How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you, your family and your community?
It has been four years since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The New York Times writes of the anniversary:
Four years ago today, society began to shut down.
Shortly after noon Eastern on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared Covid — or “the coronavirus,” then the more popular term — to be a global pandemic. Stocks plummeted in the afternoon. In the span of a single hour that night, President Donald Trump delivered an Oval Office address about Covid, Tom Hanks posted on Instagram that he had the virus and the N.B.A. announced it had canceled the rest of its season.
It was a Wednesday, and thousands of schools would shut by the end of the week. Workplaces closed, too. People washed their hands frequently and touched elbows instead of shaking hands (although the C.D.C. continued to discourage widespread mask wearing for several more weeks).
The worst pandemic in a century had begun.
For some people, the earliest days of the pandemic may feel like a lifetime ago; for others, it may feel like just yesterday. But for all of us Covid has indelibly changed our lives and the world. What do you remember about the earliest days of the pandemic? When did it first hit home for you? How did it affect you, your family and your community? What lessons did you learn about yourself and the world?
In “Four Years On, Covid Has Reshaped Life for Many Americans,” Julie Bosman writes that while the threat of severe illness and death has faded for many people, the pandemic’s effects still linger:
Jessie Thompson, a 36-year-old mother of two in Chicago, is reminded of the Covid-19 pandemic every day.
Sometimes it happens when she picks up her children from day care and then lets them romp around at a neighborhood park on the way home. Other times, it’s when she gets out the shower at 7 a.m. after a weekday workout.
“I always think: In my past life, I’d have to be on the train in 15 minutes,” said Ms. Thompson, a manager at United Airlines.
A hybrid work schedule has replaced her daily commute to the company headquarters in downtown Chicago, giving Ms. Thompson more time with her children and a deeper connection to her neighbors. “The pandemic is such a negative memory,” she said. “But I have this bright spot of goodness from it.”
For much of the United States, the pandemic is now firmly in the past, four years to the day that the Trump administration declared a national emergency as the virus spread uncontrollably. But for many Americans, the pandemic’s effects are still a prominent part of their daily lives.
In interviews, some people said that the changes are subtle but unmistakable: Their world feels a little smaller, with less socializing and fewer crowds. Parents who began to home-school their children never stopped. Many people are continuing to mourn relatives and spouses who died of Covid or of complications from the coronavirus.
The World Health Organization dropped its global health emergency designation in May 2023, but millions of people who survived the virus are suffering from long Covid, a mysterious and frequently debilitating condition that causes fatigue, muscle pain and cognitive decline.
One common sentiment has emerged. The changes brought on by the pandemic now feel lasting, a shift that may have permanently reshaped American life. As part of our coverage of the pandemic’s anniversary, The Times asked readers how Covid has changed their attitudes toward life. Here is what they said: “I’m a much more grateful person because of the pandemic. Life is precious, and I see the beauty in all the little miracles that happen all around me. I’m a humbled human being now. I have more empathy and compassion towards everyone.” — Gil Gallegos, 59, Las Vegas, N.M. “The pandemic has completely changed my approach to educating my child. My spouse and I had never seriously considered home-schooling until March 2020. Now, we wouldn’t have it any other way.” — Kim Harper, 47, Clinton, Md.
“I had contamination O.C.D. before the pandemic began. The last four years have been a steady string of my worst fears coming true. I never feel safe anymore. I know very well now that my body can betray me at any time.” — Adelia Brown, 23, Madison, Wis.
“I don’t take for granted the pleasure of being around people. Going to a show, a road trip, a restaurant, people watching at the opera. I love it.” — Philip Gunnels, 66, Sugar Land, Texas
“My remaining years are limited. On the one hand, I feel cheated out of many experiences I was looking forward to; on the other hand, I do not want to live my remaining years with long Covid. It’s hard.” — Sandra Wulach, 77, Edison, N.J.
My students, read one or both of the articles and then tell me:
How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you, your family and your community? How did it reshape your life and the world? What are your most lasting memories of this difficult period? What do you want to remember most? What do you want to forget?
