Would You Get a ‘Pandemic Tattoo’?

While many people are eager to put the ravages of Covid-19 behind them, some prefer to be reminded forever.

Every day during lockdown Samantha Barry, the editor of Glamour Magazine, walked or ran along the West Side Highway in New York City. “I would go from Chelsea to the Statue of Liberty,” she said. “This was my moment of sanity every day.” This was the longest she had ever spent in New York City without leaving to visit her family in Ireland. During the pandemic, she developed a greater appreciation for the place that is now her home. She had always admired tattoos. “Done right, they look a little bit like jewelry,” said Ms. Barry, 39. But she never had a compelling idea of what to get. “It has to mean something to have it permanently etched on your body.”