8 APRIL 2, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
From social distancing to quarantine: I felt
indestructible, and I still caught coronavirus
BY TODD MAISEL
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM|@QNS
I survived the collapse of the World
Trade Center, went to war in Iraq
in 2003 and have been shot at
and threatened with death in the
fi eld. I’ve seen the horrors of world
catastrophes from Hurricane Sandy
to the terrible results of 100,000
people being killed in the great Haitian
earthquake of 2010. Yet, I felt
indestructible — a mistake to say
the least.
Now I have the coronavirus, as
confi rmed by a lab test.
Yes, I have been keeping social
distancing and avoiding handshakes,
but obviously, this was not enough.
The nature of my work has always
been to be close to people — it’s been
my way to get to know the subjects
and to help the public understand
what was the truth from fi ction.
So somewhere along the way, I
encountered someone who had
COVID-19, and they probably didn’t
know they had it.
At what point I contracted the virus,
I will never know. Was it at the
many press conferences and press
briefings with the mayor? Was I
sitting there with my colleagues
and getting exposed and conversely
exposing them? I saw one member of
the media actually wearing a mask at
those pressers.
Yes, I went to the supermarket,
walked my dogs in the street — aft er
all, only a hundred or so people had
the virus in a city of 9 million. Again,
many of us felt invincible — a big
mistake with this very contagious
virus.
On March 14, I felt the fi rst twangs
of the coronavirus — a full night of
no sleep, tossing and turning, hot and
cold fl ashes, a runny nose and a bit of
a cough. It went away in the morning,
but then the next day, a spiking fever
of 100, but then down to 97. On March
15, I felt fi ne until the end of the day,
when I had a spiking fever again.
I contacted my family physician,
who recommended I contact the
Health Department Coronavirus
hotline. Social distancing was certainly
on my mind as I continued
working, staying a safe distance
from subjects and no interior jobs.
The Health Department operator
said it didn’t sound like coronavirus,
but since I’d been exposed to so many
people, they moved ahead and I got
an appointment to be tested.
I no longer had a fever, wasn’t
coughing and my breathing was fi ne.
I have 9/11-related asthma and I just
turned 60, so it seemed prudent to
make sure I was fi ne.
Unfortunately, I am not, having
received a call from the Health Department
informing me that I indeed
was infected.
So now I’m home, quarantined
for 14 days that started on March
23. My family has been out of town
for nearly two weeks away from me,
so I’m alone with two goldfi sh who
innocently look up to me for their
fl akes. Being confi ned is so opposite
my entire life and habits, as I’m a social
creature. My work and reporting
will continue by phone only for the
next couple of weeks.
My fever has been consistently low.
I have an occasional cough, a little
upper respiratory congestion — but
it’s nothing compared to others.
I have a colleague in the hospital
in Long Island in an induced coma
from coronavirus. We have a family
member in Staten Island who, at 85,
died of the contagion.
I’m among the lucky 80 percent
with very mild symptoms. The worst
part for me will be dealing with cabin
fever — stuck inside and avoiding
any type of contact with anyone.
Did we take this seriously enough?
I admit to feeling indestructible, but
I should’ve known that my work and
my habits — despite social distancing,
hand washing and sanitizing
— would not be enough.
Todd Maisel is the photo editor for
amNew York Metro, one of our sister
publications.
Todd Maisel works on his computer during quarantine in self portrait.
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