Category: Pandemic Art

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Pandemic Pandemic Art Virus

Clap for Our Carers

As a follow-up from my last blog on Thank you NHS, this post is about the social movement and phrase “Clap for Our Carers” which was started by Annemarie Plas who got the idea of regularly clapping for National Health Service (NHS) workers in appreciation for their service during the pandemic from similar movements in her home country of The Netherlands.

An article published for The Guardian described the beginning of the “Clap For Our Carers” campaign and the feelings it invoked:

In those strange, unending days of the spring lockdown, the thing that marked time for many of us in the UK was the weekly round of applause for NHS staff and other care and key workers. Every Thursday at 8pm, people stood on doorsteps or leaned out of windows, clapping (or whooping or bashing pans) in appreciation of those who were working in difficult circumstances. The first, on 26 March, took place three days after Boris Johnson addressed the nation, and knowing it was happening across the country created a rare feeling of unity, as well as introducing many of us to our neighbours for the first time.

Saner

The “Clap for Our Carers” inspired artists to show their support for the campaign. Nathan Wyburn, of Cardiff, created a “digital portrait of a nurse using more than 200 selfies contributed by NHS staff on Facebook…Mr Wyburn, 30, decided to make the art after he was ‘moved to tears’ by last week’s ‘Clap for our Carers’ appeal” (Draper). Nathan posted a clip of an interview with BBC Wales about his artwork. You can watch the video below.

The “Clap for Our Carers” campaign lasted for three months and was supported by politicians as well as the late Queen. The final clap was held on May 28, 2020. Even though the pandemic is behind us, we will always be grateful for the hard work of our beloved National Health Service staff for the risks they took to help care for those during the global pandemic.

Social Media Trends as of February 11, 2023

Facebook #clapforourcarers: people are posting about this
Instagram #clapforourcarers: 147,439 posts
TikTok #clapforourcarers: 438,800,000 views
YouTube #clapforourcarers: 1,000 videos and 660 channels

Google Trends: “clap for our carers” first appeared during the week of March 22, 2020 when the first campaign began at 8pm on March 26, 2020 where people from across the United Kingdom clapped and cheered to show their appreciation for the NHS staff who risked their lives to care for patients during the pandemic.

clap for our carers search term

Sources:

“Clap for Our Carers.” Wikipedia.com. 2020. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clap_for_Our_Carers.

“Clap for Our Carers” logo. Creative Clinic. April 5, 2020. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clap_for_Our_Carers#/media/File:Clap_for_our_Carers_Logo.jpg.

“Clap For Heros.” Twitter. January 6, 2021. URL: https://twitter.com/clapforheroesuk/status/1346813738356248578.

Draper, Joseph. “Artist pays special tribute to front-line NHS workers.” Penarth Times. 2 April 2020. URL: https://www.penarthtimes.co.uk/news/18352935.artist-pays-special-tribute-front-line-nhs-workers/.

Saner, Emine. “‘It was surreal watching it’: how life changed for the woman behind Clap for Our Carers.” The Guardian. 21 December, 2020. URL: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/dec/21/it-was-surreal-watching-it-spread-how-life-changed-for-the-woman-behind-clap-for-our-carers.

NathanWyburnArtist Youtube channel. “BBC Wales News “NHS Thank You” art. YouTube. March 30, 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CniBrxRI8PY.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art Virus

“Thank you NHS”

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is the envy of the world. Medical care is free at the point of contact so you won’t go bankrupt paying medical bills because the system is funded by taxes. The NHS performed admirably at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and its doctors, nurses, and support staff worked tirelessly to help patients recover.

As a result, the slogan “Thank you NHS” became a social phenomenon in the United Kingdom during the early part of the pandemic. Government officials, organizations and people everywhere posted supportive messages of support for NHS workers acknowledging the work they were doing in saving lives despite the risks of catching Covid-19.

A Wikipedia article describing the phenomenon said “large numbers of private individuals placed home-made signs in their windows and outside their homes to thank the NHS workers. The handmade posters frequently featured drawings of rainbows. The campaign was supported by the Conservative Party-controlled British government, which displayed children’s ‘Thank You NHS’ signs in the windows of 10 Downing Street.”

