Interview 03: Sherrie Shahat
Dublin Core
Title
Interview 03: Sherrie Shahat
Subject
COVID-19, COVID-19 pandemic, Hoboken, New Jersey
Description
An oral history with Sherrie Shahat, senior citizen and student, regarding Hoboken's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as her personal experiences with it.
Creator
Hoboken Public Library
Publisher
Hoboken Public Library
Date
Recorded May 6, 2022
Format
Uploaded recording: .mp3
Preservation recording: .wav
Preservation recording: .wav
Language
English
Type
Oral history
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Digital audio file
Duration
00:36:00
Transcription
Q: Welcome. Thank you for coming in for the interview. Could you please state your name, age, race, ethnicity, any other relevant information you want to include about yourself? And today’s date.
SS: Hi. My name is Sherrie Shahat. I am a senior citizen. 74 years old. My race is really mixed. Not a pedigree. A mutt. And today’s date is 5/6/2022.
Q: Where were you when the initial lockdown was announced in March of 2020? And what do you remember from that day/moment?
SS: I remember I was living in a senior building. And when the lockdown came, we were all, kind of, stunned that we had to take measures like that. You know, the COVID surprised everybody. So, we were told a curfew in the building. We could go downstairs ‘til 8:00, but not into the entertainment rooms and things like that. We had to keep distance. And also, going out. When everything closed, no restaurants, no libraries, no nothing. That was kind of difficult because it isolated everybody.
Q: And did people still try and, like, get together in the building? Or did you all just really keep to yourselves at that point?
SS: Mostly everybody cooperated and stayed in the apartment. You know? They were really afraid to come out because of the warning that the COVID for – if you’re sick, you know, have certain conditions. So, mainly, they were cooperative and stayed in the apartment. Came out only emergency.
Q: And were you able to work from home, attend school virtually? What was it like for you? And how did you handle it specifically?
SS: Luckily, I work from home. I go to school at home. So, I use the computer. But there was a period of time where the schools had to close. You know? And during that period, it wasn’t hard for me because I just kept going on the internet. At my level, we do basically writing and things like that on our own. So, I was able to keep up. Sometimes, I have to fly to my school in Arizona. And the last time I went for residency, we couldn’t stay in the same resort that we went the first time because they had to use it for the students that lived there and caught COVID. So, that was a big shut down area over there.
Q: What was your emotional reaction like? You know, what did you feel? Fear? Uncertainty? Did you have a sense of calm? Like, what did you feel at the time?
SS: I was pretty calm about it. But the uncertainty was – because, you know, there’s a pandemic flu too that went around. And we’ve learned the bird flu. So, we not used to pandemics, but we know they happen. But it was such a shock of how this hit, how fast it spread. And, you know, mystified of what are we going to do? There’s no treatment for it. And the hospitals are loaded, even how they buried people. You know. We want to bury our loved ones with dignity, but we couldn’t even go visit them. You know. So, that was pretty rough on people, that period.
Q: And were there any specific challenges you faced when you were homebound, you know, that you couldn’t really leave the house?
SS: Well, one of the challenges is boredom. I occupy myself. I’m very good at that. But I still got very bored having to just stay in the house. I don’t just stay in the house. And, you know, I like to socialize, have conversations socially with people, or have dinner together and couldn’t do it. And so, that was not easy for me. And I couldn’t go to church. The church was shut down. And I sing in the choir. And I go, I want to go to choir rehearsal, or something. So, that it was extended period of time like that.
Q: And did your church try and do anything virtually? Or was it just closed for a period of time?
SS: Yeah. My church did virtual. Virtually. And the closure, at first, when we re-opened, the people went straight in, stayed in, and now the congregation is full again and alive. And unfortunately, there’s talking about this virus going higher again. On medium alert. And so, it’s really separated people. And that’s not easy for a lot of people.
Q: And, you know, did anyone that you know, or a family member work an essential job? And what was it like for them in the early days of the pandemic and throughout the pandemic?
SS: My son. He’s a nurse. And he had to work throughout the COVID. And it was very busy for him. He 24/7. And he had to take over and be in charge. And, you know, for the family, he couldn’t see us. He could only talk on the phone to us. You know, we couldn’t go visit him. If we did, we would wave bye, you know. And we all were very – how do you say – we’re not people that get scared, but very hopeful that nothing happened to him. And held him in our prayers. And he’s still doing it, you know. He’s still working for the aids giving the injections now. But we were praying, please don’t get it. You know. Don’t get contaminated. And gave him our prayers.
Q: And we had talked to someone else that was a nurse and she said a lot of the nurses left because they were scared. But your son felt like he needed to continue?
SS: Yeah. I call him my angel. He was always helpful. And he does, like, firemen volunteer things. And if there’s a calling, he’s going to answer. And he stayed with it. And fortunately, he did not get sick. And I’ve been able to see him and come by some time. Members of my family got sick. And one child, one grandchild. But I thank God, they made it through, you know.
Q: Oh. That’s good to hear.
SS: No permanent damage.
Q: Did any of them have to be hospitalized, or?
SS: No. My son, his wife and his son all at the same time. And they handled it.
Q: That’s good to hear.
SS: They really handled it because at the time they got sick, COVID was a monster. And, you know, to go in the hospital, just to go in the entrance, you know what was going to happen, so. They managed. They managed.
Q: Yeah. So, you know, that you were talking a little bit about the early days of the pandemic. How did your life change as the pandemic continued? Did you see things, you know, what changed from the first few days or, you know, first few months in the pandemic for you?
