Many of us are adjusting to a new normal as we spend much more time inside our homes, rely on apps to see friends and family, and experience a heightened sense of uncertainty. Rachel Cramer with Yellowstone Public Radio spoke with a couple in Bozeman 10 days into their two-week self-quarantine to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
After Jesse DeVoe’s housemate tested positive for COVID-19, DeVoe moved in with his girlfriend Robyn Goldblatt across town.
They’ve been working remotely, baking and working out with online videos.
RACHEL CRAMER: Jesse and Robyn, thanks for speaking with me today. What have been some bright spots during this time when you’ve been self-quarantined?
ROBYN GOLDBLATT: We’re making more of an effort to talk to all of our loved ones over video call and even those that are even right here in town but we can’t see in person. We’ve been having friends dinner parties virtually where we’ll all order and support a local restaurant in town and then share where we got our food from.
JESSE DEVOE: A side note on our self-quarantine: we are letting ourselves go outside and play.
RG: In a responsible way, like we’re avoiding the more popular trailheads right now for our outdoor excursions, and in so doing, we’ve discovered a lot of local trails, and I didn’t know these existed because I get kind of stuck in my usual pattern of going to the same places I know and like.
RC: What would you say has been one of the harder adjustments over the last ten days or so?
RG: Probably just not being able to do things with our friends in person.
JD: Even though we’re able to get outside on occasion, I think we still do feel a little cooped up.
RG: Our house has never been cleaner though. We’ve been sanitizing and spraying everything down because we’re at the house all the time so we’re noticing when things are dirty so we’ve been cleaning like crazy.
JD: And I’m the luckiest boyfriend on the planet.
RG: We’ve been having extravagant lunches and a constant flow of baked goods coming out of our oven.
RC: That sounds like a great place to be. Jesse, will you be moving back to your original place after the quarantine?
JD: That’s one of the things we haven’t really talked about yet.
RC: Yeah, just getting through one day at a time.
JD: Yeah, because things change so rapidly.
RG: Every evening I just write down a couple things that made me smile that day. It’s just important right now to recognize those little things that we’re just so grateful for.
RC: Well, Robyn and Jesse, thank you so much for taking the time to talk about your experience and how you’ve been adjusting to the new normal.
JD, RG: Thanks Rachel.
Devoe and Goldblatt say they plan on going to the grocery store when their self-quarantine ends this weekend, but a lot of their social distancing practices will stay the same.