What Could Be Worse Than Quarantine? The End of Quarantine.
Sheltering at home is the devil we know
There will likely be a time, in the not-too-distant future, when we look back wistfully on quarantine.
For those of us fortunate enough to be able to stay home, this time of isolation has been a lot of things — anxiety-inducing, boring, stifling, overwhelming — but it has also been simple. We knew what to do. When we ventured out, we knew the precautions to take. And once we got the hang of seclusion, it became almost routine.
As states begin to lift their restrictions, that simplicity is evaporating, replaced by a new kind of uncertainty about the risky world outside. Back in April, a month into quarantine, my psychotherapy patients would ask, “When will this be over?” Now I am hearing more specific anxieties: “Can I visit my grandparents?” “Can they force me to return to work?” “Is it okay to take an airplane?”
Not all of them are eagerly anticipating a green light. Many of us who have been safely sequestered in our homes with strict germ-control procedures in place may not be so eager to head back to a bustling workplace or plunk down a blanket on a busy beach.
That’s especially true for people in hard-hit areas and those who are especially vulnerable to Covid-19 (a group…