How did you change during this time? What did you learn about yourself and about life? What do you wish you knew then that you know now?
Ms. Bosman writes that some of the people she interviewed revealed that four years after the global pandemic began, “Their world feels a little smaller, with less socializing and fewer crowds.” However, Gil Gallegos told The Times: “I’m a much more grateful person. Life is precious, and I see the beauty in all the little miracles that happen all around me. I’m a humbled human being now. I have more empathy and compassion towards everyone.” Which of the experiences shared in the two articles reminded you the most of your own during and after the pandemic and why? How did Covid change your overall outlook on life? “The last normal day of school.” “The nursing home shut its doors.” “The bride wore Lululemon.” These are just a few quotes from “When the Pandemic Hit Home,” an article in which The Times asked readers to share their memories of the world shutting down. Read the article and then tell us about a time when the pandemic hit home for you.
In the last four years, scientists have unraveled some of the biggest mysteries about Covid. In another article, The Times explores many remaining questions about the coronavirus: Are superdodgers real? Is Covid seasonal? And what’s behind its strangest symptoms? Read the article and then tell us what questions you still have about the virus and its effects. How do you think history books will tell the story of the pandemic? If you were to put together a time capsule of artifacts from this era to show people 100 years from now, what would you include and why? What will you tell your grandchildren about what it was like to live during this time?
Here's my two cents: When COVID-19 was first declared a pandemic, I was nearing the end of my 8th-grade year. This moment was a checkpoint for a lot of things. One after another, everything began to change. In-person schooling became daily Zoom calls. Lunch with my friends meant sitting six feet away from each other. Most important of all, my 8th grade graduation became virtual. Looking back at it now, it is hard to believe how fast time has passed and how much has happened. Like Ms. Thompson, I also think I have a “bright spot of goodness from [the pandemic].” Even though options were limited, my friends and family made the best of it. Whenever it was one of my friend’s birthdays, we all gathered together at their house to celebrate. Even if we were six feet apart, the mere presence of each other helped us forget about the world around us. Since my birthday was in April, I had to suddenly make changes to any birthday plans I may have had. To compensate for this, my family celebrated it at home. Now that it has been four years, things have started to return to normal. Even if anyone close to me tested positive for COVID, the severity was not the same as it was years ago. Although the pandemic had more negative effects than positive, it taught me many lessons. I have now worked to approach my everyday life being more appreciative of everything. Whenever I chat with my friends, exchange a high five, or walk around, I get reminded of the time when we could not do them. During the time of the pandemic, I learned a lot about myself and who I was. I had a hard time initially because of the changes in everything, which ultimately affected my life in many different ways. I was so affected because I couldn't go to the gym and workout or play basketball. This was a big issue for me. Basketball is something I love and enjoy doing, so for it to be taken away at that time I felt as if I didn't have anything. But the period wasn't all that bad as I started to play my video game again with my friends. Having the game and my friends took the stress off having to worry about if the gym was gonna open or if the planks would be taken off the rims. I started to integrate the time for basketball into the time for gaming by making sure after every game I was doing a workout like pushups or situps, just a little something to keep me fit. From doing this I started to have a balanced schedule of working out and gaming with friends.Now that COVID-19 is about 3-4 years old, I think of it as a time when I made something out of nothing. As I sit here and I'm reading this article, answering this question, there is something that I relate to that goes, "For some people, the earliest days of the pandemic may feel like a lifetime ago; for others, it may feel like just yesterday." When the pandemic first hit, I was only in seventh grade, which feels like an eternity to me today. Middle school had already been difficult for me, but having to completely distance myself from any social interaction at all had a heavy impact on me. As the article points out, "Covid has had an indelible impact on everyone." This was certainly true for me and everyone else I knew - I knew people who lost family members to the virus, and although I was fortunate enough not to experience the same thing, I witnessed firsthand the sadness and grief it caused. Mixed with the complete isolation, it was an incredibly hard time. During that span, I developed some unhealthy habits, such as not leaving my house for an entire month around November 2020. It has been very hard for me to move forward from Covid. I mean, my education was stunted, my social circle completely destroyed, along with everyone elses. I feel like, personally, I have done the absolute best I could at trying to move past those times and become a different and better person. It definetly still impacts me in some ways but I think I have completely recovered mentally and physically.
