{"id":2593,"date":"2020-04-05T21:03:40","date_gmt":"2020-04-05T21:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=2593"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:20","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:20","slug":"you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

To break through the deluge of headlines and non-stop news alerts about COVID-19, many people have reverted to an old form of information sharing: a Sharpie and a sheet of paper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this strange time of distance and sheltering-in-place, signs seem to greet us more often than people. They are placeholders of the reality we once knew, the restaurants and coffee shops we visited, the schools we attended, and the parks we lounged in on Sunday afternoons. They are now silenced, explained by a few scrawled words of instructions, explanations or well wishes. Like buildings with speech bubbles, the conversational nature of these notices gives life to dark news.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Carmela Guaglianone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOPEN FOR LUNCH\u201d shouts the sign outside Skewers on Main Street. It usually boasts Open Mic Nights or Karaoke, but it\u2019s now trying to convey the simple message that Skewers is still in business.\u00a0 That tactic is being used by many restaurants and businesses, to simply reassure customers that a store is still alive. Some have an artistic flair, like Michoacan Mexican Restaurant\u2019s \u201cOpen\/ Take Out & Delivery\u201d sign, spruced up with an emphatic blue marker. Shooters II opted for a sweet farewell, \u201cBe Safe\/ See Y\u2019all Soon.\u201d\u00a0 At the Italian Pizzeria on Hillsborough Road, the sign says, \u201cEverything will be okay… Love and Teamwork always wins.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Businesses are also using their signs to share changes in procedures for our strange COVID-19 world. \u201cPlease keep an 8 ft distance between yourself and other pick-up folks!!\u201d reads a printed sign attached to a traffic cone outside Cocoa Cinnamon on Geer Street.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Corey Pilson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most signs are concise, but not at K Nails, a nail salon on Hillsborough Road. It has two signs, both full paragraphs describing their plans regarding the changes. One details changes in the usual cleaning routine to be more conducive to virus protection, asking customers to \u201cwash their hands prior to being seated.\u201d The other, apparently posted later, informs of a short closure, citing it as the toughest choice they have ever had to make.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With advice and understanding surrounding the virus that is constantly changing, this transparency of businesses offers comfort. Customers are getting a personal look at the way restaurants, stores, and salons are adapting. \u201cWe\u2019re Still Here (we\u2019re just hiding),\u201d promises a bright pink flyer outside Durham Short Run Shirts. It says they\u2019re now selling online, and it signs off, \u201cStay Safe + Stay Healthy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Corey Pilson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Electronic boards outside schools and colleges blare LED messages that seem to be a mix of outdated information and not-so-subtle attempts to exercise waning authority. Hillside High School\u2019s sign has clearly not been updated since the statewide mandate that schools close until May 17th, and its hopeful blue \u201cClasses Resume April 6th\u201d carries an unrealistic\u00a0 cheerfulness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Duke\u2019s East Campus Trail, teeming with people on their daily walks, has many lawn signs that say \u201cDuke\/ We\u2019re In This Together \/ Keep Your Distance,\u201d which seems like an oxymoron. Other signs use levity, like NCCU\u2019s cheeky light-up billboard, using its eagle mascot to exemplify an adequate social distance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Signs on the Al Buehler Trail take a more serious tone. \u201cDO NOT USE FITNESS STATIONS\u201d says a laminated sign on the fitness loop, accented with a decorative stop sign to convey a tone of urgency. \u201cObserve social distancing\u201d it states later \u2014 not a suggestion but a demand. Another one, next to the public fountains, says, \u201cWATER FOUNTAINS ARE TEMPORARILY SHUT OFF TO REDUCE PUBLIC INTERACTION.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other signs are poignant, offering messages of hope or simple solidarity. \u201cYou are not alone,\u201d says one drawn with a rainbow of colored pencils that is posted on a residence hall door on Duke\u2019s West Campus.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Top photo by Corey Pilson | The 9th Street Journal<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To break through the deluge of headlines and non-stop news alerts about COVID-19, many people have reverted to an old form of information sharing: a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[71],"class_list":["post-2593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-durham","tag-coronavirus","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic - 9th Street Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To break through the deluge of headlines and non-stop news alerts about COVID-19, many people have reverted to an old form of information sharing: a…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"9th Street Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-05T21:03:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-27T15:52:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"711\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carmela Guaglianone\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carmela Guaglianone\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carmela Guaglianone\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-05T21:03:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-27T15:52:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/\"},\"wordCount\":663,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Coronavirus\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Life in Durham\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic - 9th Street Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-05T21:03:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-27T15:52:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":711},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/\",\"name\":\"9th Street Journal\",\"description\":\"We cover Durham (and North Carolina politics)\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"9th Street Journal\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg\",\"width\":869,\"height\":104,\"caption\":\"9th Street Journal\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6\",\"name\":\"Carmela Guaglianone\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e34d4ec569c2ec651eb13faee0da18?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e34d4ec569c2ec651eb13faee0da18?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Carmela Guaglianone\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/author\/carmela-guaglianone\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic - 9th Street Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic - 9th Street Journal","og_description":"To break through the deluge of headlines and non-stop news alerts about COVID-19, many people have reverted to an old form of information sharing: a…","og_url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/","og_site_name":"9th Street Journal","article_published_time":"2020-04-05T21:03:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-27T15:52:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":711,"url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carmela Guaglianone","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carmela Guaglianone","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/"},"author":{"name":"Carmela Guaglianone","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6"},"headline":"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic","datePublished":"2020-04-05T21:03:40+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-27T15:52:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/"},"wordCount":663,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg","keywords":["Coronavirus"],"articleSection":["Life in Durham"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/","name":"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic - 9th Street Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg","datePublished":"2020-04-05T21:03:40+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-27T15:52:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/20200327034855__MG_6889-3-e1586119846538.jpeg","width":1000,"height":711},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/04\/05\/you-are-not-alone-signs-of-a-pandemic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018You are not alone\u2019: Signs of a pandemic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/","name":"9th Street Journal","description":"We cover Durham (and North Carolina politics)","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization","name":"9th Street Journal","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg","width":869,"height":104,"caption":"9th Street Journal"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6","name":"Carmela Guaglianone","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e34d4ec569c2ec651eb13faee0da18?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e34d4ec569c2ec651eb13faee0da18?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Carmela Guaglianone"},"url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/author\/carmela-guaglianone\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}