SS: Okay. The first few month – okay. Something a little sad. I lost my daughter about three months before the breakout. So, I’m going through this grieving period. And then, this breakout and the devastation it was doing, I go, I feel like the whole world is grieving. You know, it was like, I didn’t go through that period alone. Not that that was comforting. But then, all of a sudden, you know, you don’t know – you still want to grieve your child, respectfully. But the whole world was now grieving. And you’re hearing about the nursing homes, things that happened. So, the beginning was, kind of, bumpy road emotionally. And then, the second part was seeing the devastation, seeing, you know, how they had to put the bodies on the trucks. And I worked medical. And so, it really was sentimental kind of time. You know, and to be watching that… What I did love that was done was the applauding that, 6:00 every day, to give homage to the essential workers because they deserve something. And, you know, when you think about nurses and doctors and catching this. But they’re still dedicated and given – it’s just something, you say, it had to happen. You know. It had to happen that somebody worked through this horrible pandemic. But the possibility of catching it. So.
Q: And you talked a little bit about, you know, your family and how your lives were impacted. Did you have any friends that had anything significant, you know, during the pandemic, or anyone else that you, you know?
SS: There’s a residence in Hoboken. And it’s near the projects, in the projects. Let’s say that. And a lot of people from the senior buildings, they walk down in the projects, or they have family there. And what really hurt them was the massive numbers of people that they knew that they lost. That was hard for them. In the senior building, we had a few of them go in the hospital. But it wasn’t as great a loss as what happened there. You know. I’m sorry.
Q: Yeah, yeah. What are some things that occurred you think those outside of your specific experience, you know, here in Hoboken might not realize about the pandemic?
SS: Could you repeat the question? Sorry.
Q: Like, what would be something outside of your specific experience here in Hoboken you think people elsewhere might not realize?
SS: Oh, I think that they don’t realize how fast this virus could spread. And to walk around and take chances was a hazard. Like, in the beginning of the virus, a lot of people from Hoboken work in New York. And you can’t come back from New York which was really heavy and walk around with no mask, you know, no protection. People did not take it serious. And it needed to be taken much more serious. And so, the social distancing, you know, like, stay six feet back. And, you know, in the stores, don’t shove on each other. You have to protect yourself. And I think on the buses, we had to distance ourselves, on the train. So, I really believe that they should take, adhere to the news, when we’re getting a new strand, adhere to that. Protect yourself. You know. And don’t be fast because other people were going still partying, still in crowds. And one person, that’s 50 people outside of where they were that could get it. You know?
Q: Did you have difficulties obtaining any supplies such as, you know, medications, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, anything like that during the early parts of the pandemic?
SS: There was a toilet paper rush. Yes. There were times where I go, ‘Oh, no. There’s no toilet paper.’ But you go to another store. There’s toilet paper madness. And the soap. The sanitation for the hands, that was always supplied. People reached out. People were generous and they came around with first aid bags and whatever they could give. All of the things like that. Even me, I would collect gloves and take it down to the hospitals because I knew they needed gloves. So, things like that. But there was a period of time things were short. You go in a store and you say, oh, these shelves, there’s nothing on the shelves. You know. And it scares you because you don’t know, when are they going to get it? How long is that going to go? And if you’re greedy like me, you want to see food on the shelf.
Q: Yeah. Did you see though as the pandemic went on, did that change?
SS: Yes, because, thank God for the stimulus. And the business. Especially the support to the businesses because they all were completely shut down. Sadly, a lot didn’t open. Sadly, a lot of jobs are not available. But the stimulus helped get the economy a little bit of a boost and helped the businesses. And eventually, we were going into restaurants, eating, and riding on buses, public buses again, and things picked up. And it felt good. We said, finally, the curfew is gone. We could go out. But everything, not yet. You know, because we had parties at, like, the Elks Club. We would go for Christmas and dance and have mad parties. But things like that, not yet.
Q: Not yet.
SS: Yeah. But gradually, we had the festivals. Sunday, the art festival. Things are opening.
Q: And did you go out and get your groceries? Or did you have a lot of stuff delivered during the pandemic? How you were handling stuff like that?
SS: Well, in the beginning, when I first knew, I stocked up. You know? And they sort of last me at least the third week, if not through the month. And I got plenty of supplies, like the spaghetti that you could stretch out. Macaroni. Things you could stretch out to make sure, you know, of eating.
Q: Yeah. Did you leave the city at any point to go anywhere else during the pandemic? You know, to stay with any other friends or family? Or did you have any other friends or family that had to stay with you for a while?
SS: Well, no. Luckily, I was totally isolated. I didn’t go visiting anyone. Personally, I haven’t yet, you know, like, gone into people’s houses that are in my family. Like, that kind of social. Friends, yes. But not out of town. You know, I’m still… You get leery. You can’t help it. You said they don’t know that much about the virus. So, you’re not going to celebrate like it’s gone yet.
Q: Yeah. And did you have anybody though that you knew that did go, you know, elsewhere? Because I know, like, there was some people from, like, New York City that they were going, like, you know, like, young people going to stay with their fam-, like, parents and stuff. Did you know anybody like that that, you know, had to move around, or?
SS: Go stay with people? I did. I had to go to Arizona to school and stay on the campus. You know. But that was, like, after it was—
Q: Yeah. Not at the beginning of the pandemic. Yeah.
SS: Yeah. There was a lull. And, yeah, people had to help their family. And that like, love somebody in bed. There was plenty of that where young or old, they got sick. And then other people went and helped them out and took care of them. You know.
Q: And you were talking a little bit about the school. Was there any special precautions, like, when you went there that they were taking, or?
SS: When I went, it was pretty safe for us when I went. So, just general rules that were there. We automatically kept them. You know, we didn’t disregard them. But the mask. It was mandatory when we sat in the class all day nine to five. You kept that mask on, and, you know, general rules still applied.