On April 8, 2020 Twitter posted a Tweet of the NHS Song which was written by Geoff Morrow and performed by Talia Morrow.

courtesy of highreshdwallpapers.com

Social Media Trends as of January 16, 2023

Facebook #thankyounhs: 136,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #thankyounhs: 229,716 posts
TikTok #thankyounhs: 714,900,000 views
YouTube #thankyounhs: 1,300 videos and 697 channels

Google Trends: “thank you NHS” first appeared during the week of March 22, 2020 and reached its peak during the week of April 12, 2020 during lockdown.

Sources:

“Thank you NHS” wallpaper. High Definition, High Resolution HD Wallpapers. Sep 25, 2020. URL: https://www.highreshdwallpapers.com/thank-you-nhs-wallpaper/.

“Thank you NHS.” Wikipedia.com. 2021. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_You_NHS.

“Thank you NHS” song. YouTube. April 8, 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/@thankyounhs-song6948.

“Thank you NHS.” Twitter. April 8, 2020. URL: https://twitter.com/NHS_SONG.

Categories
Employment Pandemic Pandemic Art

Frontline worker

The term “frontline worker” has been around for a long time. The Law Insider journal, a resource center for lawyers, defines frontline workers as “employees who directly produce goods or deliver services. In general they are eligible for overtime compensation, regardless of job title. Managers and Supervisors as defined below are not Frontline Workers.” The global pandemic and its associated lockdowns added to this definition.

In 2021 the New York Department of Labor published a document entitled “Characteristics of Frontline Essential Workers” which defined what a frontline worker is as well as their occupation:

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a host of pervasive words
and phrases that suddenly had new meaning in our daily lives. One
example, “Essential Workforce”, became the ubiquitous catch-all for
workers who were forced to continue working during lockdowns. The
federal Centers for Disease Control defines “essential workers” as
“those who conduct a range of operations and services in industries
that are essential to ensure the continuity of critical functions in the
United States.” A subset of this group, the “Frontline Essential” workers, refers to those who perform critical work functions in close physical proximity to other people. “Frontline Essential” workers are at the greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19 as they perform their day-today job duties.

New York Department of Labor

The report lists some of the occupations of frontline workers: Cashiers, Cooks, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Nursing Assistants, Police, Registered Nurses and
Teachers.

In June 2022 a group called The Front Line Singers consisting of a choir of frontline workers made up of nurses, teachers and paramedics, performed “an original song inspired by their struggles and team work during the coronavirus pandemic” on Britain’s Got Talent (Duke). The performance can be watched on the show’s YouTube channel here.

An article published on Chronicle Live quoted Simon Cowell praising the group for their performance: “What we’ve gone through the last few years, it’s surreal and then out of it comes moments like this. It gives us a chance to say thank you to people like you, because it’s people like you who protected all of us” (Duke).

makeameme.org

Social Media Trends as of November 23, 2022

Facebook #frontlineworker: 20,000 people are posting about this
TikTok #frontlineworker: 38,900,000 views
YouTube #frontlineworker: 328 videos and 205 channels

Google Trends: “frontline worker” first appeared as a small blip on the radar during the week of July 12, 2020. This is probably in response to people querying who qualified as a frontline worker. The popularity of the term peaked during the week of June 5, 2022 which just coincided with the The Front Line Singers performance on Britain’s Got Talent show.

frontline worker search term

Sources:

Britain’s Got Talent channel. “These frontline HEROES give MOVING performance! | Auditions | BGT 2022.” YouTube. May, 2022. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXDxiBwfjxc.

“CHARACTERISTICS OF FRONTLINE ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN NEW YORK STATE.” New York Department of Labor. Sep 2021. URL: https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/09/characteristics-of-frontline-workers-09-22-21.pdf.

Duke, Simon. ” Who are Front Line Singers on Britain’s Got Talent? Choir spark emotional reaction from judges.” Chronicle Live. 2 June 2022. URL: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/tv/who-the-frontline-singers-bgt-23894790.

