It wasn't too long ago where we had first heard of this thing called "the coronavirus" that was emerging in China. It seemed like it was no big deal, or at least something that wasn't going to affect me. I remember just making fun of the people in our classes wearing masks thinking how dumb it was that they were doing this.
Then I started to get slightly concerned. Learning of the news to that some of the girls in my sorority were sent home from their study abroad trips in Italy, forced to self-quarantine for up to two weeks, was a little alarming, but again, nothing that I was really concerned would affect me.
And with a blink of an eye, here I am, just two months later, quarantined from the comfort of my own home.
My sorority house has closed its doors, and as ordered by the university, I will be starting online classes next week (Zoom University class of 2022!). I never thought I would be able to go into a grocery store and they literally don't have any food for me to eat. I never thought that I wouldn't be able to go to a restaurant and sit down and order food there. I never thought that last Thursday was probably the last day that I would be sitting in a lecture hall this year. And I never thought that I have already had my final pregame, chapter meeting, meal, and sleep in my sorority house for the year.
When I read this back, I laugh, because this truly sounds like a movie. I would have never in a million years thought that the whole world would just be able to go on a pause like this or that I would ever be able to say that I am "quarantined." Seriously does not sound real. It's crazy how many little things we take for granted. My parents are working from home, too, which is something I don't think they would ever be doing, either. One by one, we are continuing to hear about another thing closing or shutting down, and I'm not even phased by it anymore. It's honestly crazy to believe how much things have changed so quickly.
If you were to tell me the condition of how things are right now a week ago, I would have laughed in your face.
I'm not going to beat around the bush: this freaking sucks. Yes, I know I recently wrote about how I had been struggling this past year somewhat, but that does not mean that I don't love being at school and am not devastated that this year is cut short. There were so many things to look forward to — Moms Weekend, date events, and more — all gone. As much as I complain about it, at the end of the day, I do love living in my sorority house and already miss being a short walk down the hall from all my friends (even though technically I am on spring break and would be home right now regardless).
After writing this, I just learned of the news that my Birthright Israel trip scheduled for May is now canceled, and I am truly crushed. I figured that it was far enough away that it would maybe end up happening, but that is unfortunately not the case. This really hit home for me and made me realize just how big of a deal this whole thing is. I am now terrified for every other thing in the future, especially camp this summer (which if you know my family this is a huge concern of ours).
I also feel so terribly bad for the seniors, both high school and college.
I loved my senior year of high school and can't believe that so many of my most favorite memories — spring break, prom, graduation — all probably doomed. And of course for college seniors, I can only imagine the pain that they feel right now, knowing they aren't going to properly say goodbye to their alma mater and the best four years of your life.
I completely understand that there are so many people who have it worse than any of these problems, but it does not excuse anyone's right to be upset.
When I was back at school a couple of days ago, I didn't really understand the scope of how serious things were. We were all first told that online classes were a thing, and I kind of blew it over, with the intention of taking advantage of being able to see all of my home and college friends, as that time is now so much rarer these days. I thought about how fun it would be to get to collaborate on schoolwork, go out to all our favorite restaurants, and just take advantage of our time together.
But coming home gave me a huge wake-up call.
After seeing how my family was reacting, trying to stay up to date with news (which I have to admit I'm usually bad at in my college bubble), and of course witnessing the panic myself while out at the grocery store, I felt the seriousness of this.
I'm not normally the type of person to have strong feelings on matters like this. And when I do, I normally stay quiet about it because I don't want to cause a scene. But in this instance, I feel as though my voice needs to be heard, and I feel as though I have the perfect platform to do so.
To be honest with you, I feel like a lot of people my age are not taking this whole social distancing thing seriously. In fact, I think it's kind of become a joke at this point. This past weekend my Snapchat stories were filled with so many people out at the bars celebrating St Patrick's Day side-by-side with strangers, on vacation to lord knows where, or even just out to dinner in large gatherings with friends. Like people are mocking the concept, going out and captioning the picture "rebels" or standing really close to someone and captioning it "social distancing." And meanwhile, I am sitting at home, staring at the wall, trying my best to take this quarantine seriously when of course, in reality, there are about a million other things I'd rather be doing.
It just doesn't seem like people understand the negative, or even deathly, consequences of their actions.
They don't get that while they may not show symptoms of this virus, that they could be carriers of it, and potentially carry it to someone who will show symptoms, and even die from it. They don't get that this is a trickle-down effect and that if just one person doesn't follow through, the effects can be detrimental. As if schools closing, restaurants restricting to take out or delivery only, the NBA and NCAA suspending their seasons, and DISNEY WORLD, AKA the happiest place on earth, shutting their doors doesn't hint enough to how serious this is.
I get it. I want to be hanging out with my friends too and it kills me that I have had to pass up dinners and hangouts with them already. I also agree that potentially putting things on hold and closing a lot of businesses is going to have a serious effect on our economy and it makes me nervous. But I also think it is what is necessary to maybe allow people to get the hint. I could never, in a million years, risk going out and potentially bringing this virus home, knowing I have a brother who's a type 1 diabetic — immunocompromised and more susceptible to getting this virus — than I am and potentially giving it to him. Or even just to think about how many people that have already lost their lives to this virus, and the unfortunate probability that there are going to be many more. But the sooner that we take this seriously, the sooner things can go back to normal.
And let me tell you, if I have to be stuck in my house for any longer, I am going to go insane.
And it could seriously be so much worse. If all I have to do to help a make a positive impact on the world is sit on my couch and watch Netflix for the next few weeks, then I think I can do it. And I think you can too.
This isn't just another sickness, this is a global pandemic. Across the world, there are so many people who have died from this illness, and the number is continuing to rise. And we're next, especially if we don't put these policies into place ASAP, and more importantly, if we don't follow through.
If you are needing more than my convincing to tell you to practice these social distancing tactics, please take five minutes of your precious time (which I assume that you have) to these two articles on two, VERY important lessons:
1. In scientific terms how quickly this virus can spread and affect people
You may not agree with what I have to say or think that I am being too harsh. Maybe my intentions are selfish because I want to try to resume my life normally as soon as possible, but I also know that we are all in the same boat. I am ready for this nightmare to be over, but it's not going to be over until everyone is onboard.
If you haven't gotten the message yet then maybe I should say it louder for the people in the back: STAY THE F*** HOME.
Stop putting your lives, other people's lives, and the future of our world at risk. You think you're above it, but you are simply not. And if you don't learn that soon, get ready for a big taste of reality coming soon.
