EDITORIAL

Year of COVID-19 pandemic created new normal; end in sight with vaccine roll out

The pandemic in America is hitting its one year mark and it is only natural that we have adjusted in a variety of ways and even created some new traditions to replace the old for now. All of these new traditions that have been adopted have really had one thing in common: keeping people safe. A more relevant example of this is the senior celebration being held on the football field in place of prom. This is not an event made to cancel the fun and social aspect of prom for students, but to create a new way of celebrating while maintaining safety in the process. We have been doing this sort of thing for a year and we have gotten used to the fact that we have to adapt certain traditions to meet the needs of our era. For good or for bad, that idea has been normalized. These new pandemic traditions do not stop at just school events. People at home are also coming up with new ways to do things safer. For instance, people are playing board games over Zoom calls and family and friend game nights are done over Zoom and FaceTime.

These simple gatherings that can’t really be conducted as safely anymore are in turn being changed to match the standards of modern life in the pandemic. We don’t need to cancel events entirely if we don’t have to. We can simply alter them to the best of our ability to make them safer. In some instances they can be entirely safe with no risks such as the events that have turned digital.

Another recent example of this are the digital Golden Globes. This is an event that could not have happened in normal circumstances without becoming a digital presentation and event. While people would just watch these events on television anyways, it sets a precedent for all the events that have rightfully been changed to meet the standards of living in a pandemic.

At the end of the day, that is all it really comes down to. We have to make sure everyone is safe while continuing to live our lives. This doesn’t mean we need to abandon any old ways of doing things; it just means we need to change the way we do things for now and we would say we have done a good job so far.

As vaccines are slowly being rolled out, it seems that the end appears to be in sight for COVID-19 restrictions. However, until that day comes, we will continue to have to make do with what we have.

GRAPHIC BY HAYDEN COLES

SPEAKUP Even though COVID-19 protocols have affected past ways of doing things, what event are you most thankful for having, even if it might be different? Why?

Emily Brooks freshman “I am thankful that the school dance season continued and we were able to participate in state.”

Charles Minard sophomore “I’m thankful that we are still able to have band concerts, because I enjoy sharing the music I worked hard on for others.”

Diane Kosior junior “I liked that we were still able to have football games because it gave us a sense of normalcy on Friday nights.”

Justin Reichelt senior “I am thankful for graduation because I have worked all my life and it would be sad if it was taken away from me.”