“Frontline worker.” Law Insider. URL: https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/frontline-worker.

“I can’t stay home, I’m an frontline worker” meme. MakeAMeme.org. URL: https://makeameme.org/meme/i-cant-stay-a3d7eff2df.

Categories
Employment Pandemic Pandemic Art

Essential employee

Essential employees or essential workers are those who provide vital services such as nurses, doctors, police and firefighters to name a few professions. At the height of the pandemic, when lockdown restrictions were in effect, the pool of essential workers expanded to include grocery workers, transportation workers and teachers.

The Centers for Disease Control defines essential workers as “as those who conduct a range of operations and services in industries that are essential to ensure the continuity of critical functions in the United States (U.S.)” (CDC).

When lockdown restrictions were in effect, states had to balance protecting the public while keeping the critical parts of their economy open. Millions of office workers deemed “non essential employees” could work remotely while those who worked in vital industries such as health care, policing and teaching still had to show up to work although a majority of schools instituted virtual learning.

Some states had a confusing patchwork of overlapping categories of what was considered essential. The National Conference of State Legislatures pointed out that:

States have added and subtracted essential worker categories and sectors based on what makes the most sense for them. For example, in some states workers supporting religious organizations and churches are considered essential, while in some others workers who support the cannabis industry receive the essential designation. Between the federal guidelines and state essential worker orders, a number of major sectors overlap including, but not limited to energy, child care, water and wastewater, agriculture and food production, critical retail (i.e. grocery stores, hardware stores, mechanics), critical trades (construction workers, electricians, plumbers, etc.) and transportation.

NCSL
CovidLexicon.net

An article published for the Daily Iowan on July 28, 2020 said that custodians and janitorial workers were to be considered essential employees because work calls for them to maintain high standards of cleanliness and sanitation. It quotes Kelly Baker, a faculty member of the University of Iowa College of Public Health, who said “[these workers are] already practicing a lot of the behaviors that we would ask them to implement to protect them from infection, so for example the wearing of gloves and using disinfectant products to clean surfaces and wearing masks and maintaining as much distance and separation from raw biological fluids as possible” (Hartel).

In 2020 the French-American musician Mark Rebillet uploaded a tribute song for essential workers to YouTube called the “Essential Workers Anthem.” It has received almost 2 million views.

Although the pandemic is behind us, we will always remember the sacrifice that essential workers made, risking their lives to provide us with the things we need from healthcare to food and we are forever grateful to them.

courtesy of reeceecup527

Social Media Trends as of November 20, 2022

Facebook #essentialemployee: 20,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #essentialemployee: 33,701 posts
TikTok #essentialemployee: 171,800,000 views
YouTube #essentialemployee: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: “essential employee” first appeared during the week of March 15, 2020 and spiked a week later. No doubt individuals were searching Google to see if their jobs were considered essential or non-essential.

essential employee search term

Sources:

“COVID-19: Essential Workers in the States.” National Conference of State Legislatures. January 11, 2021. URL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/covid-19-essential-workers-in-the-states.aspx#:~:text=All%20workers%20who%20are%20part,Infrastructure%20Security%20Agency%20(CISA).

Hartel, Mary. “Janitors and Custodians remain essential workers during COVID-19 pandemic.” Daily Iowan. July 28, 2020. URL: https://dailyiowan.com/2020/07/28/janitors-and-custodians-remain-essential-workers-during-covid-19/.

“Interim List of Categories of Essential Workers Mapped to Standardized Industry Codes and Titles.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. URL: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/categories-essential-workers.html.

reeceecup527. “Essential Employees Problems” meme. Instagram. March 30, 2020. URL https://www.instagram.com/p/B-YL5bGJGsT/.

Rebillet, Mark. “ESSENTIAL WORKERS ANTHEM.” YouTube. 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnDcD7rtaV4.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art

Coronageddon

Coronageddon is a portmanteau of Armaggedon and Corona and refers to the end-times condition created by the rapid spread of Covid-19, mass hospitalizations and coronavirus deaths, huge job losses, lockdowns, quarantine and various other restrictions, not to mention constant news feed about the pandemic.

