, saying, ‘I’ve taken in a lot of information, I need to take break.’” | “At the end of the marathon you might not walk another 12 miles because your legs are done,” she said. “The brain is the same, saying, ‘I’ve taken in a lot of information, I need to take break.’” |
| And she emphasized that this was entirely normal. “We notice it when we don’t remember what day it is, but we probably at some point do remember what day it is,” she said. | And she emphasized that this was entirely normal. “We notice it when we don’t remember what day it is, but we probably at some point do remember what day it is,” she said. |
| Lots of factors can contribute: Sleep quality suffers under stress, social media and the news can feel overwhelming, and, with routines turned upside down, people have to devote far more energy and attention to tasks that used to be automatic, like groceries and laundry. | Lots of factors can contribute: Sleep quality suffers under stress, social media and the news can feel overwhelming, and, with routines turned upside down, people have to devote far more energy and attention to tasks that used to be automatic, like groceries and laundry. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| “Those old habits, they’re not there anymore to help propel us through the day, so we have to think about all the decisions of what to do,” said Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, and the author of “Good Habits, Bad Habits.” | “Those old habits, they’re not there anymore to help propel us through the day, so we have to think about all the decisions of what to do,” said Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, and the author of “Good Habits, Bad Habits.” |
| She compared learning to live in a pandemic to the uncertainty of starting a new job: “Everything is new, you’re making a lot of new decisions, and it’s tiring. And that disruption in your habits, and having to learn new ones, is draining. Everything just takes more effort.” | She compared learning to live in a pandemic to the uncertainty of starting a new job: “Everything is new, you’re making a lot of new decisions, and it’s tiring. And that disruption in your habits, and having to learn new ones, is draining. Everything just takes more effort.” |
| Dr. McNaughton-Cassill said that those new decisions extended even to small tasks, like brushing your teeth or driving to do an errand. “Most of our daily life is very automated,” she said. “Now everything is disrupted, you have to think about it more, and that takes up bandwidth.” | Dr. McNaughton-Cassill said that those new decisions extended even to small tasks, like brushing your teeth or driving to do an errand. “Most of our daily life is very automated,” she said. “Now everything is disrupted, you have to think about it more, and that takes up bandwidth.” |
| Even television, for decades a collective reference point for millions of viewers, is another source of disorientation, Dr. McNaughton-Cassill said. Sporting events were canceled just as winter was wrapping up and baseball fans got ready for opening day. On streaming services, silent movies from the 1930s coexist with sitcoms from the ’90s and period dramas of the 2010s. On social media, an internet-era substitute for TV, no one’s feed is exactly the same mix of headlines, commentary, photos and updates — some stressful, others supportive. | Even television, for decades a collective reference point for millions of viewers, is another source of disorientation, Dr. McNaughton-Cassill said. Sporting events were canceled just as winter was wrapping up and baseball fans got ready for opening day. On streaming services, silent movies from the 1930s coexist with sitcoms from the ’90s and period dramas of the 2010s. On social media, an internet-era substitute for TV, no one’s feed is exactly the same mix of headlines, commentary, photos and updates — some stressful, others supportive. |
| She and other psychologists recommended setting limits to social media and the news, taking regular breaks from screens, and putting structure in the day, like setting places and hours for working and taking breaks, to try to build healthy habits. | She and other psychologists recommended setting limits to social media and the news, taking regular breaks from screens, and putting structure in the day, like setting places and hours for working and taking breaks, to try to build healthy habits. |
| Dr. Wood also recommended setting physical boundaries where possible, even within parts of a room. “It’s easy to let everything meld together,” she said, “but keeping some structure so that you have a regular place to go to work and you have regular dinners, those kinds of things are very helpful.” | Dr. Wood also recommended setting physical boundaries where possible, even within parts of a room. “It’s easy to let everything meld together,” she said, “but keeping some structure so that you have a regular place to go to work and you have regular dinners, those kinds of things are very helpful.” |
| And this experience will change, too, said Dr. McNaughton-Cassill. “A weird thing is that a lot of this that we’re living through now, we’re going to get used to it,” she said. “And when the doors open again and we’re back in a crowded place, we’re going to feel weird again.” | And this experience will change, too, said Dr. McNaughton-Cassill. “A weird thing is that a lot of this that we’re living through now, we’re going to get used to it,” she said. “And when the doors open again and we’re back in a crowded place, we’re going to feel weird again.” |