{"id":2487,"date":"2020-04-29T13:59:40","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T13:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/?p=2487"},"modified":"2025-10-08T09:56:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T14:56:41","slug":"despachos-desde-un-punto-caliente-de-covid-19-un-barrio-transformado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2020\/04\/29\/dispatches-from-a-covid-19-hotspot-a-neighborhood-transformed\/","title":{"rendered":"Despachos desde un punto caliente de COVID-19: Un barrio transformado"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Above: \u201cGLOW\u201d is a mural by Jenny Vyas located on the 2500 block of Devon Avenue in Chicago\u2019s West Ridge neighborhood. It celebrates the Indian festival of \u201cHoli\u201d with a \u201cKathak\u201d dancer. Holi is an ancient Hindu festival heralding the arrival of spring now celebrated all over the world by non-Hindu communities as well. D<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">iane Bou Khalil\/Borderless Magazine<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">To me, America is watching my West Ridge block fill with Jamaicans as they gather at their church for their Sunday prayers dressed in vibrant dresses and church hats. It is driving through a crowded Devon Avenue on Friday seeing Muslim families prepare for Salat Al Jumaa at their mosque. It is having strong Arabic coffee with my Syrian neighbor while we talk about her fears and dreams and her family stuck in Tripoli, Lebanon for the last eight years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chicago\u2019s thriving, multicultural neighborhood West Ridge has been my beloved home ever since I left Lebanon four years ago. It\u2019s my personal slice of America. But all that has changed with the coronavirus. In early April, <\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/blockclubchicago.org\/2020\/04\/07\/west-ridge-has-highest-number-of-covid-19-cases-in-city-we-must-take-this-as-a-call-to-action\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\">West Ridge had the most COVID-19 cases in the city.<\/span> <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By April 28, it had 588<\/span><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagoreporter.com\/how-is-covid-19-affecting-your-zip-code-in-illinois\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cases<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and one of the highest rates of infection in the state.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2486\" style=\"width: 929px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2486\" class=\"wp-image-2486 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/200429_WestRidge_008.jpg\" alt=\"Music House School of Performing Arts\" width=\"919\" height=\"613\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2486\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People sit outside the Music House School of Performing Arts, 2927 W. Devon Ave., on April 28, 2020 in Chicago\u2019s West Ridge neighborhood. Diane Bou Khalil\/Borderless Magazine<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">My family, like so many others, is now staying at home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">My brother and I have been home since mid-March, when our college classes were moved online and I started working from home. My dad works as a technician and normally travels around the city to his customers\u2019 houses. Now he only does urgent services, like fixing someone\u2019s refrigerator or oven when they break, so people are able to continue to feed themselves and their families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2480\" style=\"width: 849px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2480\" class=\"wp-image-2480 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/200429_WestRidge_002.jpg\" alt=\"Georges Bou Khalil of West Ridge\" width=\"839\" height=\"559\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2480\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Georges Bou Khalil outside our home on April 28, 2020 in Chicago\u2019s West Ridge neighborhood. He moved to West Ridge in 1996. Diane Bou Khalil\/Borderless Magazine<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">My dad moved to West Ridge in 1996. Some of his friends from back home in Beirut were already living in the neighborhood and he was drawn to West Ridge\u2019s diversity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">\u201cThis area is special because almost every culture is here. Like Polish, Georgian, Arabs, Jewish, Pakistani, Indian and Mexican,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">The neighborhood is still home to over 30,000 refugees and immigrants. But COVID-19 has caused the crowds to disappear and many businesses to temporarily close.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><a style=\"color: #993300;\" href=\"https:\/\/chicago.eater.com\/2020\/3\/15\/21180768\/illinois-restaurants-closed-bars-governor-pritzker-coronavirus\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker closed <\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all restaurants and bars to try to slow the spread of coronavirus last month.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">\u201cThis surprised many, and we still don\u2019t know what will happen after this outbreak is over,\u201d my dad said. \u201cHow will people start making a normal living again after experiencing lots of losses?