Author: w.lin12

Host Intro: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 8 out of 10 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic have been adults aged 65 and older. Nursing homes were hit hard when New York became the epicenter of the outbreak in the spring. Wen Lin has more on how local nursing homes are doing everything they can to keep the virus in check.

ACT: feeding frenzy etc. (Governor Cuomo Press Conference)

TRACK: That was Governor Andrew Cuomo speaking in an late-April Press conference. Today I’m here with Kevin Chiu, a long time employee at The Phoenix Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Brooklyn, New York. As someone whose job is to provide recreation for the patients, his focus these days is on helping them feel connected to the world again.

ACT: Ever since COVID hit, we haven’t really had the opportunity to do things with them. So a lot of what we do now is help the patients contact their family members, because family members aren’t able to actually enter the nursing homes because of the fear that they might actually spread it to the patients.

TRACK: Because these residents are so vulnerable to COVID, Phoenix is taking serious precautions when it comes to keeping the virus in check.

ACT: We constantly have to wear PPE everywhere we go, which stands for Personal Protective Equipment. So we talk about our mask, our faceshield, our gowns, our gloves, hairnet, even shoe protectors. It’s gotten to the point where people are covering up so much that you do even recognize who the person is anymore.

TRACK: Despite all this, the workers in Phoenix are no strangers to seeing death on a daily basis.

ACT: Probably the most terrifying thing is just watching a lot of the patients pass away, because no matter how cautious you could be, it’s hard to really contain the virus. I’ve watched a lot of patients I’ve known, or even patients I didn’t know. I’ve seen them be rolled out in body bags or stretchers, and it is not an easy sight to stomach.

TRACK: Now that cases are in New York, Phoenix is continuing to take precautions to make sure death rates don’t go up again. For Baruch College, this is Wen Lin in Brooklyn.

Host Intro – With the recent pandemic known as COVID-19 spreading across the nation, schools have been closed down for the foreseeable future. While remote learning has remained a valuable tool for students to continue their studies, many young kids and adolescents remain indifferent to online classes and zoom sessions.

AMBI1: (Keyboard typing)

TRACK: Crystal Lin a high school student at Townsend Harris High School gives her take on this current situation.

ACT: It’s a little boring during quarantine cause all you do is stay at home but other than that it’s pretty good.

TRACK: Do you prefer going to school as opposed to online learning?

ACT: I like online learning because you could teach yourself at your own pace and you don’t have to keep up with the rest of the class. But going to school is also fun because you get to meet your friends and teachers.

TRACK: Alright well, good luck on your studies and hopefully schools open back up soon. For Baruch College, this is Wen Lin in New York City, Queens.

With this pandemic going on in the world, the sick and elderly are especially susceptible to the aftermaths of COVID. While I’m grateful that my grandma is healthy and safe at home, I’m aware not every elderly person has a home/family to go to. For this upcoming radio assignment, I would like to interview a friend of mine who works at a nursing home. I want to focus on what measures are nursing homes taking to keep everyone safe, adjustments that the workers are making etc.

For my photojournalism assignment I want to look at how the coronavirus outbreak has affected social activities, despite reopening efforts. I feel like this topic is prevalent since we’re in the midst of this pandemic, and everyone in the world has been affected one way or another. Since I’m from Elmhurst, Queens, a place that was a hotbed for the virus just months earlier, I thought it would be interesting to see how those in the area have adjusted since the lockdown. I know with the gyms closing down and have yet to re-open, many fitness enthusiasts are finding adjustment in order to stay in shape. Sports like basketball and soccer have also taken a hit since most recreation centers are closed, and outdoor fields and basketball courts have been made less accessible (goal posts, taken down).

The visuals I’m anticipating include soccer fields with the goal posts taken down, people playing basketball in masks, closed gyms recreation centers, as well as people social distancing. I’m hoping that these visuals will emphasize how despite re-opening efforts, we are still very much affected by this pandemic and it may be a while until normal life resumes.