Pandemic Declared Over

Old Town Alexandria and Adobe Firefly Peacock

The COVID Pandemic has been declared “Over” by health organizations. Of course, by a surprisingly large number of people, the pandemic was a hoax. Most of them live in Florida. The millions dying around those hoax-nay sayers didn’t slow the denials. Science doesn’t matter. I digress.

We were lucky, we had our kids living with us and so could count on them to help. The groceries and other things we needed to live that we either bought or had delivered were hand scrubbed with disinfectant towels during the first COVID weeks, we eased that requirement as more was learned about the virus. We chose to isolate ourselves pretty completely and stay away from anyone that wasn’t immediate family. Neither of us contracted the virus which is a combination of things: good habits, timely vaccinations, wearing masks religiously, and…luck. Sadly, we lost friends in the church, our mailman, and so many others. Not a hoax. A real thing.

Eventually, I was brave enough to go out and find images. The streets were deserted, the shops were mostly closed, and restaurants were takeout only if they were open at all. Sort of apocalyptic. As more and more people were vaccinated, the restaurants started to open in outdoor settings. This is one of those settings in Old Town Alexandria. The city made the first block off the river a walking street with restaurants. I think they kept it that way even though it’s no longer a health requirement.

This is an image I constructed. The base image was taken in February 2021. Vaccinations had been available for a year and most folks had gotten them. Those that did not get vaccinated contributed to the variants that keep the virus alive even today. I played with colors to “paint” the details and I used Adobe Firefly to add the peacock.

Some day, I will put together a portfolio of images made during the pandemic. Not today.