The Urban Dictionary has an entry for Coronageddon which was added on March 13, 2020:

“The near-certain, end-of-times condition created either by the actual COVID-19 virus or the massive social, financial and political devastation generated on the back of global hysteria” (YAWA).

Credit for the term must go to Bob Greer, a senior advisor for Core Commodity Management. According to a LinkedIn post he made on March 11, 2020, Bob dreamed up the term “coronageddon” in February 2020:

Living in Southern California has given our media more than one “..geddon” to talk about, regarding traffic, wildfires, etc. But I haven’t seen any referent anywhere to “coronageddon,” a term I dreamed up a couple of weeks ago. Maybe you will be able to use it (unfortunately) in your discussions or communications.

Greer

The term appeared in the Visual Thesaurus in an article entitled “New Virus, New Words.” Author Nancy Friedman says: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic began its lethal spread in December 2019, people all over the world have been adopting new behaviors and new vocabulary…Here are some of the new terms — call them coronacoinages or coronanovelties, in honor of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — that I’ve been tracking over the last few weeks.”

The end of the world, brought about either by the pandemic or by related social and economic collapse. Often used facetiously. Previous such portmanteaus have included snowmageddon and carmageddon; the 55-hour shutdown in 2016 of a freeway through the town of Corona, in Southern California, was also dubbed Coronageddon.

Visual Thesaurus

Coronageddon appears in a news article on the The Truth About Watches website. After discussing the fall in Swiss watch sales, job losses and shorter employee hours, author Joseph Adamas laments that this may be the “beginning of the end for the traditional watch industry…Nine months into Coronageddon and we still don’t know how things are going to play out. The pandemic’s effects continue to shift. Two months ago, the Europeans were happy to lecture us on how their superior system managed the pandemic. Today, Paris is going back into lockdown. The uncertainty makes it very hard for companies to plan for their future and makes predictions almost worthless.”

Here is one person’s take on Coronageddon during 2020. It’s quite funny and I recommend watching it.

It’s important to acknowledge that coronageddon fears were not overblown. No one could have foreseen a two week lockdown in the United States turning into a two year nightmare. As the pandemic becomes endemic and the pubic health emergency in the United States is scheduled to end in January 2023 it is hopeful that humanity can put this once in a century event behind us and move forwards.

Social Media Trends as of October 31, 2022

Facebook #coronageddon: 1,600 people are posting about this
Instagram #coronageddon: 8,929 posts
TikTok #coronageddon: 219,100 views

Google Trends: coronageddon first appeared in December 2019 when Covid-19 was first spreading in China. It reached its peak during the first week of December 2020.

coronageddon search term

Sources:

Adams, Jospeh. “The Decline and Fall of the Traditional Watch Industry – Coronageddon 38.” The Truth About Watches. October 10, 2020. URL: https://thetruthaboutwatches.com/2020/10/the-decline-and-fall-of-the-traditional-watch-industry-coronageddon-38/.

Friedman, Nancy. “New Virus, New Words.” Visual Thesaurus. March 30, 2020. URL: https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/new-virus-new-words/.

Greer, Bob. “Coronageddon.” LinkedIn. March 11, 2020. URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/coronageddon-bob-greer/?articleId=6643383753479634944.

Meme. “Coronageddon” meme. Meme. URL: https://me.me/i/armageddon-but-its-the-coronavirus-3e3212a33732412a9b932e9eae84ae49.

Mosley, Jordan channel. “Coronageddon: Expectations vs. Reality.” YouTube. 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9o00OhW27E.

YAWA. “Coronageddon.” Urban Dictionary. March 13, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Coronageddon.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art Pandemic Relationships

Lockdown engagement

The pandemic changed all aspects of our lives and how we do certain things but it didn’t stop people falling in love and getting engaged. For many couples during periods of lockdown and/or quarantine, this is the first time they’ve been alone together for weeks or months on end. It can make it difficult not to step on each others’ toes. Being around someone 24/7 during lockdown allows you to see your partner’s strengths and weaknesses. It can certainly test a relationship but it can also make a person realize that the person they’re dating is the one they want to spend the rest of their life with so many did pop the question – hence the phrase “lockdown engagement.”

