COVID alters spring break plans two years in a row

By: Abby Wallace and Alyssa Fleming

Spring break is usually a time for students and staff to get away from their lives and have fun for a while but for the second year in a row, Covid-19 has caused people’s plans to change.

On March 12, 2020 school districts across the country announced that they would be closing schools a day early for spring break, and advised people to bring home everything. Students were thrilled and ready to begin their week of fun. However, it wasn’t the type of fun they had imagined. Flights were being canceled, which kept people at home. College visits were canceled so students were left in question about their future. Then that one week off turned into a six-month “vacation.” It wasn’t really a vacation though because a nationwide quarantine occurred. Businesses closed and everyday essentials went out of stock [like toilet paper]. Chaos and panic broke out worldwide and people began wondering, when will it end?

It’s been one year since the pandemic started and we are in a place that is almost the same as last year. Schools have been reopening

part-time in many districts across the country and a vaccine has been made. Masks are still state-mandated, but this year people can travel. Flights have been a lot cheaper than normal which has caused people to want to travel more. This could be a bad thing though. Generally, when people travel they want to escape their lives and relax. With that being said, the amount of exposure might go up due to the fact people like traveling with friends and when they do that, wearing a mask isn’t important to them. Wearing a mask is a big part of keeping exposure rates down and a way to keep people safe. As soon as people get careless and decide that they don’t need them is when the world goes back to where it began.

Everyone is tired of the pandemic. Everyone is ready to get back to their regular lives, but that doesn’t mean everyone can stop doing the things that have been keeping people safe. Masks are still important, washing your hands when you can, and social distancing yourself from others. It may seem tedious and not a big deal anymore, but covid cases are still rising, people are still dying, and others aren’t able

Despite that mask wearing has been proven effective to stop the spread of COVID, many people still believe it won’t help.People who decide to go out without a mask need to understand, the pandemic is still happening and people are dying. Covid isn’t a joke and if anyone wants a normal spring break back, they have to follow the rules. It’s not fair to college students who can’t come see their families, high school students who can’t go anywhere, and adults who need to get away for a while.

The only way to ensure the world keeps moving forward from the pandemic is to follow CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines. Wear a mask, socially distance yourself at least six feet from others, spend time with people in small groups, and get tested before and after you go on a trip. It’s important to respect these rules especially if you travel during this time because the sooner people start to follow the rules, the sooner this pandemic will end.

That’s the goal for everyone, to end the pandemic and live a semi normal life again. It’s important to everyone to get their lives back. People have missed out on so much in the last year and it’s only fair to them to follow the rules. It matters to the class of 2020, because they missed out on the ending of their senior year, Class of 2021, because their entire senior year has been taken from them, everyone who can’t see their families, and everyone who is missing out on their lives.

Missing out on

those important moments can cause severe mental illness. This past year made a major increase on mental health. Depression, anxiety, and insomnia has hurt people all over the world for the past year.

Spring break is a time to get away and have fun but with today’s circumstances, the main focus is to end this pandemic so everyone can get back to their normal lives. The only way to do that is to follow the rules, keep up on health concerns, and ensure everyone is doing what they can to keep others and themselves safe.

Kids want to go back to school normally, see their friends, and have a normal teenage life. Adults want to see their kids happy and having fun again. It’s only fair to do what the CDC asks people to do and respect the rules from buisnesses to keep people safe.