The corona diaries
– a contemporary documentation project from 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, society was in a very special situation, unlike anything we have experienced before. To remember and understand how the COVID-19 outbreak has affected our lives, The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology collected contributions to the collective memory.
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization WHO declared that the spread of the virus Covid 19, corona, was a pandemic. The following day, large parts of Norway closed in an attempt to slow down the infection.
We were encouraged to stay as far away from each other as possible. New laws were passed in haste. It was a state of emergency. It was also a charity to reduce the risk of life and health being lost.
"This is an experiment," said then-Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Camilla Stoltenberg to NRK TV on March 12. To remember and understand this as best as possible, The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology invited people to another volunteer effort: Make a contribution to the collective memory, join in documenting and telling contemporary history!
We collected stories from various environments and individuals about how corona affected their everyday working life. We wanted to hear from people who are connected to the health system and health administration. We asked what kind of new conditions, issues and challenges are emerging as a result of the pandemic? What dilemmas do you face, what decisions do you make, why and how?
During a self-selected period, the project's participants documented their everyday life, and how the coronavirus affected it. The documentation was done via mobile phone recording, text and photos.
The collected material is stored in the museum's archive in accordance with the GDPR. Read what 11 of the participants/institutions that took part in our project answered in the chapters presented on our website.
-Thanks to Fritt Ord for supporting the project.
