Around Dec. 19, 2021, John and Bridget Rooks got a call from their daycare asking them to pick up their kids after another child tested positive for coronavirus. Such calls have become a regular occurrence for countless parents over the course of the pandemic, with the disruptions leading to lost workdays, burnout, and even feelings of despair.
"You can't plan for it because you never know when it's going to happen," said John Rooks, an attorney who has two children, aged 4 years and 8 months, in daycare in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. With the December case, he noted, "it was just 'Come pick up your kids and we'll see you after the New Year."