Q: Did you feel prepared at all for the pandemic based on previous life experiences? Like, was there anything that you’d experienced previously that you felt, like, prepared you from this somewhat?
SS: Yes. Right before the pandemic, can we say about a year or two. The pandemic flu itself. And unfortunately, of course, I caught it. Now the thing about what helped me get through the COVID safely was what happened to me when I got through the flu. Because at the time of the pandemic of the flu, people were catching this flu and coming to you and talking. And they knew they had the flu, but they didn’t tell you ‘til it was over. Right away, I have the flu. I says, ‘By the way, thank you very much. You just gave me the flu.’ And I was down for a five-week count. So, this virus taught me, you know, make sure, keep the mask on. Keep the distance until we can be reliable. You know, until it’s more reasonable to take it off. So, that was one thing that prepared me.
Q: And, you know, you talked a little bit about things going back to normal, but, you know, not fully yet. You know, what are some other things that you’ve seen either go back to normal or that you can’t do yet because of the pandemic?
SS: Okay. I would like to have my children and my grandchildren live out of this state of New Jersey. So, I’m not sure that I want to take the Greyhound bus to go all the way down to Virginia Beach. You know, that long on the bus. And then, stay there and go socially because, sorry, they have the big beach boardwalk where everything’s there and the crowds are really. Also, you lay back a little bit on things like that. You want to. And you say maybe next year. You know, wait it out. You’re not going to do all that yet.
Q: You know, you mentioned about the family in Virginia. You know, with friends or family in other states or countries, how was their experience different from yours here in Hoboken?
SS: Well, in Virginia Beach, they’re living in private houses, or apartment buildings that don’t quite have as many floors and apartments in it. So, it’s not that much grouping. Because in Hoboken where I live, there’s 200 units. And then, there’s apartments all around and condos all around. It’s more city. And the crowds of people just to go to the store. You know. So, they don’t get that unless they go out, like, to Myrtle Beach and hang out where the crowds are and all the vendors. They don’t have to worry so much.
Q: So, it’s a little easier for them to do social distancing than here where we have to be really conscientious. Do you think there’s anything about being in Hoboken that made your pandemic experiences unique otherwise? Or do you feel you had similar experiences to other people?
SS: You mean, to have, like, a pandemic break. And what would it have been different if I was someplace else?
Q: Yeah.
SS: It would have been different. A nice cozy weather by [unintelligible 00:21:15] or something. But, no. I was pretty, pretty sure, pretty content of Hoboken. The only thing I worried about, like I said, before, the traveling. People have to work. And that precaution wasn’t emphasized. And I said, oh, Hoboken’s going to get this because everybody here go to the buses in the morning, go to New York. So, that’s the most concern I had was it was going to hit us in strength, you know, like that. But if I was [unintelligible 00:21:49] somebody else’s home and had company, and, you know, like that. That’s nice. Family company. But look what happened to my family. That whole family got it because somebody had to work. And, boom.
Q: Do any of your friends or family own local businesses? And how were they impacted, if they did, by the pandemic, or?
SS: They’re mainly managers. Yeah. So. And the businesses, yeah, they shut down. That was – the nurse, he didn’t have to worry because there’s always that. But they shut down. And they had to go through a period of make it on your own. My daughter-in-law this one is my oldest son’s wife. She owns a nail salon. And she had to shut down, you know. And that was an income for the family, coming in the family. And she had to wait it out. Thank goodness for the stimulus that perked her up a little bit. And now she’s re-opened.
Q: Yeah. And is she seeing, you know, people coming back? The volume slowly coming back.
SS: Yeah. And like my sons, they manage – well, one does restaurant stuff. And he had to shut down too for a while. You know, he couldn’t just go to work every day. Nobody’s going to come and buy anything, so. For him, things slowed down.
Q: Do they do outdoor seating where he worked, or, you know, for a while, or?
SS: Yeah. They did outdoor seating. And he lives in New York. So, it was pretty mandatory not to [unintelligible 00:23:43].
Q: And did you go to any of the restaurants that were doing outdoor seating when they started doing that? Or, what did you think of that?
SS: Well, it was a little troublesome because I’m kind of shy walking through people that are sitting there eating. And you have to walk through. Or, you have to go on the street. You know, that part, what could they do? You know, and then, everybody said, well, they take off their mask when they’re eating. So, that was a little bit of a concern because it’s spreading once they take off the mask to eat. And, but it didn’t bother me. And the Malibu did a good job because they put the patio so nice. I had a nice place to sit and eat, you know. So, it worked itself out.
Q: Have you many changes in your life, or, you know, job or, you know, with schooling that you plan to keep even after the pandemic? Anything that you changed?
SS: I’m at the end of my course. I just doing the dissertation. But we have to do residencies. Sometimes you have to go back. And sometimes you have [unintelligible 00:24:56]. And I’m telling myself, look, you’re at the end of this. You go. Don’t you stop. But then they’re acting up on the airplane. They don’t want to wear their mask. You know, and then they’re fighting on the airplane. And that’s a long flight. And I’m going, you did it before you could go. You know. And then, is it safe? And once I didn’t know that the part of the residency had camped out for the virus, the students. So, I’m concerned. Am I being reasonable? No. In one way I’m being reasonable because all the years I’ve put in and I got to the end. And the other way, I’m going to—
Q: Yeah. So, it was a little nerve-wracking to have to take the plane that one time.
SS: To think about it. Yeah.
Q: Yeah.
SS: So, but knowing me, I’ll swallow and I’ll go. Yeah.
Q: Has the pandemic changed anything about the way you view Hoboken?
