Schools are closed, businesses shuttered, restaurant dining rooms off limits, industrial plants idled and million of people are sheltering in place. It’s all part of the “new normal” made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But, people in Arkansas and across the country have become very creative in terms of maintaining as much of the “old normal” as possible.
The Mountain Home Public Schools (MHPS) launched a “selfie week” Monday allowing homebound students to connect through photos. Each day has a theme. The first day was “We’re all in this together.” Students were asked to take pictures of the entire family and share them. Another day’s theme is “My pet is my classmate.” Students are to take pictures or make drawings of their pets. The final day will be “Bombers Unite,” and selfie takers should be dressed in the school colors of blue and gold.
The pictures and messages are being posted at mhbombers.com.
Churches throughout the area continue to livestream services so members can stay connected with their places of worship while remaining at home.
COVID-19 has also seen the number of doctor visits done by way of telemedicine skyrocket. In February last year, Baxter Regional Medical Center introduced an urgent-care-on-demand app so patients could have video chats with doctors 24/7.
BRMC has also recently launched a pilot program at one of its family clinics allowing patients to schedule telemedicine visits. Tobias Pugsley, director of marketing at the hospital, said it is hoped the program can be expanded quickly.
Hospital officials also report people are coming by in their vehicles and flashing their lights indicating they are praying for health care workers and their patients.
Some local police departments and at least one area volunteer fire department have announced they are willing to pick up and deliver such items as groceries and medicine for older residents. Information can be obtained by calling the Mountain Home and Bull Shoals police departments and the Henderson Volunteer Fire Department.
A picture of one Arkansas resident physician visiting his 1-year-old son Zeke though a glass storm door has gone viral on Facebook.
Photo: Door separates Jonesboro resident Dr. Jared Burks from his son Zeke to avoid possibly exposing the 1-year-old to COVID-19.
When the picture was taken, Dr. Jared Burks of Jonesboro had been living apart from his young family for two weeks; fearful he could be exposed to COVID-19 at the hospital where he works that could then be passed along to his wife and young son.
His wife and son moved in with her parents in a nearby town, leaving Dr. Burks alone in the family home in Jonesboro.
The doctor finally got some time off from work at the hospital and drove to his in-laws’ house to “visit” with Zeke.
The doctor’s wife, Alyssa, said Zeke knew immediately when his father came to the door and headed straight to him, It was the first time the doctor had seen his son crawl.
The picture posted on Facebook shows the doctor outside with his hand on the door glass and Zeke doing the same on the inside. Dr. Burks and his wife are hoping that, one way or another, he will be able to see Zeke take his first step.
The doctor’s wife said she is more than ready for her husband to return home. She said in a Facebook post Zeke’s “escape skills” were getting better all the time.
Thousands of people from across the world have responded to the picture, many expressing thanks to the physician and his family and to all medical professionals and their families on the frontline of the fight against COVID-19.
A large number of people responded a second time when a tornado ripped through Jonesboro last Saturday and destroyed the family’s home.
Dr. Burks, who was alone in the house, escaped injury by hiding in a closet in the master bedroom. The house was destroyed.
A GoFundMe account was set up by a family friend to assist the Burks family get back on its feet. Initially, a goal of $2,500 was set, but as of Wednesday afternoon, more than $117,000 had been raised.
There have been media reports of a number of examples of people visiting through glass in an attempt to maintain a face-to-face connection with loved ones, neighbors and friends.
A grandfather in Iowa taped a grid onto the glass of the storm door leading into his home. His grandson stands outside, and they play tic-tac-toe without breaking social distancing rules.
Visiting through glass has also enabled friends and relatives to have face-to-face contact with nursing home residents.
Several Arkansas communities have joined the “bear hunt” fad in which stuffed bears are placed in trees, windows and even such unusual places as atop a city’s water tank. The fire chief and a volunteer in Lonoke climbed to the top of the tank and tied a large stuffed bear to the railing as part of the “hunt” in that community.
A posting on the city’s website noted, “sometimes, the little things can make a difference.”
Children are the “hunters.” They are taken around town either walking or by car to find as many of the stuffed bears as they can.
In some locations, prizes are offered for the most bears spotted.
The moving birthday party has taken hold in a number of locations, including Paragould in Northeast Arkansas.
A 12-year-old wasn’t expecting much of a celebration on his special day because of COVID-19 restrictions. But, neighbors and friends in Paragould did not want him to go without a birthday party.
They formed a long line of cars, trucks and motorcycles and drove past the young man’s home. Occupants of vehicles stopped only briefly to hand the surprised young man his gifts. Several also sprayed copious amounts of silly string at him.
While rules on social distancing may have been bent just a bit in the present exchange, everyone seemed happy the young man got his “new normal” birthday party.
Another group got around social distancing rules by sending videos to a young girl who had been devastated at the prospect of her third birthday being canceled. The videos conveyed greetings from friends and relatives.
Residents of one Georgia neighborhood drew pictures and wrote birthday greetings in chalk on driveways, sidewalks and streets for a 16-year-old girl who lived in the area.
Her mother suggested a walk and said she was “thrilled” to see her surprised daughter react to the greetings chalked on the driveway of her next-door neighbor’s house.
As the walk continued, neighbors stood in their yards and on their porches to wave, release balloons and sing Happy Birthday to the girl.
A man in Wisconsin used a small radio controlled car to speed a beer to his neighbor just across the street. He had rigged up a container on the car to hold the bottle. The brand – Corona, of course.
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