By EMMA SPORLEDER, student reporter
A computer screen reflects off the lenses of her glasses. She clicks from screen to screen, trying to update the social media pages she is responsible for, but of course she gets caught up in the posts and reports concerning COVID-19.
Cassie Manning understands that an epidemic exists, and she does not want to sound insensitive, but she’s tired of hearing about the coronavirus. She is relatively healthy and doesn’t think she has much to worry about as long as she stays in her house.
But staying at home might just be what ends up killing her in the end.
Manning used to work in the Perkins Agriculture Store, located at the Perkins Co-op, but for the last three weeks she has worked from home. To say she has a bit of cabin fever would be an understatement.
“At first it was fun,” Manning said, “but now I miss interacting with my coworkers and the people that came into the store more than anything”.
A majority of her work can be done online; that’s why her boss suggested she leave the store three weeks ago.
“I thought I was most likely going to stay out of the store for a week or so,” she said, “but now I’m not so sure how long I’ll be out.”
She worries quite often. She worries about the job she has now and the job she will hopefully have in the future. The hiring process is a bit up in the air at the moment.
She worries about her family and friends that she hasn’t seen in a while. The only way she keeps in contact with them now is over the phone.
She hasn’t been directly affected by the corona virus, yet, but as she reads all the articles on social media, she worries.