Although the phrase doesn’t appear in any dictionary definitions, it does appear a lot in social media. An article published in The National News on December 24, 2020 entitled “Glossary of 2020: the 36 new words and phrases that defined the year” had this to say:

As ubiquitous across social media as the sourdough starter (see below), the lockdown engagement is the act of popping the question because you’ve read the entire internet, watched everything on Netflix and are looking for the next distraction. US actress and singer Demi Lovato became the poster child for the lockdown engagement, when she and The Young and the Restless actor Max Ehrich got engaged one month after quarantining together.

Gemma White

The Hitched website that caters to weddings explains the difficulties that couples faced during this unprecedented time: “We spoke to three couples who said ‘Yes!’ during lockdown and discovered what it was really like to get proposed to during a global pandemic. From cancelled holidays where romantic proposals were planned to rings getting stuck in shut-down jewellery shops, lockdown certainly threw a spanner in the works! Add in not being able to hug your loved ones or tell them the good news face-to-face, and lockdown proposals really were – yep – an unprecedented experience” (Pye).

Early on in the pandemic, there were all kinds of dating and wedding websites offering advice to couples living together in lockdown. One British company specializing in elopement weddings had this to say: “Lockdown Engagements –  we’ve had a lot of enquiries recently from couples who have popped the question during this time (COVID 19). I’m loving hearing about these lockdown engagement stories – keep em coming! And I’m loving seeing love conquer all during this time!!” The company offers tips on how couples can celebrate their lockdown engagement during quarantine:

ZOOM LOCKDOWN ENGAGEMENT PARTY!

Organise a zoom party and surprise your nearest and dearest with the news! it’s that simple.

PLANT A TREE FOR YOUR LOCKDOWN ENGAGEMENT

Planting a tree, or a plant, some seeds or ANYTHING is a lovely idea. This doesn’t have to be a big plant and if you don’t have a garden, plant it in a pot for your home. You can watch it grow, and see it in years to come as a momentum of your lockdown engagement.

TREAT YOURSELF!

There are loads of services online that delivered bespoke hampers…Most local businesses are doing online deliveries at the moment – get a nice selection of your favourite things…and have a romantic date night.

Ever After Elopement Weddings

Lockdown inspired many content creators including those who make greeting cards. BrainBoxCandy who sells cards on Etsy created this “Lockdown Engagement” card.

courtesy of BrainBoxCandy

Here is one couple who had to change their original engagement plans due to Covid 19. They show how to plan an amazing lockdown engagement party!

Social Media Trends as of September 26, 2022

Facebook #lockdown engagement: 1,200 people are posting about this
Instagram #lockdown engagement: 4,508 posts

Google Trends: “lockdown engagement” first registered in February 2020 just before lockdown began but this may refer to users in China where the pandemic started. The popularity of the term peaked in December 2021 when the Omicron variant was spreading around the United States and the rest of the world resulting in more periods of lockdown and quarantine. This was a difficult time for couples because they couldn’t hold engagement parties and planning weddings during a pandemic with all the restrictions would have been almost impossible.

lockdown engagement search term

Sources:

BrainBoxCandy. “Cute Lockdown Engagement Card.” Etsy.com. 2020. URL: https://www.etsy.com/listing/835223981/cute-lockdown-engagement-card.

“Lockdown Engagement – celebrating your engagement during quarantine.” Ever After Elopement Weddings. April 28, 2020. URL: https://lowergrenofen.co.uk/lockdown-engagement-celebrating-your-engagement-during-quarantine/.

Pye, Helen. “This Is What It’s Like to Get Engaged During Lockdown.” Hitched. 16 July 2020. URL: https://www.hitched.co.uk/real-weddings/lockdown-engagement/.

White, Gemma. “Glossary of 2020: the 36 new words and phrases that defined the year.” The National News. December 24, 2020. URL: https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/glossary-of-2020-the-36-new-words-and-phrases-that-defined-the-year-1.1134259.

