Women’s care is creative, subversive, spontaneous, dedicated, for nature, for one another. Women self-care and care for families, friends, communities, the world. Women care despite ambivalence, rawness, uncertainty, frustration. Care can be satisfying and repulsive; loving and annoying; generous and self-centred. Women care anyway.
Veronika Susedkova
And so it impacted me as well, quarantine and factory closure. First message on 5.5. was that two colleagues are positive. Testing began the following day 6.5., we went in small groups. I went in the afternoon and had to wait 48 hours. Second day, I stayed at home, 7.5. I was waiting for my results, waiting was long and never-ending. Message came at 14.00. I am negative. Which meant 14 day quarantine. What now and what then. I called my daughter, she was shocked. She did a big shop and called every other day. Second daughter lives abroad and was supporting me over the phone. Grandad was doing small shopping. My girl-friend also joined in and helped with supplies. Next test was due on 21.5. It was really weird, you are not allowed anywhere outside, nowhere. My fellow colleagues were calling and giving tips and suggestions. At the beginning I did not know what to do, but we have a big garden and meadows round the corner. So I started walking, exercising and doing crosswords and reading. Then it was 21.5., time to get the second test, an ambulance arrived and did the swabs. And I was waiting and waiting again, the results came in the evening at 21.00. The result was – negative. I was glad. It ended, it a bit of a lesson. Some people took it ok and some were a bit distant. Now some people are already working and other colleagues are gradually coming back.
For me, it started on Saturday 2.5. 2020, I got a bit of diarrhoea, without cramps, I was overworked and so I didn’t pay attention to it. It was gone during the afternoon and I did not have fever. On Sunday came ‘dry running nose’ – inside of the nose got inflamed but no phlegm. I was weak. On Monday 4.5. 2020 in the afternoon I heard about two colleagues who were positive. There was a bit of a panic about what would be next. We were phoning each other with the girls but no one really knew much. We were due at work the next morning. On Tuesday 5.5. 2020 I was one of the first people who had the first covid test. I wasn’t thinking about having it. At home, everyone was nice, saying that it was OK but you could see that they were nervous, like me. They called about the result the next day, at about 13.00. Till then I only had a bit of runny nose and no fever. It got me [that I had it] – I called all the neighbours and explained what needed to happen. You could hear that they were afraid but no-one had caught it from us. It was time to quarantine. I fell asleep in the afternoon and when I woke it all started – I got migraine, 39C fever and started to cough. I was taking paralen and paralen grip with anti-cough effect and also olynth for my nose. I was sleeping all the time. I could not keep my eyes open and I was terribly weak. On Friday I started to be sick (though it was more like gagging) and I got the diarrhoea without cramps again. I still had fever, till about Saturday. My headache was gradually easing. Sunday was better. The tummy issues stayed and I was taking activated charcoal. I was taking paralen till Thursday and had a bit of a temperature. Yes and during the whole time I was taking 1000mg of vitamin C in the morning and in the evening for better immunity. The following week was bearable, I was nervous because of the tests though. The whole family was supposed to go and so I had my second test with the lads on 21.5.2020. I was negative after this one but the lads were positive and so we had another two weeks of this. Dad didn’t have anything apart from running nose but my son had cough, runny nose and 39C fever. He was struggling with it till the following Wednesday. My 3rd test was negative. They were also checking for antibodies and I had both – one for the acute illness and one against covid. They said I should not catch it again. Now 4.6.2020 lads went for the second test and dad was still positive. My son was negative. And what about our neighbourhood? Depends. Neighbours from the block of flats were complaining that we dared to enter the 5 metre long common corridor and landing so that we could go into our garden. Some neighbours were brilliant and had been shopping for us. You know, you can tell who’s a good friend when you have to quarantine.
Feminist Spaces 