SS: I really think Hoboken did a good job. There was, I think, a delay on some of the curfews, and… But they got together and they took, literally took food door to door, standed outside the door. Then they started the testing. And then they provided information where they get the shots. And Hoboken pharmacies gave the shots or came to the buildings. And several buildings, they use to test. So, I think basically, come on, this was something nobody knew about, nobody prepared. It’s not even in a book I read in school, you know. So, they did a good job.
Q: Did they actually come to your building and do immunizations if people needed?
SS: Yes. They actually came. And then, the buildings downtown, they were giving the shots downtown, so. It was great. The way they, you know, stepped up to the plate. And I don’t criticize anything they did about it because they reached out and they looked out. And they opened the, I think, parking lot for people to go get tested. They did the best they could. They did. You know. People that lost people might not feel that way. But they sad, hearts go out to them. You know, they can’t phantom. You get the news some – you know. And you, somebody says, oh, what a good job they did, they Hoboken tried. You know, they really tried. And they gave out sanitary supplies which at that time you wanted gloves with your mask, and hand sanitizers. They gave it out. They looked out for the people. But next time, or this time, or any time, even with the flu, I hope they’re a little more precautious. Because we’re a small town, a mile square, but people come and they go. And one time, I had to do a survey. I mean, helped one of the politicians get signatures. “I’m sorry, but I’m not from Hoboken. I’m sorry, but I’m not” – all day long, I was getting it. They’d be surprised. So, we have to be precautious because we get visitors too, you know.
Q: Yeah. What changes do you think Hoboken has had since the pandemic? Anything different in town that you noticed?
SS: Just some of the big socials. When I say socials, they help the seniors and the disabled people to be able to go to the Elks on Christmas and enjoy Christmas. And so, some of those provisions, recreations and things are starting to re-open. But not all yet. And the other change is people they self, they go. I’m not ready. I’m not going to never go back to, you know, all that. I’m not going to go swimming over there. You know how they changed. So, that’s a big change. You want to date? You don’t want to sit there and say, did you ever have COVID? Did you ever – you know, this, that. You know, you don’t – the questions you have in your mind that do, don’t want to bring up to people. So, things like that.
Q: Do you have any predictions for the future of Hoboken?
SS: Predictions? Yes.
Q: Yeah. What do you think the future will be like here?
SS: Okay. For our senior building over here, not good news. I predict that they have to learn, or have learned how to read people. Because they have this bad habit of putting a group of people that are bad news. And then, other thing that’s get upset and they don’t know how to handle it. If you’re going to put people like that anywhere, you got to have a resource, a security guard or a police watch, or something. So, people are miserable because they’re complaining and nothing’s done. So, hopefully, that’s going to be taken care of because we have meetings. We talk about it. We say what’s necessary. That’s one thing. Another thing that I predict about Hoboken is we’ll get along a little better, maybe, with the officers, the people that work for our safety. The firemen, and the – I think we’ll learn that way that these people are okay. And be a little more social. I mean, on the buses now, everybody gets off the bus and says thank you. You can hold the door for somebody you don’t know, you get the thank you. You go across the street. The car doesn’t go real fast. They’ll stop. And the person crossing will say thank you. So, the manners are changing a little bit. Like I said, the security needs to be tightened a little bit more. But they’re trying.
Q: Anything else that you would like to mention about Hoboken related to the pandemic or your personal experiences?
SS: It was a rough period to go through. We’re still in it. Who knows what the future is? It’s three years. It’s the longest pandemic we ever had. Breakout. And we don’t really have something that we could call a cure. We might have to treat it like we treat the flu. And looking forward, it could be a flu-like epidemic. But if they could bring it around where this strand is weak. Weak enough that a yearly inoculation, that would be good. You know, because taking shots as often as we have to, that’s not something that people with allergies and things like that want to do or could do. So.
Q: And anything else pandemic-related you’d want future generations of Hobokenites to know about?
SS: I would like them to all know, follow your leaders, what they say. If they say, ‘Stay in your house.’, don’t go playing. Stay in your house. They’re looking out for your safety. And you’re endangering yourself if you go out. Keep whatever masks, gloves, whatever you’ve got to wear raincoats. Do that. Follow the safety guidance because that, in the long run, is going to help people. China, we may laugh at China. They shut them and locked them down and everything. But then, poof, the pandemic, you know, got lesser and lesser and lesser that way. We don’t want to have to be that drastic. We could avoid it by, soon as you hear the emergency calls, adhere to them.
Q: And, you know, other than that, anything you would tell, if somebody has to live in the future when there’s some sort of other pandemic, whether it’s flu related or some other thing that they’re living through. What would you tell them how to get through it? You know, from your experiences with this one.
SS: Yes. How to get to it. It could make you very talented. I mean, you could take up singing, the computers, you could do a lot of art at home. The basic thing is, don’t panic. Don’t worry. And stay occupied. You know, sing along with the music. Create dances. TikTok and everything, you know, whatever. But don’t panic. Don’t worry, like, I know tomorrow we’ll all be having this. Or, you know, because even if it happens to you or your whole building, you don’t have to panic because that makes your system worse. You have less fight. For the virus, you’ve got to have all your fight, you know. So, entertain yourself. Be creative. You know, call somebody. Talk on the phone. You know. Go to the dating site and call somebody and say, ‘I know you don’t know me, but hello. How are you making out?’ And then, keep a watch of people. You know, keep a watch on other people. Take your safety, like gloves and masks and, and raincoats, whatever, and make sure somebody else is okay. Do what you can. Give them food. Give them toilet paper. If you’ve got two, give them one. You know, learn to share. It’s a time to come together.
Q: Okay. So, I think that that wraps up everything unless there’s anything additional you want to add.
SS: Just thank you. Thank you very much. And I just hope something I said inspired somebody to know what to do. Or they could see, they’re not alone in grieving. And they’re not alone in this experience which is a historical experience. It never happened before. Never happened like this. The history books certainly will carry this, you know.
