Hope and a Plan in a Lingering Pandemic

“I’m going to have Lysol spray for when they come home from school to spray their backpacks,” Evelyn Alvarez said. The mother of three has a strategy to keep her family safe when she sends her kids back to school.

Mrs. Alvarez is one of many public school parents preparing to send her kids back to school for blended learning this fall. Her children will stay home and attend class online some days and on other days they will go to class in person at P.S. 124 in Brooklyn. But Mrs. Alvarez sees the benefit for her children.

“I’m aware of the risks that come with sending them to school but if they say it’s safe to open up schools then I feel like the best thing I could do is send them to school. I know in person learning is the best thing for their development even if it’s just for a few days a week.” the concerned mother continued.

Parents, teachers, frontline workers and the rest of us cope with the daily stresses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. But some face hostility for the work they do. Governor Cuomo recently announced a $50 fine for anyone who does not wear a face covering on MTA buses or trains. Police officers have had their hands full between social injustice protests, rising crime in New York City and enforcing COVID-19 directives.

Osvaldo Contreras, an NYPD transit officer who patrols the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station in Downtown Brooklyn, is one of the people who shoulder the enforcement burden.

“The point we’re trying to get across to commuters is to wear a mask not because we want to tell you what to do or fine you, but because we have seen that masks help contain the spread of COVID-19 and ultimately that’s where we all want to head, a place where COVID-19 is a thing of the past. We all have a part to play in this and this is a way that we can do that,” Police Officer Contreras said.

Although police officers aren’t the most popular these days, Officer Contreras said he’s proud of the work that he does.

“It’s been rough these past couple of months with all the issues going on in the world, but every day I wake up and put on this uniform I feel proud that I get to do my part to make the world a better place,” Police Officer Contreras continued.

Evelyn Alvarez echoed that positive thought during this gloomy time.

“I am super grateful that me and my family have not gotten sick during this time. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but I am hoping and praying that we can have a successful school year and have a better situation within politics and race relations moving forward.”