Keeping the spirit of the season alive, online

TheCOVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and isolating for a lot of people, and the holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family.

However, the Los Angeles Times reports that there is an alarming pattern of rising COVID-19 cases.

A new record breaks almost every day and Gov. Gavin Newsom said Southern California is projecting to reach intensive care unit capacity by late December if cases continue to grow.

Los Angeles County reported Dec. 6 COVID-19 cases at more than 10,500, and while people in their

50s and older are at higher risk, the disease impacts people of all ages.

This holiday season, instead of traveling and meeting with people outside of their households, people should consider alternative ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep families, friends and communities safe and healthy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention create guidelines that people can follow to modify their holiday plans.

One tip is to avoid activities that are at higher risk and find alternatives.

For example, people can limit small gatherings to one household.

Another guideline is that people can still celebrate with their loved ones virtually. There are fun, unique ways, including secret Santa, Christmas costume contests and sharing a Christmas family tradition, as well as holding holiday themed virtual parties that can be a blast for everyone.

In the spirit of kindness and warmth that the holidays bring, everyone should be mindful of the choices they make and the impact they could have on others around them.

Students are also experiencing a wave of anxiety during Zoom classes, whether that is from being indoors so often or feeling like everyone is staring at them when their camera is on.

As education remains online next semester, many students are opting to travel for a few months and bring school with them.

Some students are also choosing to take a semester off, seeing as some fields like sports, medicine and science require hands on learning.

Many students do not have the luxury of good internet service or a quiet place to work from, which has made this past semester a challenge and next semester intimidating. Some simply cannot focus in an environment surrounded by temptation, such as phones and video games.

Quarantine has been a lonely time for college students whose days typically revolve around socializing and being with peers, but maybe this was the exact push they needed to pay their passions some attention.

When students do return to campus, they will have been gone roughly 18 months and will most likely see school in a brand new light.

On the bright side, college students are being given an extra semester to focus on personal hobbies and discover new talents. A number of students have begun producing music in recent months. Artists have also had the time to create paintings, which they may not have gotten to before.