'Light at the end of the tunnel': After year apart, vaccinated Idahoans are reuniting Nicole Blanchard, The Idaho Statesman Apr. 8—For most of the last year, Erin Riley and her parents found ways to spend a little bit of time together when they could do it safely — with masks, outdoors and at a distance. Riley, 37, and her parents Jim Bigelow and Sheila Ames, decided early on in the coronavirus pandemic that they'd have to stay apart. Riley works for an independent living organization and often crosses paths with health care providers, while her roommate worked at a local hospital intensive care unit at the outset of the pandemic. With Bigelow at increased risk for COVID-19 due to existing health issues, Riley said the choice to stay apart was an obvious one.