How I deal with Social distancing

How I Am Dealing with Social Distancing
Ceron L. Bryant

Dr. Ceron Bryant is an Assistant Professor of English Studies at the University of thae Bahamas.

March 15, 2020, I remember it like it was yesterday. I was enjoying a late lunch at a restaurant off Cable Beach in Nassau, Bahamas, when the news broke of the first reported COVID-19 case in the country. Slightly stunned, and even more confused, my friends and I sat in silence. The surreal feeling that a deadly pandemic had reached the shores of Paradise imposed a kind of introspection that none of us were prepared to do.
In the ensuing days, the media bombarded us with tutorials on washing our hands, sanitizing our surroundings, and the most profound practice of them all, social distancing.

Social distancing was a term that I had not used before, but given its context, it was evident that the direct engagement with the general public would change how we would interact as a culture. I felt the impact immediately.
When I happened upon the shores of The Bahamas in August 2017, I was met with smiling faces, hugs, and handshakes. Once I remarked to a Bahamian friend how friendly the people were here, she simply responded, “It’s better in The Bahamas.” Though I was establishing myself in Nassau without my family, I was able to replace that emptiness with the bustling and haggling crowds near the Straw Market, the vending calls of the restaurateurs at Fish Fry, and the promises to fill my tropical palate at any conch stand on every other corner of Central Nassau.
Social distancing changed all that. Where I was able to fill my isolated evenings with Bahamian music and laughter, I was met with silence and stillness. Colleagues, who I once joined for weekend lunches or dinners, joined me in mutual shunning as we subconsciously glared at each other making sure neither would cross the invisible but established demarcated distancing line. Even my wonderful Bahamian students who were the highlight of my presence in The Bahamas were unusually reserved. A simple hiccup or the clearing of the throat by anybody in the classroom was met with doubtful stares and furrowed brows.
Less than two weeks after the announcement of the first case of the virus in Nassau, the University of The Bahamas took its classes online, most stores closed down, and we were mandated to stay in our homes for prolonged periods of time. Not only could we not make quick runs to grocery stores, we were even forbidden to take strolls along the shores of the Atlantic. We have had to rearrange our way of shopping, studying, and even communicating. Meetings and conferences that would normally happen on a “face to face” level were moved to technology platforms that “Brady Bunched” people into little audiovisual squares.
Dealing with social distancing has often been more trying than one would imagine.
Social distancing rules have cancelled events and activities that normally require engagement and participation. Social media is full of announcements where June weddings on the beach have been postponed or pushed back. Virtual funerals where the deceased loved ones are viewed through a media platform have become common and necessary. The entire face of education has changed where trainings, certifications, and even graduations are held in virtual spaces.
Sitting here and thinking about where we have come since March, one is left wondering if we took those hugs and handshakes for granted. Will we ever be able to sit in a restaurant in downtown Nassau again and watch tourists pass by the window? What will become of our Junkanoo celebrations where community engagement is strongly encouraged? Will social distancing take a mental toll? Will we find out that human beings have an innate need to interact in close quarters? Whatever the outcome, though, I have seen the Bahamian spirit endure Dorian and all the maladies came with it. I am confident that we will tackle the coronavirus with that same energy.
As we continue to discuss the elements of transmission: cleaning surfaces, washing hands, wearing masks, etc., we know that social distancing may be the most reliable way of slowing the transmission of the virus. If we cannot simply stay home, medical experts strongly recommend that we remain at least six feet away from another person. Thus, social distancing is

not just an effort to flatten the curve of transmission, it may be the key method to preserve humanity and Bahamian culture.