Q: Thank you so much. We appreciate you.
SS: You’re welcome. Thank you.
[End of audio]
SS: Hi. My name is Sherrie Shahat. I am a senior citizen. 74 years old. My race is really mixed. Not a pedigree. A mutt. And today’s date is 5/6/2022.
Q: Where were you when the initial lockdown was announced in March of 2020? And what do you remember from that day/moment?
SS: I remember I was living in a senior building. And when the lockdown came, we were all, kind of, stunned that we had to take measures like that. You know, the COVID surprised everybody. So, we were told a curfew in the building. We could go downstairs ‘til 8:00, but not into the entertainment rooms and things like that. We had to keep distance. And also, going out. When everything closed, no restaurants, no libraries, no nothing. That was kind of difficult because it isolated everybody.
Q: And did people still try and, like, get together in the building? Or did you all just really keep to yourselves at that point?
SS: Mostly everybody cooperated and stayed in the apartment. You know? They were really afraid to come out because of the warning that the COVID for – if you’re sick, you know, have certain conditions. So, mainly, they were cooperative and stayed in the apartment. Came out only emergency.
Q: And were you able to work from home, attend school virtually? What was it like for you? And how did you handle it specifically?
SS: Luckily, I work from home. I go to school at home. So, I use the computer. But there was a period of time where the schools had to close. You know? And during that period, it wasn’t hard for me because I just kept going on the internet. At my level, we do basically writing and things like that on our own. So, I was able to keep up. Sometimes, I have to fly to my school in Arizona. And the last time I went for residency, we couldn’t stay in the same resort that we went the first time because they had to use it for the students that lived there and caught COVID. So, that was a big shut down area over there.
Q: What was your emotional reaction like? You know, what did you feel? Fear? Uncertainty? Did you have a sense of calm? Like, what did you feel at the time?
SS: I was pretty calm about it. But the uncertainty was – because, you know, there’s a pandemic flu too that went around. And we’ve learned the bird flu. So, we not used to pandemics, but we know they happen. But it was such a shock of how this hit, how fast it spread. And, you know, mystified of what are we going to do? There’s no treatment for it. And the hospitals are loaded, even how they buried people. You know. We want to bury our loved ones with dignity, but we couldn’t even go visit them. You know. So, that was pretty rough on people, that period.
Q: And were there any specific challenges you faced when you were homebound, you know, that you couldn’t really leave the house?
SS: Well, one of the challenges is boredom. I occupy myself. I’m very good at that. But I still got very bored having to just stay in the house. I don’t just stay in the house. And, you know, I like to socialize, have conversations socially with people, or have dinner together and couldn’t do it. And so, that was not easy for me. And I couldn’t go to church. The church was shut down. And I sing in the choir. And I go, I want to go to choir rehearsal, or something. So, that it was extended period of time like that.
Q: And did your church try and do anything virtually? Or was it just closed for a period of time?
SS: Yeah. My church did virtual. Virtually. And the closure, at first, when we re-opened, the people went straight in, stayed in, and now the congregation is full again and alive. And unfortunately, there’s talking about this virus going higher again. On medium alert. And so, it’s really separated people. And that’s not easy for a lot of people.
Q: And, you know, did anyone that you know, or a family member work an essential job? And what was it like for them in the early days of the pandemic and throughout the pandemic?
SS: My son. He’s a nurse. And he had to work throughout the COVID. And it was very busy for him. He 24/7. And he had to take over and be in charge. And, you know, for the family, he couldn’t see us. He could only talk on the phone to us. You know, we couldn’t go visit him. If we did, we would wave bye, you know. And we all were very – how do you say – we’re not people that get scared, but very hopeful that nothing happened to him. And held him in our prayers. And he’s still doing it, you know. He’s still working for the aids giving the injections now. But we were praying, please don’t get it. You know. Don’t get contaminated. And gave him our prayers.
Q: And we had talked to someone else that was a nurse and she said a lot of the nurses left because they were scared. But your son felt like he needed to continue?
SS: Yeah. I call him my angel. He was always helpful. And he does, like, firemen volunteer things. And if there’s a calling, he’s going to answer. And he stayed with it. And fortunately, he did not get sick. And I’ve been able to see him and come by some time. Members of my family got sick. And one child, one grandchild. But I thank God, they made it through, you know.
Q: Oh. That’s good to hear.
SS: No permanent damage.
Q: Did any of them have to be hospitalized, or?
SS: No. My son, his wife and his son all at the same time. And they handled it.
Q: That’s good to hear.
SS: They really handled it because at the time they got sick, COVID was a monster. And, you know, to go in the hospital, just to go in the entrance, you know what was going to happen, so. They managed. They managed.
Q: Yeah. So, you know, that you were talking a little bit about the early days of the pandemic. How did your life change as the pandemic continued? Did you see things, you know, what changed from the first few days or, you know, first few months in the pandemic for you?
SS: Okay. The first few month – okay. Something a little sad. I lost my daughter about three months before the breakout. So, I’m going through this grieving period. And then, this breakout and the devastation it was doing, I go, I feel like the whole world is grieving. You know, it was like, I didn’t go through that period alone. Not that that was comforting. But then, all of a sudden, you know, you don’t know – you still want to grieve your child, respectfully. But the whole world was now grieving. And you’re hearing about the nursing homes, things that happened. So, the beginning was, kind of, bumpy road emotionally. And then, the second part was seeing the devastation, seeing, you know, how they had to put the bodies on the trucks. And I worked medical. And so, it really was sentimental kind of time. You know, and to be watching that… What I did love that was done was the applauding that, 6:00 every day, to give homage to the essential workers because they deserve something. And, you know, when you think about nurses and doctors and catching this. But they’re still dedicated and given – it’s just something, you say, it had to happen. You know. It had to happen that somebody worked through this horrible pandemic. But the possibility of catching it. So.