Witty Vows channel. “How To plan home weddings/ engagement perfectly | Lockdown Engagement.” YouTube. July 14, 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtQsY0D-5Ik.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art Pandemic Relationships

Isolationship

The pandemic caused many people to isolate themselves during periods of lockdown and quarantine. Because of these extraordinary circumstances, complete strangers may have isolated together sometimes resulting in a romantic relationship. It may also refer to two people kept apart because of lockdown or because they were in an online relationship but travel restrictions made it difficult or impossible to see each other.

According to Barry Popik, a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “isolationship” appeared on March 15, 2020 in a Tweet posted by Nyar Ombeyi, and as a Twitter hashtag posted by Stephen Trumble on March 18, 2020. Popik said the term was not used often enough to appear in Wiktionary or the Oxford English Dictionary. It does appear in the Urban Dictionary which defines the term as:

[a] long- or short-distance relationship between two people kept apart due to shelter-in-place constraints.

Their hot and heavy isolationship was getting weird, the limits of cyber romance coming clear. She lived three blocks away from him, they hadn’t been able to see the other for two weeks, each of them trapped in their apartments.

Monkey’s Dad

During lockdown, content creators Shawntia Key and Kerry Allen decided to make a web series called Isolationship which featured a “relatively-new couple, Lenae and Mitch, [who] have no choice but to learn how to navigate being trapped together. Every day. All day” (Isolationship.tv). The series was uploaded to YouTube during March 2021 and was produced entirely on smartphones.

courtesy of Louise

Social Media Trends as of September 23, 2022

Facebook #isolationship: 1,700 people are posting about this
Instagram #isolationship: 3,708 posts
TikTok #isolationship: 977,700 views

Google Trends: isolationship first appeared during the week of January 19, 2020 and peaked in March 2020 when most of the world was in lockdown.

isolationship search term

Sources:

Louise. “Coronavirus news dragging you down? Here are some hilarious memes & tweets to help lighten the mood – In an Isolationship” meme. The Honeycombers.com. URL: https://thehoneycombers.com/bali/funny-coronavirus-memes/.

Monkey’s Dad. “Isolationship.” Urban Dictionary. April 9, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Isolationship.

Popik, Barry. “Isolationship (isolated + relationship).” BarryPopik.com. March 25, 2020. URL: https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/isolationship.

Shawntia Key and Kerry Allen. “ISOLATIONSHIP.TV” Isolationship.tv. 2022. URL: https://isolationship.tv/#about-us.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art Virus

Coronaphobia

The anxiety caused by the pandemic is nothing short of extreme. Fear of catching the virus, fear of having the virus and fear of losing one’s job has created a state of anxiety some have called coronaphobia. The National Institutes of Health has a more detailed description of this heightened state of fear caused by Covid-19:

coronaphobia as an excessive triggered response of fear of contracting the virus causing COVID-19, leading to accompanied excessive concern over physiological symptoms, significant stress about personal and occupational loss, increased reassurance and safety seeking behaviors, and avoidance of public places and situations, causing marked impairment in daily life functioning. The triggers involve situations or people involving probability of virus contraction, such as, meeting people, leaving house, travelling, reading the updates or news, falling ill or going for work outside.

courtesy of the National Institutes of Health

An article published for The Conversation.com in March 2020 and entitled 7 ways to manage your #coronaphobia highlights just how pervasive coronaphobia has become. While Covid induced anxiety will be temporary for most people, some will have anxiety about leaving the safety of their home and going back to normal life. Individuals affected by this heightened level of anxiety “might avoid seeking medical care, isolate themselves from others unnecessarily, or be debilitated with fear.” The article reports on an Australian survey taken in 2020 that found 1 out of every 4 adults were “very or extremely worried about contracting COVID-19; about half were worried about their loved ones contracting it” (Newby and Werner-Seidler). Bear in mind that this article was written during the beginning of lockdown and the world has seen several waves of Covid variants so the anxiety level will have gone through the roof for many people.

The article offers seven tips on how to manage coronaphobia. Three are listed and the rest can be found by clicking here.

