When the coronavirus hit Indiana in early March, 69-year-old Brenda Fowler Austin stayed at home and did not see anyone for nine weeks.

However, the mental toll of self-isolation took effect.

“It starts to work on your mind,” she said. “After a while, the being alone all the time (makes) you feel worse than the virus.”

As the pandemic lingers and businesses and activities start to reopen, local seniors are having to weigh the risks of getting out against their quality of life.

Liz Grubbs, a 60-year-old Nashville resident, said her husband, 88, had just finished radiation treatment for lung cancer when the coronavirus hit Brown County. The two have been self-isolating ever since, and as a result, he has not been into a store since early February.

The couple even had to take their house off the market because their oncologist said it would be impossible to monitor if someone came to the house sick, she said.

The virus has had the greatest effect on senior citizens and those with compromised immune systems. In Indiana, 30 percent of positive COVID-19 cases are in people age 60 or older, but 92 percent of deaths are from that age group, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

Brown County has the highest median age of residents of any county in Indiana, at 49.6.

Governor Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana plan and the Centers for Disease Control call for anyone over 65 to continue social distancing and to stay at home if possible.

Cathy Rountree, 73, has been keeping contact with friends and family and attending meetings virtually rather than risking going out.

“Not having to drive around as much lately has been great,” she said. “But, I really miss having face-to-face contact with people.”

At the start of the pandemic, Rountree was ordering groceries online and picking them up at the store, but lately has been going to the store in person and always wears a mask. As a retired nurse practitioner, she said she understands the risk the virus poses.

“Every person has their own different perceptions of personal risk,” she said. “When I go to town, I see a lot of people not taking precautions.”

As much as she misses group events within the community, Rountree said she feels unsafe going out to restaurants or attending meetings in person.

“I would love to participate, but I don’t feel comfortable right now,” she said.

Shari Frank, 68, is still social distancing as much as possible. Her entire social calendar has been uprooted by the pandemic, and the lack of precautions some are taking have made even basic tasks difficult, she said.

“So many people refuse to wear masks,” she said. “It’s hard enough just going to the grocery store for me, so I don’t see me going out much until we have more information.”

Frank and Rountree are neighbors who live adjacent to Yellowwood State Forest. The two have been taking socially distanced hikes together to stay active and social.

Frank said she has been surprised about how many hikers have been taking precautions. “Cathy and I used to walk shoulder to shoulder together on our hikes, but lately, we have been trying to stay six feet apart,” she said. “Everyone we have run into on these hikes has been respectful of our distancing. Most hikers are wearing masks and will get off the trail if they see us approaching.”

Helen Wildermuth thinks she had the virus in early March. She was sick for about six weeks and self-isolated the whole time, but has since been going back out to businesses as they’ve recently opened up. She wears a mask every time and feels safe going out.

“It was very difficult not having any social contact with anyone,” she said. “I have been to the hairdressers and restaurants and felt they were doing everything they could to keep us safe.”

Ann VanWagner and husband, ages 66 and 73, both had all the symptoms of coronavirus in early March as well, but were never tested. “I still respect people by wearing a mask, but feel safe going out,” she said.

Gillian Harris, 58, said she hasn’t been as affected by the virus as others have because she is an introvert, and thus doesn’t mind spending time at home with her husband and cat. She has been getting outdoors a lot, going kayaking and hiking with friends a couple of times at a safe distance.

“I’m grateful that being outdoors is a safe activity, that I am lucky to live in a pleasant place and that we live close to so many wonderful natural areas,” she said. “Cancellations of events and meetings meant I’ve had more opportunities to hike with my husband in a variety of local places.”

Rountree said she’s been using this time to organize the clutter in her house and garden, while Harris has been taking care of her chickens and working on new artwork and illustrations.

Harris said her main concern throughout the pandemic has not been for herself, but for her parents who have been quarantined in a senior care facility. While she and her sister have been able to communicate with their parents online, it is difficult for them to only have contact with staff members, no matter how great or accommodating they are.

Frank has had similar experiences. About a week before the state’s stay-at-home order was announced, she and her siblings helped move her mother to a new senior care facility in Texas. During the lockdown, not even her brother, who lives five minutes away from the facility, was able to visit her.

“We were able to see her for her 94th birthday, but when we got back, the lockdown almost immediately started,” Frank said. “Since then, my brother and I have only been able to communicate with her over the phone.”

Many seniors said they are excited to return to everyday activities once more information about the virus is discovered.

Harris is eager for a time when she has to worry less about her loved ones.

“I’m just looking forward to a time beyond the pandemic, when we know more about the virus and how to better contain it or even develop a vaccine to prevent it,” she said — “a time when I can stop worrying about the people I know, many of whom are over 60, getting it.”