Q: And you talked a little bit about, you know, your family and how your lives were impacted. Did you have any friends that had anything significant, you know, during the pandemic, or anyone else that you, you know?
SS: There’s a residence in Hoboken. And it’s near the projects, in the projects. Let’s say that. And a lot of people from the senior buildings, they walk down in the projects, or they have family there. And what really hurt them was the massive numbers of people that they knew that they lost. That was hard for them. In the senior building, we had a few of them go in the hospital. But it wasn’t as great a loss as what happened there. You know. I’m sorry.
Q: Yeah, yeah. What are some things that occurred you think those outside of your specific experience, you know, here in Hoboken might not realize about the pandemic?
SS: Could you repeat the question? Sorry.
Q: Like, what would be something outside of your specific experience here in Hoboken you think people elsewhere might not realize?
SS: Oh, I think that they don’t realize how fast this virus could spread. And to walk around and take chances was a hazard. Like, in the beginning of the virus, a lot of people from Hoboken work in New York. And you can’t come back from New York which was really heavy and walk around with no mask, you know, no protection. People did not take it serious. And it needed to be taken much more serious. And so, the social distancing, you know, like, stay six feet back. And, you know, in the stores, don’t shove on each other. You have to protect yourself. And I think on the buses, we had to distance ourselves, on the train. So, I really believe that they should take, adhere to the news, when we’re getting a new strand, adhere to that. Protect yourself. You know. And don’t be fast because other people were going still partying, still in crowds. And one person, that’s 50 people outside of where they were that could get it. You know?
Q: Did you have difficulties obtaining any supplies such as, you know, medications, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, anything like that during the early parts of the pandemic?
SS: There was a toilet paper rush. Yes. There were times where I go, ‘Oh, no. There’s no toilet paper.’ But you go to another store. There’s toilet paper madness. And the soap. The sanitation for the hands, that was always supplied. People reached out. People were generous and they came around with first aid bags and whatever they could give. All of the things like that. Even me, I would collect gloves and take it down to the hospitals because I knew they needed gloves. So, things like that. But there was a period of time things were short. You go in a store and you say, oh, these shelves, there’s nothing on the shelves. You know. And it scares you because you don’t know, when are they going to get it? How long is that going to go? And if you’re greedy like me, you want to see food on the shelf.
Q: Yeah. Did you see though as the pandemic went on, did that change?
SS: Yes, because, thank God for the stimulus. And the business. Especially the support to the businesses because they all were completely shut down. Sadly, a lot didn’t open. Sadly, a lot of jobs are not available. But the stimulus helped get the economy a little bit of a boost and helped the businesses. And eventually, we were going into restaurants, eating, and riding on buses, public buses again, and things picked up. And it felt good. We said, finally, the curfew is gone. We could go out. But everything, not yet. You know, because we had parties at, like, the Elks Club. We would go for Christmas and dance and have mad parties. But things like that, not yet.
Q: Not yet.
SS: Yeah. But gradually, we had the festivals. Sunday, the art festival. Things are opening.
Q: And did you go out and get your groceries? Or did you have a lot of stuff delivered during the pandemic? How you were handling stuff like that?
SS: Well, in the beginning, when I first knew, I stocked up. You know? And they sort of last me at least the third week, if not through the month. And I got plenty of supplies, like the spaghetti that you could stretch out. Macaroni. Things you could stretch out to make sure, you know, of eating.
Q: Yeah. Did you leave the city at any point to go anywhere else during the pandemic? You know, to stay with any other friends or family? Or did you have any other friends or family that had to stay with you for a while?
SS: Well, no. Luckily, I was totally isolated. I didn’t go visiting anyone. Personally, I haven’t yet, you know, like, gone into people’s houses that are in my family. Like, that kind of social. Friends, yes. But not out of town. You know, I’m still… You get leery. You can’t help it. You said they don’t know that much about the virus. So, you’re not going to celebrate like it’s gone yet.
Q: Yeah. And did you have anybody though that you knew that did go, you know, elsewhere? Because I know, like, there was some people from, like, New York City that they were going, like, you know, like, young people going to stay with their fam-, like, parents and stuff. Did you know anybody like that that, you know, had to move around, or?
SS: Go stay with people? I did. I had to go to Arizona to school and stay on the campus. You know. But that was, like, after it was—
Q: Yeah. Not at the beginning of the pandemic. Yeah.
SS: Yeah. There was a lull. And, yeah, people had to help their family. And that like, love somebody in bed. There was plenty of that where young or old, they got sick. And then other people went and helped them out and took care of them. You know.
Q: And you were talking a little bit about the school. Was there any special precautions, like, when you went there that they were taking, or?
SS: When I went, it was pretty safe for us when I went. So, just general rules that were there. We automatically kept them. You know, we didn’t disregard them. But the mask. It was mandatory when we sat in the class all day nine to five. You kept that mask on, and, you know, general rules still applied.
Q: Did you feel prepared at all for the pandemic based on previous life experiences? Like, was there anything that you’d experienced previously that you felt, like, prepared you from this somewhat?
SS: Yes. Right before the pandemic, can we say about a year or two. The pandemic flu itself. And unfortunately, of course, I caught it. Now the thing about what helped me get through the COVID safely was what happened to me when I got through the flu. Because at the time of the pandemic of the flu, people were catching this flu and coming to you and talking. And they knew they had the flu, but they didn’t tell you ‘til it was over. Right away, I have the flu. I says, ‘By the way, thank you very much. You just gave me the flu.’ And I was down for a five-week count. So, this virus taught me, you know, make sure, keep the mask on. Keep the distance until we can be reliable. You know, until it’s more reasonable to take it off. So, that was one thing that prepared me.
