You're reading: New York Times: A pandemic is hard enough. For some, being single has made it harder

New York Times: A pandemic is hard enough. For some, being single has made it harder

Published Jan. 30, 2021. Updated Jan. 30 at 3:52 am

Nurse Ivanna Banshchikova (51) visits a woman at home in Moscow on May 16, 2020 amid the COVID-19 outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus. - "I'm an Orthodox social worker, I have been working for three years and I am taking care of two people now. I visit them twice a week for eight hours. Volunteer drivers take us to our visits. During the pandemic I try to be more careful, by not visiting places with lots of people and by wearing gloves and face mask everywhere. My work is simple, I bring food to elderly ladies, cook lunch, wash the floor. But the most important is just to talk to them and do everything with joy and love. My work brings me a lot of joy and pleasure", Banshchikova said. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

Photo by AFP

The coronavirus pandemic has been rough on virtually everyone. But those who have been single through the isolation, fear and upheaval say they’ve been confronted with a distinct set of challenges — not necessarily more or less severe than those who are coupled up, but different.