1. Reassure yourself, it’ll get better: for most people, the anxiety will get better as the threat of COVID-19 passes. If anxiety doesn’t go away, it can be treated

2. Change your ‘information diet’: spending time reading alarming tales of the horrors of COVID-19 will probably increase anxiety, not reduce it. Instead, try spending time focusing on positive information, stories or activities that take your mind off your fears.

3. Think logically about the risk: coronavirus has led to tragedy for many families, and we acknowledge the risk and consequences of contracting coronavirus differs from person to person. However, keep in mind over 90% of people infected with coronavirus in Australia have already recovered. The number of cases is also still extremely low, with 7,072 confirmed cases to date out of about 25 million people/

Newby, Jill and Werner-Seidler, Aliza

For a different perspective of this subject, check out the trailer for Coronaphobia, described as “a light hearted Comedic feature film written and produced to bring some much needed joy after what we all went through in 2020.” The movie was produced and directed by Ms. Michelle and premiered at the Las Vegas Black Film Festival on April 3, 2021.

Social Media Trends as of September 3, 2022

Facebook #coronaphobia: 1,200 people are posting about this
Instagram #coronaphobia: 1,181 posts
TikTok #coronaphobia: 926,000 views
YouTube #coronaphobia: 117 videos and 58 channels

Google Trends: coronaphobia first registered as a search term in January 2020. The pandemic was raging in China and news of the virus had spread worldwide. People everywhere were worried about the possibility of the Coronavirus spreading to their country. The popularity of the term reached its peak during the week of November 14, 2021 as the Omicron variant was in full swing and was much more contagious than previous Covid-19 variants.

coronaphobia search term

Sources:

Alisha Arora, Amrit Kumar Jha, Priya Alat, and Sitanshu Sekhar Das. “Understanding Coronaphobia.” National Institutes of Health. September 6, 2020. URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7474809/#:~:text=Based%20on%20a%20review%20of,increased%20reassurance%20and%20safety%20seeking.

Ms. Michelle. “CORONAPHOBIA Movie Official Trailer 2021.” YouTube. April 3, 2021. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8JMOFR655c.

Newby, Jill and Werner-Seidler, Aliza. “7 ways to manage your #coronaphobia.” The Conversation.com. May 20, 2020. URL: https://theconversation.com/7-ways-to-manage-your-coronaphobia-138120.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art

Face nappy/diaper

Love them or hate them, facemasks have played an important role in the fight against Covid-19. Some have mockingly referred to masks as a face nappy, the British version of face diaper.

The Urban Dictionary entry for face nappy reads:

“A face mask. Nappy is uk word for diaper

Mick: hell yeah! What that on your face fam?
Wasteman: it’s a face nappy bud! I can’t use public transport without wearing one” (Doxan).

The entry for face diaper in the Urban Dictionary is defined as:

“A mocking term in reference to face masks.

I’m so sick of wearing these face diapers every time I walk into a store” (fencetape).

Not everyone agrees with the benefits of wearing a “face diaper.” The Montana Free Press reported on a protest event held on October 10, 2021 where people gathered to speak up for parental rights while opposing mask mandates. “During a rally on the steps of the Montana Capitol Friday, Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, said ‘Can there be anything more inalienable than the right to breathe freely?. When I have been forced to put on a mask, I immediately find that my respiration shortens, I become closed in…My whole psyche is demented by this mask, this face diaper. So we have to protect our children’s right to breathe freely’” (Sakariassen).

The term “face nappy” appeared in a fact checker article written for the Australian Associated Press website on January 10, 2022 which disputed the claims of Dr. Graham Lyon who said that “face nappy (mask) wearing…they’re making people unhealthy. They’re greatly increasing your risk of other, true respiratory diseases which do kill a lot of people per annum” (AAP Factcheck).

On February 20, 2021 the TODAY show twitter feed posted a news article that reported on a sign put up by Beckyjack’s Food Shack of Hernando County, Florida, that told customers “Face diapers are not required.” The photo quickly went viral.

