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Photos: Months into the pandemic, Seattleites adapt to a changed world

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, Seattleites and small businesses continue to find new ways to try to make it through.

Editor's note: A portion of the below images were captured prior to the Covid-19 restrictions ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee on November 15th.

“It was kind of like sink or swim,” said hairstylist Carter Renee. “I was getting emails from clients who had lost their jobs, had moved away, and who were in high risk categories, so it wasn’t going to be safe for them to get their hair done."

“I was like okay, if I want to do this, how do I do it in a way that I can still sleep at night? And not be so scared about getting Covid all the time?” Renee opened an outdoor patio salon at their apartment and also now travels to cut and color hair in client’s backyards.

Renee, like workers in many other industries, said they feel like they've been tasked with becoming an armchair epidemiologist, as they weigh the risk of Covid-19 exposure for themselves, their clients, and others in the community.

"I take that really seriously," they said. "And sometimes it's just totally overwhelming. Like, wow — this is way above my pay grade."

At Northwest Tap Connection, instructor Pamela Yasutake recently taught a class with gloves, a mask, and a lavalier headset on.

"I used to come in, and I used to teach a dance class, and then I'd leave," Yasutake said. "And now I feel like I’m a warden of health and sanitization and all these other things that are helping to keep us all safe."

Yasutake emphasized the importance of giving young people as much of an anchor during this time as possible, even if the circumstances aren't ideal.

"As different as it is, at the foundation, it’s the same," Yasutake said. "It’s the same community, it’s the same family. And we’re doing what we do, as always, as a community. We come together, we figure it out, and we make it work.

"We will always stand in our truth and in our purpose, no matter what. Even when the walls are crumbling down, as a collective, we will face whatever," Yasutake added.

Below are images taken in recent weeks as Seattleites continue to adapt to a new reality.

caption: Hair stylist Carter Renee cuts Alan Davidson's hair on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at the outdoor patio salon that they created outside of their home in Seattle.
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Hair stylist Carter Renee cuts Alan Davidson's hair on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at the outdoor patio salon that they created outside of their home in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Anna-Marie Lim, center, participates in an outdoor bounce and sculpt class led by Allison Axdorff, not pictured, on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, at Upbeats fitness studio along NW Leary Way in Seattle.
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Anna-Marie Lim, center, participates in an outdoor bounce and sculpt class led by Allison Axdorff, not pictured, on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, at Upbeats fitness studio along NW Leary Way in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: From left, registered nurse Shu Kuang, registered nurse Tina Nguyen and patient services representative Denny Ho stand for a portrait following a shift of Covid-19 testing on Friday, November 20, 2020, at the International Community Health Services drive thru testing site on 8th Avenue South in Seattle's International District.
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From left, registered nurse Shu Kuang, registered nurse Tina Nguyen and patient services representative Denny Ho stand for a portrait following a shift of Covid-19 testing on Friday, November 20, 2020, at the International Community Health Services drive thru testing site on 8th Avenue South in Seattle's International District.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Tap instructor and Director of Totally Tap Kids youth performing company Pamela Yasutake teaches a tap class on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at Northwest Tap Connection in Seattle. "We will always stand in our truth and in our purpose, no matter what," said Yasutake. "Even when the walls are crumbling down, as a collective, we will face whatever."
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Tap instructor and Director of Totally Tap Kids youth performing company Pamela Yasutake teaches a tap class on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at Northwest Tap Connection in Seattle. "We will always stand in our truth and in our purpose, no matter what," said Yasutake. "Even when the walls are crumbling down, as a collective, we will face whatever."
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Outdoor dining areas are set up outside of Gracia on Sunday, November 15, 2020, along Ballard Ave Northwest in Seattle.
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Outdoor dining areas are set up outside of Gracia on Sunday, November 15, 2020, along Ballard Ave Northwest in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Barber Jasen Moore gets ready to cut Terrence Brown's hair at Earl's Cuts and Styles Barbershop on October, 15, 2020, in Seattle. “At first it was a lot of anxiety,” said Moore, who has been a barber for six years. “There’s a little fear of the unknown. I think that moving forward, the Covid pandemic has allowed us to step back and really see how we can get better as a business for the community to make everybody feel safe and comfortable while they’re at Earl’s Cuts and Styles."
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Barber Jasen Moore gets ready to cut Terrence Brown's hair at Earl's Cuts and Styles Barbershop on October, 15, 2020, in Seattle. “At first it was a lot of anxiety,” said Moore, who has been a barber for six years. “There’s a little fear of the unknown. I think that moving forward, the Covid pandemic has allowed us to step back and really see how we can get better as a business for the community to make everybody feel safe and comfortable while they’re at Earl’s Cuts and Styles."
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Melissa grocery shops at Fred Meyer on Monday, November 16, 2020, on Northwest 45th Street in Seattle. New statewide restrictions were announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19.
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Melissa grocery shops at Fred Meyer on Monday, November 16, 2020, on Northwest 45th Street in Seattle. New statewide restrictions were announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Julie Ding and James Che, right, look at a QR code menu on their phones before ordering on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at Spinasse on Capitol Hill in Seattle. “We’re expected to sort of enforce those rules and so in addition to everything that comes with running a restaurant, now you have this extra layer of added stress," said general manager Angela Lopez. "We’re here putting ourselves at risk just by being at work."
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Julie Ding and James Che, right, look at a QR code menu on their phones before ordering on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at Spinasse on Capitol Hill in Seattle. “We’re expected to sort of enforce those rules and so in addition to everything that comes with running a restaurant, now you have this extra layer of added stress," said general manager Angela Lopez. "We’re here putting ourselves at risk just by being at work."
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Bartender Cooper Smith makes a drink for a customer behind a sheet of plexiglass on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at Spinasse on Capitol Hill in Seattle. "We're running with a skeletal staff," said general manager Angela Lopez, "but there are still people here who are putting themselves at risk."
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Bartender Cooper Smith makes a drink for a customer behind a sheet of plexiglass on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at Spinasse on Capitol Hill in Seattle. "We're running with a skeletal staff," said general manager Angela Lopez, "but there are still people here who are putting themselves at risk."
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Customers look at menus while dining inside of a clear dome structure outside of San Fermo on Sunday, November 15, 2020, along Ballard Avenue Northwest in Seattle. New statewide restrictions, including a ban on indoor dining beginning Wednesday, were announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19.
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Customers look at menus while dining inside of a clear dome structure outside of San Fermo on Sunday, November 15, 2020, along Ballard Avenue Northwest in Seattle. New statewide restrictions, including a ban on indoor dining beginning Wednesday, were announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: Mark Radford, a paramedic with King County Medic One, administers a Covid-19 test on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, in the parking lot of the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center along Southwest Campus Drive in Federal Way.
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Mark Radford, a paramedic with King County Medic One, administers a Covid-19 test on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, in the parking lot of the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center along Southwest Campus Drive in Federal Way.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
caption: A line forms outside of Costco on Monday, November 16, 2020, on 4th Avenue South in Seattle. New statewide restrictions were announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19.
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A line forms outside of Costco on Monday, November 16, 2020, on 4th Avenue South in Seattle. New statewide restrictions were announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
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