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2481\" style=\"width: 930px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2481\" class=\"wp-image-2481 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/200429_WestRidge_003.jpg\" alt=\"Closed Libanais Restaurant due to COVID-19\" width=\"920\" height=\"613\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2481\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tables and chairs are covered and unused at Libanais Restaurant, 3300 W. Devon Ave., on April 21, 2020. The restaurant has been closed since March 15 as a result of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker\u2019s dine-in ban to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Diane Bou Khalil\/Borderless Magazine<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I see those losses at places like <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><a style=\"color: #993300;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.libanaischicago.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Libanais<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\">.<\/span> It\u2019s a bakery, cafe and restaurant all in one that&#8217;s been closed for dine-in eating since March 17.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the virus, I would go to Libanais every Sunday for brunch. I would have their delicious man&#8217;oushe zaatar, which is a warm fresh flatbread topped with za\u2019atar spread that is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds and olive oil. I\u2019d get it with <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a side of fresh vegetables and shai Arabic tea.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There would be music playing \u2014 often the <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><a style=\"color: #993300;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rahbani_brothers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rahbani Brothers\u2019 jazzy instrumental beats <\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 and waiters rushing past packed tables. I\u2019d always take my friends visiting from Lebanon there. Going to Libanais felt like a home away from home.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, when I go to Libanais wearing my gloves and mask, those brunches seem like a dream. The sweets are still there: counters filled with baklava, maamoul cookies, and my favorite, knafeh, a Levant specialty. It is made with sweet cheese, cream and sugar syrup soaked in a dough crust, called farkeh.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But just beyond them are plastic-covered dining tables and staff wearing masks.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2479\" style=\"width: 930px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2479\" class=\"wp-image-2479 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/200429_WestRidge_001.jpg\" alt=\"Libanais Sweets\" width=\"920\" height=\"613\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2479\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Libanais Sweets and Restaurant, 3300 W. Devon Ave., in Chicago\u2019s West Ridge neighborhood serves walnut baklava, a Middle Eastern sweet. The restaurant is offering curbside pickup and delivery during the dine-in ban. Diane Bou Khalil\/Borderless Magazine<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">&#8220;We are praying every day to go back to our normal lives,&#8221; said Libanais\u2019 owner Nasr Khonaisser on a recent visit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">He told me his business sales have dropped by 80 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic began.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">&#8220;The people who used to work at the dining room are all sitting at home,&#8221; Khoneisser said. \u201cWe have kept a few employees who work in the kitchen for a few hours a week just for them to have some money in their hands, but we cannot give them as many hours as they need.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Libanais is offering curbside pickup and delivery to help protect customers who do not want to come inside. But the business, which has been open since 2012, is not the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">&#8220;We used to have people from all over coming to us: Americans, Indians, Pakistanis, Arabs, Assyrians, Jewish. We are missing the business, the customers and our employees,&#8221; Khoneisser said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><a style=\"color: #993300;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yelp.com\/biz\/somer-food-mart-chicago\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Somer Food Mart<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is still busy. It\u2019s a tiny Middle Eastern grocery store down the block from Libanais that has been in the neighborhood since 2011. I love going to Somer to get their bread made from scratch, hummus and fuul, which are cooked fava beans. They also sell souvenirs like t-shirts, mugs and keychains that have the Iraqi, Armenian, Assyrian, and Syrian flags.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2482\" style=\"width: 947px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2482\" class=\"wp-image-2482 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/200429_WestRidge_004.jpg\" alt=\"Somer Food Market during COVID-19\" width=\"937\" height=\"625\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2482\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Canned food photographed on April 21, 2020 at Somer Food Market, 2812 W. Devon Ave., in Chicago\u2019s West Ridge neighborhood. Diane Bou Khalil\/Borderless Magazine<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">When the governor announced the stay-at-home policy Somer was flooded with customers, said owner Eddie Abada.