MIAMI (WSVN) - South Florida residents who have self-quarantined because of possible exposure to COVID-19 and others who are now working or taking classes from home to avoid contracting the virus are all getting used to practicing social distancing.
Devorah Andrusier and her family are in quarantine inside their Bal Harbour apartment after her father, Rabbi Sholom Lipskar, tested positive for the virus.
“We’re in a four-bedroom apartment with six kids, so it’s somewhat stressful, to say the least,” she said. “If we need to breathe a little bit, we go out to the balcony or downstairs to the pool area, where it’s a desolate area at the moment.”
It’s cramped in Andrusier’s unit. All of her six children are doing school coursework online, and they are trying to pack up so they can isolate in a bigger house.
“A couple of hours a day, all of them in, trying to find a place, trying to find different spaces so they can each be in their live classes at the same time,” she said.
Isolating at home is the new normal for families around the country.
Jennifer Staffen is isolating with her family at their home in Fort Lauderdale.
“It’s crazy at home, between having an 8-year-old at home, my husband’s home, and we have a dog, she said.
The family said they don’t think they’ve come into contact with somebody with coronavirus, but they’re not taking any chances.
“I just got off from a conference call. I’m here in the kitchen,” she said as she gave 7News a virtual tour of her home.
“That’s my work station, and right behind me, is my 8-year-old daughter Bella,” said Staffen as her daughter waved for the camera, “and she got her home school setup from Pinecrest, so they’ve been giving us distance learning lessons.”
Staffen then went into a different room with a purple mat on the floor.
“Here’s my yoga setup, so I’ve got to keep healthy while we’re going,” she said. “My favorite instructor did a class remotely this morning.”
People are working out at home and working from home as they try to earn a living.
Amber Gabel is trying to get her work home and be an at-home teacher for two children.
“I am a court reporter, so I am trying to do transcripts from home, at the same time while I’m trying to do their work,” she said.
Gabel showed 7News her work station, which includes a desktop and laptop computers.
“We’re all at my desk, as a matter of fact. Here’s the school computer,” she said as she pointed at one of the laptops, “and here’s mine while I’m looking up how to do their work, and then that’s my work computer.”
When asked about her children, Gabel turned her camera toward her son, who was lying face down in bed.
“Well, one just got mad while doing work, and he went to go lay down,” she said, “and the other one, she’s finished for the day.”
It’s the same situation for Sandra Suarez: work and school in her house, all in close quarters.
“They’ve been getting their work that they need to do. You know, I’ll see in two weeks, when we’ve been locked up for that long,” she said.
As these families continue to become acclimated to the new normal for many families in the country, experts advise that they should periodically go outside to take a breather, go for a walk or a bike ride.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state it’s best to stay about six feet away from other people just to be safe.
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