Covid 19 affected me a lot in a mental capacity. when someone is left in a room alone with little to do they tend to go insane. COVID-19 was exactly that; staying inside all day without much to do and alone with myself. first I grew bored and just played video games a lot. Surprisingly, the many different games I played spending the whole day inside lasted me almost a year. It wasn't until then that I began to grow more and more exhausted on account of myself, and constantly looked for uses of my seemingly endless time at home. This grew into depression, something I wouldn't want anyone to go through. I questioned too much and thought very little of myself. I hated who I was and didn't see a future, or care what happened. It took months to come to terms with myself, and even though I never told my parents, I was able to find joy in different parts of life. Covid made me realize that video games while fun-I still play them-are never a good use of your time. "I feel cheated out of my experiences," says 77-year-old Sandra Wulach, while I am much younger I feel the same. Once I realized and saw what I was spending my time on, I wanted to change for the better. I began to become more physically active and started back up with soccer something I gave up on during Covid. COVID helped me to see what life should be about, Enjoyment. COVID-19 was hitting my family hard. My sister got long COVID, and I never got it during 2019-2023. I was more scared than ever because my little sister was always sick. Everyone in my family got it except me and my father. When my sister got COVID-19, it was terrible. She slept in the living room. Even during the summer, I had to wear a mask outside camp. My parents stocked up on essentials like towels, toilet paper, and tests. Sometimes, I had to share a room with my infected sister whenever she got it. She was only around 4-5 when she got it the first time, and she constantly got sick after that. I turned crazy when I got back into physical school, and I wouldn't take off my mask. In 6th grade, I still wore masks occasionally, but my parents still had masks in their bags and purses, just in case anything happened. Over quarantine, I felt like I stopped paying attention. I would sit on the side, watch YouTube, and answer questions rarely. My parents have been doing virtual work ever since quarantine. When I had to interview to get into middle school, my wifi cut out. Getting back on wasn't very comfortable, and they thought I was fearless. When it cut out, I started crying because I thought it ruined my chances to get in. I am currently in that school, and I am writing this response. COVID-19 changed my life, and I will forever stand by that.
Covid-19 affected me because while we were in covid my social life deplete a lot and I gained weight. I used to be so social and when I say social I mean going out everyday texting and calling my friends everyday. In this period of my life I remember doing school online on my computer and my mom was teaching right next to me and I went to answer a question my mom yelled at her kids and my whole class heard. I want to forget when I got covid because it was a horrible experience. I don’t think that covid is a seasonal thing because when I got sick with covid I got it in the summertime and it was not fun because I missed so much soccer and I had to stay in bed for so long. I think that if someone from the future finds a book about covid and they read it and think of how bad of a time this is or think that this was a great time they would be very wrong because when you got covid it was so bad and if they think of staying home for school must have been the best they were so wrong because there were so many problems with lets say your google meet wasn’t working or zoom wasn’t working. I would just tell them that this was not a fun time at all and they are very lucky.
I remember the day that school stopped for Covid very vividly. I was nine years old, and it was a Friday morning. We were supposed to dress up as our favorite book characters that day. I was all ready to go downstairs for breakfast in my Hermione Granger costume, and then my dad came into my room and told me that there was no school. I remember being somewhat upset to miss going to school dressed up, but I wasn’t too bothered. Little did I know, that Thursday had been the last time I would ever go to that school again. One day turned into two weeks. Two weeks turned into two months. Two months turned into the rest of the school year. Virtual school started after those first two weeks. I had a lot more free time, but pretty quickly I missed going to school in person. I missed my friends. We could FaceTime, but not much else. For the majority of the next summer, I was sure that I would go back to school in the fall. In August, I found out that we were continuing virtual school, and I was devastated. There was one improvement, though. I was in a pod with my friend, and we got to go to each other’s houses some days for school. For the rest of fourth grade, I kept hoping that we would go back to school, but I didn’t. I started middle school the next year. I wish I could remember that Thursday before everything changed. It had seemed like a normal day at the time, but it was far from that.
