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Summary of Interview

This interviewee is a female direct care aid at a group home for people with mental disabilities in Essex County, Massachusetts. One of her clients tested positive for COVID-19 and she volunteered to provide one-on-one care for them during quarantine. As a result, she has been isolated from her husband and coworkers while experiencing a substantially increased workload. She is confident that her protective gear will keep her safe and that she will not catch the virus. She has struggled to relieve her stress because she cannot go outside and spending time with loved ones. Some of her stress stems from her perception that people “don’t believe that it’s a real thing or they don’t believe that it can get passed from this person to this person that easily”. She hopes that in the future, people follow recommended precautions in times of crisis.