On December 20, 2020 a modified version of Bobby McFerrin’s song Don’t Worry Be Happy was uploaded to YouTube with the song title Face Nappy.

Social Media Trends as of August 23, 2022

Facebook #facenappy: people are posting about this
Instagram #facenappy: 445 posts
TikTok #facenappy: 201,500 views

Google Trends: “face nappy” first appeared during the last week of January 5, 2020 as people started wearing masks in China where the pandemic started. The popularity of the term reached its peak during the week of May 30, 2021 just as the Delta variant was spreading like wildfire throughout the world.

face nappy search term

Sources:

AAP Factcheck. “Video airs false claims about face masks and respiratory diseases.” AAP.com. January 10, 2022. URL: https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/claim-that-face-masks-increase-disease-risk-is-on-the-nose/.

Doxan. “Face nappy.” Urban Dictionary. July 15, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Face%20nappy.

fencetape. “Face diaper.” Urban Dictionary. August 5, 2021. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Face%20nappy.

Khup Metalbullet channel. “Covid song || Face Nappy.” YouTube. December 20, 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEI4aFfiBIc.

Sakariassen, Alex. “Dozens rally for parental rights, and against mask mandates.” Montana Free Press. October 1, 2021. URL: https://montanafreepress.org/2021/10/01/montana-parental-rights-masking-rally/.

TODAY show. “Florida restaurant goes viral for ‘face diapers not required’ sign.” Twitter. February 20, 2021. URL: https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1363253625791909890.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art Virus

Pingdemic

Pingdemic is a British term that appeared in the summer of 2021 and is defined by Collins dictionary as “the large-scale notification of members of the public by a contact-tracing app” – hence the “ping.”

The NHS COVID-19 app is used in England and Wales and it works by calculating the “time and distance between mobile devices via Bluetooth, counting 15 minutes spent within two metres as close contact between users (Kent). If someone tests positive for coronavirus, their test result can be shared anonymously with those they come into contact with which results in people receiving a “ping” notification that they should isolate for ten days.

You can imagine the chaos this would have on businesses as millions of people get pinged whenever they’re in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. Many companies struggled to stay open as employees were forced to go into quarantine and self isolate.

An article published in the Financial Times on July 21, 2021 said that 600,000 people were “were ordered to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app in the week to July 14 as worker shortages caused by the latest wave of the pandemic in the UK threatened to disrupt food and fuel supplies” (Tim Bradshaw, Jim Pickard and David Sheppard). The number of pings from the NHS app rose by 17% from the prior week likely due to the increase in Covid cases. The article points out that “British business leaders have become increasingly agitated about the impact of the ‘pingdemic’ on staffing, which has exacerbated existing problems caused by Brexit and a shortage of lorry [truck] drivers.”

As usual, people get creative in times of distress. James Partridge, a British singer, teacher, composer and pianist uploaded a YouTube short video which he created called the “Pingdemic” song:

courtesy of Bagwold

Social Media Trends as of July 23, 2022

Instagram #pingdemic: 1,434 posts
TikTok #pingdemic: 993.800 views
YouTube #pingdemic: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: pingdemic first appeared during the week of July 18, 2021. but the popularity of the search term quickly lost interest – probably because this is a British search term. By the end of the August 2021 it no longer registered.

pingdemic search term


Sources:

Bagwold. “Pingdemic Covid-19 test and trace app” vector image. Dreamstime. URL: 225083478.

Kent, Chloe. “Tracking Covid-19: what does the ‘pingdemic’ mean for the pandemic?” Medical Device Network.com. July 28, 2021. URL: https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/analysis/pingdemic/.

Partridge, James B. “Pingdemic” song. YouTube. URL: https://youtube.com/shorts/B0CpbjZPiD4?feature=share.

“Pingdemic.” Collins Dictionary. URL: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/pingdemic.

Tim Bradshaw, Jim Pickard and David Sheppard. “UK ‘pingdemic’ spreads as record 600,000 people told to self-isolate.” Financial Times. July 22, 2021. URL: https://www.ft.com/content/1bdef6b5-672d-46e0-9502-492a432a51af.