Looking back on a year of quarantine birthdays

March 12, 2021

Celebrating a landmark birthday is one of the most quintessential life events one could have; but what happens when those plans are brought down by a pandemic?

The hustle to host was put indefinitely on hold on March 17, 2020, when San Francisco issued a stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19. Rae Sweet and Ali Siminson both recall birthday celebrations in the early quarantine, shortly after COVID-19 precautions were put into place.

A “quarantine birthday” balances the tradition of commemorating another lap around the sun with staying safe in self-isolation. Whether it’s buying a plant or ordering pastries to go, the end goal is to limit exposure with friends, family and strangers.

On the anniversary of the shelter-in-place order, Sweet and Siminson both express their mindset approaching celebrating a second birthday in quarantine.

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About the Contributors
Photo of Sebastian Mino-Bucheli
Sebastian Mino-Bucheli
Sebastian Miño-Bucheli is a photographer, videographer, and coffee enthusiast at the Golden Gate Xpress while majoring in Photojournalism and minoring in Latin American Studies. Previously a transfer student from Los Angeles Valley College, he’s now lived in San Francisco for three years but will always be a proud Angeleno (818 No Quema Cuh). Sebastian is an Ecuadorian-American who wants to focus more on his Latinx community to push representation.

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