COVID-19

The New Normal – Part 4: Long outdoor lines at Howard School Metro government buildings

By: Nate Rau and John Partipilo - July 24, 2020 7:24 am

(Photo: John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

: (Photo: John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

: (Photo: John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

: (Photo: John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

: (Photo: John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

: (Photo: John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

: (Photo: John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered virtually every aspect of life and created a new normal for Nashville residents.

To capture the ways life has changed, award-winning photographer John Partipilo spent several weeks in the community and the result is an eight-part series of photos.

Social distancing requirements have forced the Metro departments operating out of the Howard School complex to completely overhaul the way they service citizens.

Long lines form before the doors open in the morning as dozens of people wait to enter the building.

The city has set up tents for shade and citizens bring books to pass the time and even lawn chairs to sit in during the wait.

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Nate Rau

Nate Rau has a granular knowledge of Nashville’s government and power brokers, having spent more than a decade with the Tennessean, navigating the ins and outs of government deals as an investigative reporter. During his career at The Tennessean and The City Paper, he covered the music industry and Metro government and won praise for hard-hitting series on concussions in youth sports and deaths at a Tennessee drug rehabilitation center. In a state of Titans and Vols fans, Nate is an unabashed Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs fan.

John Partipilo

Working as a photojournalist for 40 years, Partipilo has won awards such as NPPA Best of Photojournalism and nominated for two Pulitzers. His photography has also been featured in national and international publications. Most importantly Partipilo’s work is about people — people in their different environments and people in their different stages of life. That’s the heart of his work. To him people are so important, because they all have a unique story.