Beach goers stand gazing out over an empty West Beach near Stearns Wharf, one of the few citizens out due to statewide shelter-in-place orders brought on by the novel coronavirus. (Photos by Nate Stephenson)
Beach goers stand gazing out over an empty West Beach near Stearns Wharf, one of the few citizens out due to statewide shelter-in-place orders brought on by the novel coronavirus.
Photos by Nate Stephenson
Sheltering in place: A look at life in SB after COVID-19
As California continues its statewide lockdown, everyday life for citizens has changed dramatically.
Many have been forced into unemployment, isolation and are uncertain of when life will return to normal. The Channels has created a series of photos to show how life in Santa Barbara has adapted to the everyday abnormalities as the community weathers the global coronavirus pandemic.
Beach goers stand gazing out over an empty West Beach near Stearns Wharf, one of the few citizens out due to statewide shelter-in-place orders brought on by the novel coronavirus.Cyclist Dermot Downs rides eastbound along East Cabrillo Boulevard on Wednesday, April 8, near East Beach in Santa Barbara, Calif. Downs thinks it’s positive that people are getting out of the house to exercise, as long as they stay safe.Connor Curran uses Cabrillo Park to keep up on exercise after Gold’s Gym shut down due to COVID-19 on Saturday, April 4 in Santa Barbara, Calif. Curran returned home to Santa Barbara from New Hampshire after Dartmouth College transitioned to online classes “I’m just trying to make it work,” said Curran. “Luckily I have some equipment of my own.”Restaurants and shops on Stearns Wharf remain open but see little traffic as shelter-in-place measures continue through April.Taylor Carney has picked up crab fishing as a new hobby after losing his job at East Beach Batting Cages due to the coronavirus and checks his trap for a catch on Tuesday, April 7, at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, Calif. “You don’t need a license to trap crab off a dock in California, so I’m out here,” said Carney. “Better than sitting at home all day.”As restaurants close or offer take-out only, Nate Tackerman and Jenny Brice share a picnic at Chase Palm Park to get out of the house on Saturday, April 4, in Santa Barbara, Calif. “We’re just hanging out here since everything is pretty much closed,” Tackerman said.City College student Gaia Menni works on English homework in her apartment on Thursday, April 9, on the Mesa in Santa Barbara, Calif. “Aside from classes going online my life really isn’t that different,” Menni said. “I still have a job so I’m grateful for that.”Kevin Escobar has driven for MTD for nearly two years and feels he is at high risk for contracting COVID-19. “A lot more homeless people are riding because we’re offering free rides and when they come on coughing I feel trapped in here,” Escobar said.Shoppers lineup outside Costco the morning after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide shelter-in-place order on Friday, March 20, in Goleta, Calif. Costco limits its capacity to 50 shoppers at a time.Community members attend the State Street Farmers Market on Tuesday, April 7, on Lower State Street in Downtown Santa Barbara, Calif. Hand sanitizer stations were set up throughout the lineup of local produce.Juliana Bertelsen lost her job as a massage therapist in Minneapolis after Minnesota issued a statewide shelter-in-place order, forcing her to return to Santa Barbara to protect and support her 80 year-old mother living with congestive heart failure by selling avocados and rhubarb. Selling the produce that grows on her mother’s property is currently Bertelsen’s only source of income.Dario Alonso sprays a disinfectant solution on shopping carts at Vons Supermarket on the Mesa on Thursday April 9, in Santa Barbara, Calif. Alonso started working two weeks ago to help his mother pay rent after she lost her job due to the coronavirus precautions.Jamie Zimmerman jogs with her dog to train for a marathon she decided to run after losing most of her work hours from the coronavirus pandemic. Outdoor and at home exercise is the norm in the age of coronavirus and many areas around the globe have seen a boom of runners as people look for ways to stay active.Unit Care Coordinator Johanna Hoyos works in the surgery department at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif. “It’s been hard personally because I work nights now and everyone is being shifted around,” said Hoyos. “The hospital is doing great at protecting us with all the precautions, I feel as safe here as I do at home.”
A collection of posters thanking medical workers decorate a construction fence surrounding the eastern quarter of Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif.
