ABSTRACT
For most in the United States, the realities of the covid-19 pandemic hit home in March 2020. Businesses closed temporarily, industries moved as many employees as possible into work-from-home situations, schools began virtual education, grocery and food delivery became a safe and convenient way to acquire daily necessities, masks and social distancing became principle means for reducing the virus spread, and people escaped the monotony of their homes for outdoor spaces. One of the most significant shifts in perceptions of place during the pandemic became the distinction between places of risk and places of safety. New geographies of power emerged at various scales. Personal and political identities and values were expressed materially (through mask wearing, for example) and in reaction to (for or against) state and local policies, and performances by the federal government and its entities.
