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.