COVID-19 US: Lisette Morales Talks About Her Experience Covering Covid-19
Lisette is a Nicaraguan-born photojournalist who currently resides in Bonita Springs, Florida. She works on stories highlighting women and since the past year, she has been focusing on a personal photo series titled “The Road to Immokalee”. The series records visual stories of the women that live and work in this farm working community. Lisette has been documenting the Covid-19 pandemic from Florida.
As far as her experience of covering the novel coronavirus is concerned, Lisette shared that it is the most challenging photo reporting she has ever done. “(It is challenging) because I’m going to communities where there was no access to personal protection for the general population only up until two weeks ago,” she said.
Normally, Lisette reports on the Latinx community and continues to do the same during the pandemic. Since she is reporting on the ground, Lisette follows the CDC safety guidelines of wearing a mask, gloves, washes her hands constantly, and maintains distance.
In terms of managing logistics, Lisette shared that she plans her photography schedule a lot more tighter than she used to.
“When I’m on the ground being quick and efficient is the best option in such uncertain situations,” Lisette said. She added that the most challenging part of covering the virus on the ground is “encountering people who are not using personal protection” and “not the accessibility”. She also shared that she has not faced any other restriction while covering Covid-19 in South Florida.
In order to keep herself fit and healthy, both mentally and physically, Lisette makes sure to take enough rest, eat healthy, walk, and meditate. And since running from news and updates about the increasing cases of coronavirus in Florida is not an option, at least not for her as a journalist, she keeps herself informed by following the CDC and other official outlets locally and internationally.
She advises other journalists covering the pandemic to “remember to document the stories with dignity and to stay safe.”
Covid-19: Women Journalists On The Front Lines