Q: And, you know, you talked a little bit about things going back to normal, but, you know, not fully yet. You know, what are some other things that you’ve seen either go back to normal or that you can’t do yet because of the pandemic?
SS: Okay. I would like to have my children and my grandchildren live out of this state of New Jersey. So, I’m not sure that I want to take the Greyhound bus to go all the way down to Virginia Beach. You know, that long on the bus. And then, stay there and go socially because, sorry, they have the big beach boardwalk where everything’s there and the crowds are really. Also, you lay back a little bit on things like that. You want to. And you say maybe next year. You know, wait it out. You’re not going to do all that yet.
Q: You know, you mentioned about the family in Virginia. You know, with friends or family in other states or countries, how was their experience different from yours here in Hoboken?
SS: Well, in Virginia Beach, they’re living in private houses, or apartment buildings that don’t quite have as many floors and apartments in it. So, it’s not that much grouping. Because in Hoboken where I live, there’s 200 units. And then, there’s apartments all around and condos all around. It’s more city. And the crowds of people just to go to the store. You know. So, they don’t get that unless they go out, like, to Myrtle Beach and hang out where the crowds are and all the vendors. They don’t have to worry so much.
Q: So, it’s a little easier for them to do social distancing than here where we have to be really conscientious. Do you think there’s anything about being in Hoboken that made your pandemic experiences unique otherwise? Or do you feel you had similar experiences to other people?
SS: You mean, to have, like, a pandemic break. And what would it have been different if I was someplace else?
Q: Yeah.
SS: It would have been different. A nice cozy weather by [unintelligible 00:21:15] or something. But, no. I was pretty, pretty sure, pretty content of Hoboken. The only thing I worried about, like I said, before, the traveling. People have to work. And that precaution wasn’t emphasized. And I said, oh, Hoboken’s going to get this because everybody here go to the buses in the morning, go to New York. So, that’s the most concern I had was it was going to hit us in strength, you know, like that. But if I was [unintelligible 00:21:49] somebody else’s home and had company, and, you know, like that. That’s nice. Family company. But look what happened to my family. That whole family got it because somebody had to work. And, boom.
Q: Do any of your friends or family own local businesses? And how were they impacted, if they did, by the pandemic, or?
SS: They’re mainly managers. Yeah. So. And the businesses, yeah, they shut down. That was – the nurse, he didn’t have to worry because there’s always that. But they shut down. And they had to go through a period of make it on your own. My daughter-in-law this one is my oldest son’s wife. She owns a nail salon. And she had to shut down, you know. And that was an income for the family, coming in the family. And she had to wait it out. Thank goodness for the stimulus that perked her up a little bit. And now she’s re-opened.
Q: Yeah. And is she seeing, you know, people coming back? The volume slowly coming back.
SS: Yeah. And like my sons, they manage – well, one does restaurant stuff. And he had to shut down too for a while. You know, he couldn’t just go to work every day. Nobody’s going to come and buy anything, so. For him, things slowed down.
Q: Do they do outdoor seating where he worked, or, you know, for a while, or?
SS: Yeah. They did outdoor seating. And he lives in New York. So, it was pretty mandatory not to [unintelligible 00:23:43].
Q: And did you go to any of the restaurants that were doing outdoor seating when they started doing that? Or, what did you think of that?
SS: Well, it was a little troublesome because I’m kind of shy walking through people that are sitting there eating. And you have to walk through. Or, you have to go on the street. You know, that part, what could they do? You know, and then, everybody said, well, they take off their mask when they’re eating. So, that was a little bit of a concern because it’s spreading once they take off the mask to eat. And, but it didn’t bother me. And the Malibu did a good job because they put the patio so nice. I had a nice place to sit and eat, you know. So, it worked itself out.
Q: Have you many changes in your life, or, you know, job or, you know, with schooling that you plan to keep even after the pandemic? Anything that you changed?
SS: I’m at the end of my course. I just doing the dissertation. But we have to do residencies. Sometimes you have to go back. And sometimes you have [unintelligible 00:24:56]. And I’m telling myself, look, you’re at the end of this. You go. Don’t you stop. But then they’re acting up on the airplane. They don’t want to wear their mask. You know, and then they’re fighting on the airplane. And that’s a long flight. And I’m going, you did it before you could go. You know. And then, is it safe? And once I didn’t know that the part of the residency had camped out for the virus, the students. So, I’m concerned. Am I being reasonable? No. In one way I’m being reasonable because all the years I’ve put in and I got to the end. And the other way, I’m going to—
Q: Yeah. So, it was a little nerve-wracking to have to take the plane that one time.
SS: To think about it. Yeah.
Q: Yeah.
SS: So, but knowing me, I’ll swallow and I’ll go. Yeah.
Q: Has the pandemic changed anything about the way you view Hoboken?
SS: I really think Hoboken did a good job. There was, I think, a delay on some of the curfews, and… But they got together and they took, literally took food door to door, standed outside the door. Then they started the testing. And then they provided information where they get the shots. And Hoboken pharmacies gave the shots or came to the buildings. And several buildings, they use to test. So, I think basically, come on, this was something nobody knew about, nobody prepared. It’s not even in a book I read in school, you know. So, they did a good job.
Q: Did they actually come to your building and do immunizations if people needed?
