Overcoming Covid and welcoming a new arrival in the US

Last year, the Westmeath Independent ran a feature series, 'Abroad In Uncertain Times', in which we interviewed local people in various parts of the globe about how they were coping with the pandemic while living away from home. We have recently been getting back in touch with those featured for an update on how things have been going since.

John Walsh, from Retreat Ridge, Athlone, lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife Brittney and their three sons. John is a son of Anna and Ray. He has two brothers, Paul and David, and a sister, Sinead.

* What is the current situation with the virus in Maine?

Like most places over here, Maine started to relax its restrictions over the past few months. There was a mask mandate for a considerable time here which was followed fairly well by most. In the last month, with the Delta variant, it's been reintroduced to help control growing infection numbers.

The pandemic is very political over here. The US has two political ideologies, so you're either on one side or the other. For most Republicans, masks and vaccines are considered to be against their freedom so things are quite divided. The vaccination numbers will never go much higher than 70% here, which is a shame. I think we will be living with this virus in some form for years to come.

* Is the pandemic continuing to impact on your own life and work?

Work for me has been extremely busy the past year. I'm a foreman on a large construction project here. Fascinatingly, we only had a couple of cases of the virus on site, or at least those are the only ones we are aware of. The biggest problem we had, and continue to have, is spiralling material costs and material availability. I'm currently ordering 400 appliances and have been told it may take six to nine months to get them. Another issue is labour, like with a lot of companies. With people receiving higher amounts of social security (dole), some are choosing not to work. (If any Athlone folk want a construction job, let me know! haha).

On a personal note, since the last article, myself and my wife Brittney welcomed our son, Nicholas, into the world this past June. Yes, we had a lockdown baby.

It was a scary time to bring a child into the world, but he's a beam of light during a dark time. Especially after last Christmas, when I caught Covid and passed it on to Brittney while she was in the early stages of pregnancy. It made us realize how easily spread the virus is, and how important it is to follow the recommended advice.

* How does the situation feel now, compared to the early stages of the pandemic when we were in touch last?

The early stages of it brought feelings of worry and uncertainty but in recent times it has become more about normality and acceptance. Many of us that catch the virus will not experience much more than a mild cold, but we can't neglect the vulnerability of the elderly or those with underlying conditions. My co-worker's 21-year-old cousin died from it due to her being a diabetic. Another friend had to say goodbye to their grandfather over a Zoom call. These tragedies are not acceptable and we have to do our best to make them a thing of the past.

* What has been the toughest aspect of 2021 for you?

The toughest aspect is definitely the lack of in-person contact, both with friends who are here and also with family being unable to travel here. My parents should be here right now, to see their new grandchild, but they are unfortunately unable to fly for the foreseeable future. Hopefully something will change in the coming months for this to happen again.

Another tough aspect has been watching all the overgrown hairstyles back at home get increasingly out of control. Olly Mulvey of Coosan still hasn't recovered and may be stuck with a mullet for the rest of his days!

* What are your hopes for the rest of this year?

My hope is for the five of us to make it home for Christmas to see my family and friends in person and also to see the town that I love. Athlone is a great place with fantastic people. I miss the town and its people every day but can't wait to reconnect again.

As that old chant used to go in St Mel's Park; "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus stood up and he said, 'The Athlone!'"