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">&#8220;[The store] was crazy, and customers were panicking. We ran out of rice the next day and the cans of food were completely wiped out. We sold 300 bags of pita in a couple of hours,&#8221; Abada said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Over a month into the stay home order things have quieted down but still don\u2019t feel normal. When I went there on a recent Monday afternoon the store only had a handful of customers. The TV on the wall by the register was playing Iraqi pop videos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">&#8220;I wake up every day at 3 a.m. to prepare bread for the bakery, which means I&#8217;ve been wearing a mask since 3 a.m.,\u201d Abada said. \u201cI am dealing with customers all day. Then I have to go back to my kids at home. I am trying to do as much as I can to stay safe and not get infected. It is a virus at the end of the day, and it can spread very easily.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2484\" style=\"width: 909px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2484\" class=\"wp-image-2484 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/200429_WestRidge_006.jpg\" alt=\"Somer Food Market during COVID-19\" width=\"899\" height=\"599\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2484\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eddie Abada owns Somer Food Market, 2812 W. Devon Ave., still works from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day even though the store has calmed down since the stay-at-home order was first announced. Diane Bou Khalil\/Borderless Magazine<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Few of his customers wear masks, Abada said. Though that will change in May with the governor\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><a style=\"color: #993300;\" href=\"https:\/\/blockclubchicago.org\/2020\/04\/24\/you-must-cover-your-face-in-illinois-starting-may-1-heres-what-you-need-to-know\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new order<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> requiring people to wear masks anywhere they can\u2019t social distance goes into effect. He wonders what life will be like for him and his family when the stay-at-home order is finally lifted.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">&#8220;My kids have been home for more than a month. Once this is all over I am afraid they will run like monkeys after they go outdoors. But even if the state does re-open, I will not be going to any restaurants anytime soon,&#8221; Abada said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">We are in an in-between space and so much of our future is unknown. When will the life I remember return to West Ridge? When will this pandemic end?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">I was supposed to graduate from undergrad at Northeastern Illinois University next month. I\u2019m the first in my family to get a college degree in the United States. That graduation is now cancelled. I\u2019m disappointed but it is better to be safe than sorry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My brother, dad, and I are always home now. We fill our days in whatever ways we can. My dad gardens in our backyard and fixes things around the house. I call my Syrian neighbor once a week. I miss playing with her newborn baby and eating her delicious dishes like <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">kibbeh labanieh<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a sour yogurt soup made with onions, garlic and Middle Eastern stuffed meatballs that are made with ground lamb served with rice on the side.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">As we keep busy we set our eyes on the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">\u201cWhat we are going through is a big warning,\u201d my dad said. \u201cHopefully after this is all over a new system can be established. Leaders who plan for tomorrow are hopefully taking this as a lesson for it not to happen again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have questions about the coronavirus and how to protect yourself from COVID-19?<\/span> <span style=\"color: #993300;\"><a style=\"color: #993300;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-nCoV\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read the CDC&#8217;s guide to the coronavirus here.<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Are you or your loved ones immigrants? How have you been impacted by COVID-19? Send us an email at info@borderlessmag.org and we&#8217;ll work with you to share your story. We pay for all essays.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"our-work-is-made-possible-thanks-to-donations-from-people-like-you-support-high-quality-reporting-by-making-a-tax-deductible-donation-today\" class=\"pk-content-block pk-block-bg pk-block-bg-light\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Our work is made possible thanks to donations from people like you. Support high-quality reporting by making a tax-deductible donation today.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<a class=\"pk-button pk-button-md pk-button-primary pk-font-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/regular-donations-4\" target=\"_blank\" >\n\t\t\t\nSupport Us<br \/>\n\n\t\t<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>El pr\u00f3spero y multicultural barrio de West Ridge, en Chicago, ha sido mi querido hogar desde que sal\u00ed del L\u00edbano hace cuatro a\u00f1os. Ahora es un punto caliente de COVID-19.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[325,66,136],"tags":[54,55,61,56,58,71],"coauthors":[211],"class_list":{"0":"post-2487","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environmentandhealth","8":"category-investigation","9":"category-labor","10":"tag-chicago","11":"tag-chicago-immigration-news","12":"tag-coronavirus","13":"tag-covid-19","14":"tag-immigration-news","15":"tag-west-ridge"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dispatches from a COVID-19 hotspot: A neighborhood transformed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"West Ridge, like many other communities around the world, has been greatly impacted by COVID-19. 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