Amidst a most unprecedented pause, Americans are becoming accustomed to new ways of life. Virtual classrooms and workplaces are the new normal, shuttered businesses are making the most of their limited capabilities, and more and more people are carrying masks as they would their wallets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet for some essential workers, despite changes in routine, duty calls each day like it did months ago. They do not have the luxury of staying home. These are the people who are keeping New York City running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt the front door here, it\u2019s like we\u2019re in a war zone,\u201d says Winston Johnson, a doorman working on West End Avenue, echoing the fear felt by many essential workers across the country. He\u2019s been laboring his normal 8 hour, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM shifts as the pandemic persists. \u201cWe\u2019re still in it,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve had no Covid-19 timeout.\u201d Devoted to his job, he has had to adjust to tremendous changes in his daily routine, many of them frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson, who in October will enter his 20th year working in the building, explained how a place he\u2019s known so well for so long has become an unrecognizable work setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of people aren\u2019t coming through the lobby,\u201d he says of the once friendly, communicative building that has turned quiet and bleak as many residents have fled the city. Those who do remain have been asked by the building not to have long conversations with the staff, out of safety concerns. Johnson had to conduct this interview by telephone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson and the rest of the building staff have been handed a new set of sanitation responsibilities to stave off the virus. \u201cEverything that is touched, we sanitize,\u201d he says, while stepping away from the phone to collect a package. The building has enacted a new system for all deliveries, where tenants are notified by phone and email whenever their food deliveries or packages arrive. It\u2019s preferred that they come down to pick them up themselves. Staff are also being extra cautious of how they handle these items entering the building from the outside. \u201cWe\u2019re spraying some packages with alcohol as they come in,\u201d says Johnson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The workplace isn\u2019t the only area where Johnson is seeing drastic change. The pandemic\u2019s effects on city transportation have made his usual hour-long commute from Borough Park, Brooklyn to Upper Manhattan exhausting and unrealistic. \u201cTrains used to come by every 10 minutes, but now they come every half hour,\u201d he says. Not to mention, Johnson adds, New York City subways have become a central means of the virus\u2019 spread. \u201cIt\u2019s just too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, Johnson has made a huge change to his living situation — he\u2019s been forced to stay in the building as he works throughout the week, only able to return home to his wife on weekends. \u201cI came here on Monday morning in a $55 Uber,\u201d he says, of which was paid for with his own money. \u201cI packed my suitcase with all of my clothing. My wife, she loads me up with food. And I sleep here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s set up a makeshift bed on top of a bench in a backroom of the building\u2019s lobby. When he\u2019s not working his shift, Johnson spends his time there resting. \u201cI relax in the back. Read a book, watch a little television.\u201d Though he\u2019s been able to manage, it certainly hasn\u2019t been a comfortable experience. \u201cI can\u2019t roll over!\u201d he says with a chuckle. He also mentioned that in such an abnormal time, it\u2019s not rare for himself and many others to have sleepless nights, loss of appetite and a blurred sense of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One thing that\u2019s helped ease the seemingly never-ending discomfort is the love of Johnson\u2019s family members. Each night, he has phone calls with his two sons, both of whom are staying safe with their own families in Ohio, and his wife, who remains in Borough Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On these calls, he\u2019s able to share with his family the one thing that keeps his day a little bit saner and a bit less stressful. It\u2019s the collective expression of gratitude that the city shows essential workers like healthcare professionals, firemen, police, ambulance crews, transport workers, postal workers, — and yes, doormen — every night, with whooping, cheering, whistle-blowing and pot-banging coming from streets and apartment windows. Even his own colleague, Bernie, joins in on the fun by rattling a cowbell from the lobby below. \u201cI enjoy being part of the seven o\u2019clock thank you,\u201d he says. \u201cI come out every night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then, for Johnson, it\u2019s back to work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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