SS: Yes. They actually came. And then, the buildings downtown, they were giving the shots downtown, so. It was great. The way they, you know, stepped up to the plate. And I don’t criticize anything they did about it because they reached out and they looked out. And they opened the, I think, parking lot for people to go get tested. They did the best they could. They did. You know. People that lost people might not feel that way. But they sad, hearts go out to them. You know, they can’t phantom. You get the news some – you know. And you, somebody says, oh, what a good job they did, they Hoboken tried. You know, they really tried. And they gave out sanitary supplies which at that time you wanted gloves with your mask, and hand sanitizers. They gave it out. They looked out for the people. But next time, or this time, or any time, even with the flu, I hope they’re a little more precautious. Because we’re a small town, a mile square, but people come and they go. And one time, I had to do a survey. I mean, helped one of the politicians get signatures. “I’m sorry, but I’m not from Hoboken. I’m sorry, but I’m not” – all day long, I was getting it. They’d be surprised. So, we have to be precautious because we get visitors too, you know.
Q: Yeah. What changes do you think Hoboken has had since the pandemic? Anything different in town that you noticed?
SS: Just some of the big socials. When I say socials, they help the seniors and the disabled people to be able to go to the Elks on Christmas and enjoy Christmas. And so, some of those provisions, recreations and things are starting to re-open. But not all yet. And the other change is people they self, they go. I’m not ready. I’m not going to never go back to, you know, all that. I’m not going to go swimming over there. You know how they changed. So, that’s a big change. You want to date? You don’t want to sit there and say, did you ever have COVID? Did you ever – you know, this, that. You know, you don’t – the questions you have in your mind that do, don’t want to bring up to people. So, things like that.
Q: Do you have any predictions for the future of Hoboken?
SS: Predictions? Yes.
Q: Yeah. What do you think the future will be like here?
SS: Okay. For our senior building over here, not good news. I predict that they have to learn, or have learned how to read people. Because they have this bad habit of putting a group of people that are bad news. And then, other thing that’s get upset and they don’t know how to handle it. If you’re going to put people like that anywhere, you got to have a resource, a security guard or a police watch, or something. So, people are miserable because they’re complaining and nothing’s done. So, hopefully, that’s going to be taken care of because we have meetings. We talk about it. We say what’s necessary. That’s one thing. Another thing that I predict about Hoboken is we’ll get along a little better, maybe, with the officers, the people that work for our safety. The firemen, and the – I think we’ll learn that way that these people are okay. And be a little more social. I mean, on the buses now, everybody gets off the bus and says thank you. You can hold the door for somebody you don’t know, you get the thank you. You go across the street. The car doesn’t go real fast. They’ll stop. And the person crossing will say thank you. So, the manners are changing a little bit. Like I said, the security needs to be tightened a little bit more. But they’re trying.
Q: Anything else that you would like to mention about Hoboken related to the pandemic or your personal experiences?
SS: It was a rough period to go through. We’re still in it. Who knows what the future is? It’s three years. It’s the longest pandemic we ever had. Breakout. And we don’t really have something that we could call a cure. We might have to treat it like we treat the flu. And looking forward, it could be a flu-like epidemic. But if they could bring it around where this strand is weak. Weak enough that a yearly inoculation, that would be good. You know, because taking shots as often as we have to, that’s not something that people with allergies and things like that want to do or could do. So.
Q: And anything else pandemic-related you’d want future generations of Hobokenites to know about?
SS: I would like them to all know, follow your leaders, what they say. If they say, ‘Stay in your house.’, don’t go playing. Stay in your house. They’re looking out for your safety. And you’re endangering yourself if you go out. Keep whatever masks, gloves, whatever you’ve got to wear raincoats. Do that. Follow the safety guidance because that, in the long run, is going to help people. China, we may laugh at China. They shut them and locked them down and everything. But then, poof, the pandemic, you know, got lesser and lesser and lesser that way. We don’t want to have to be that drastic. We could avoid it by, soon as you hear the emergency calls, adhere to them.
Q: And, you know, other than that, anything you would tell, if somebody has to live in the future when there’s some sort of other pandemic, whether it’s flu related or some other thing that they’re living through. What would you tell them how to get through it? You know, from your experiences with this one.
SS: Yes. How to get to it. It could make you very talented. I mean, you could take up singing, the computers, you could do a lot of art at home. The basic thing is, don’t panic. Don’t worry. And stay occupied. You know, sing along with the music. Create dances. TikTok and everything, you know, whatever. But don’t panic. Don’t worry, like, I know tomorrow we’ll all be having this. Or, you know, because even if it happens to you or your whole building, you don’t have to panic because that makes your system worse. You have less fight. For the virus, you’ve got to have all your fight, you know. So, entertain yourself. Be creative. You know, call somebody. Talk on the phone. You know. Go to the dating site and call somebody and say, ‘I know you don’t know me, but hello. How are you making out?’ And then, keep a watch of people. You know, keep a watch on other people. Take your safety, like gloves and masks and, and raincoats, whatever, and make sure somebody else is okay. Do what you can. Give them food. Give them toilet paper. If you’ve got two, give them one. You know, learn to share. It’s a time to come together.
Q: Okay. So, I think that that wraps up everything unless there’s anything additional you want to add.
SS: Just thank you. Thank you very much. And I just hope something I said inspired somebody to know what to do. Or they could see, they’re not alone in grieving. And they’re not alone in this experience which is a historical experience. It never happened before. Never happened like this. The history books certainly will carry this, you know.
Q: Thank you so much. We appreciate you.
SS: You’re welcome. Thank you.
[End of audio]
Interviewer
Aimee Harris
Interviewee
Sherrie Shahat
Location
Hoboken Public Library, Hoboken, New Jersey
Citation
Hoboken Public Library, “Interview 03: Sherrie Shahat,” Hoboken Public Library's 2022 COVID-19 Oral History Project, accessed May 14, 2024, https://hobokenoralhistory2022.omeka.net/items/show/3.