Athlone natives, Brian and Cora Lynam, presently residing in Alpharetta Georgia, with their children Conor (9 ) and Erin (4 ), spoke to the Athlone Advertiser this week, noting the impact of COVID-19 on their daily lives as the pandemic continues to raise health concerns on a global scale.
Brian, who originally hails from Beechpark and Cora (Glennon ), a native of The Elms, moved from Oranmore to Alpharetta, a suburb 30 miles north of Atlanta, in early 2017, as Brian relocated due to work commitments with his employer, Boston Scientific.
“Initially, we decided upon a year working in the US, but that was extended and we have been here over three years now. We have settled in very well as the weather and outdoor life is something we really enjoy. We are involved with the local GAA, as well US sports like baseball and have formed good friendships as a result of regular interaction and participation,” Brian remarked.
Similar to the situation in Ireland, schools closed suddenly on March 12. the initial sign of COVID-19 impact in Georgia.
“All sporting activities ceased as the State of Fulton County, where we live, took actions to implement ‘Shelter in Place’.
“The provision of Conor’s virtual learning programme was meticulous with all school work completed daily on Microsoft Teams among many other applications the school used prior to the COVID-19 outbreak which made the transition to online learning easier.
“Erin also had Zoom calls with her class and teachers (one of whom is Irish ) in St Brigid’s Catholic Day School. The school year here finished at the end of May and we are still not certain what format a return to education will take at the start of August when they are due to return,” Brian continued.
From a work perspective, Brian commenced working from home in mid-March and continues to do so as advanced technology enables regular and consistent contact with Boston Scientific colleagues.
“From a state perspective, Georgia was one of the first to open up for business once the Governor lifted the ‘Shelter in Place’. As a family however, we decided to continue our lockdown and err on the side of caution.
“Now that shops and businesses are mostly open we have started to venture out to the supermarket to do our food shop instead of using the online facility and it has been fine so far. The vast majority of people wear masks in public, especially in the shops, social distancing is evident with relevant signage in abundance and perspex glass at all the checkouts.
“There was and still is pressure here to reopen and restart the local economy. The latest US labour department figures show more than 36 million people have filed for benefits in the last two months. The rate is slowing but the record-breaking pace of layoffs has already pushed unemployment to levels unseen since the Great Depression of the 1930s,” Brian noted.
Health and safety concerns remain as Brian expressed the families desire to return home for a holiday when permitted to do so.
“We have been very fortunate as we are all safe and well as are our families back home thankfully. The children have been exemplary throughout the imposition of restrictions, although they do miss school and sports and meeting with their friends, but we are very lucky to be surrounded by lovely parks and lakes so we can get out and about.
“We look forward to being able to socialise with our friends again properly in the future, play sports and get back to some form of a new normal. Sadly, our trip home to Ireland this summer now won’t materialise, but we look forward to visiting home again once it is safe to do so, whenever that may be,” Brian enthused.