I think Covid years were crazy for all of us. My birthday is just before March 13th, and I had a birthday party right before everything shut down. Schools closed and everyone said things would go back to normal in two weeks. I think we all know it lasted longer than that. I remember talking to a friend and saying that I hoped things would go back to normal soon. She said that things probably wouldn’t end soon and that it might be a couple more months. I told her that we’ll never know how long it will take, I said it might take two years or twenty years. We had virtual school and everyone in my school missed the PSSA’s (standardized state tests) that year. I would go outside to the park regularly, but I couldn’t hang out with anyone. I was separated from the world, like most other people during covid. My mom and I had plans to go to California, but we still haven’t gone. I sometimes wonder what life would be like if we never had the Covid-19 pandemic. We wouldn’t have lost loved ones and we wouldn’t be separated from the world, but we also wouldn’t be as appreciative now. I think that we take a lot of things for granted and Covid times helped us understand that not everything lasts forever and to appreciate what you have.
The Covid-19 pandemic set off lots of panic in the world. All you would hear is 100 more people in the hospital, 50 more dead, 200 dead, 10 more sick, this just kept going on and on. It was scary hearing this. Schools were shut down and students went to online school. Trying to stay focused and actually do the work wasn’t easy at all. I will admit I cheated a lot on my homework, because I didn’t have the motivation to actually do the work. My family overall wasn’t too worried about this whole situation, although in April of 2020 my step mom had a baby so we had to be careful with her little immune system. I was still allowed to go hangout with friends and have friends over. But when someone didn’t feel good we would have to test just to make sure they didn’t have Covid. Masks were required everywhere and these were just so annoying to wear, they also limited how many people could be in a store at once, this made going anywhere a pain because you most likely had to wait. I can’t imagine the masks helped too much, unless you had on like 5 of them or just had a very expensive one shaped to your face. I know there’s lots of people that loved the experience of us teens riding to each other's houses, just enjoying the outside weather. But I also know many people like me just about lost their mind because I didn’t have many people that lived close to me and I was still pretty young to ride around on the roads, so I was stuck inside most of the time.
Since covid, I have been changed. It all started when covid hit, and every single person in America went berserk because we had to quarantine. But because of the quarantine, everyone bought toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and hand sanitizer. I vividly remember a moment when my mom bought 15 bottles of normal-size Purell hand sanitizer. Even worse, I thought she lost it when she told me to carry the bottle with me wherever I went! Another time, was when she bought toilet paper in bulk. However, that toilet paper soon diminished, and I had to conserve the toilet paper. That taught me not to overuse anything even though it may be tempting. If I had to say one thing though, I am so thankful for my mom. If she had not been there buying toilet paper for me, I would have had to wipe my cheeks with leaves.
As an extreme introvert Covid had some perks, I like being inside and by myself but the complete lack of any social life did have its effects. If Covid never occurred I truly think I would be a different person. I am fortunate to not have lost anyone to Covid but I did lose contact with a lot of people. The forced isolation had its effects on me mentally more than anything else. I struggled with depression and spent most of my time on my
Four years ago today, society began to shut down.
Shortly after noon Eastern on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared Covid — or “the coronavirus,” then the more popular term — to be a global pandemic. Stocks plummeted in the afternoon. In the span of a single hour that night, President Donald Trump delivered an Oval Office address about Covid, Tom Hanks posted on Instagram that he had the virus and the N.B.A. announced it had canceled the rest of its season.
It was a Wednesday, and thousands of schools would shut by the end of the week. Workplaces closed, too. People washed their hands frequently and touched elbows instead of shaking hands (although the C.D.C. continued to discourage widespread mask wearing for several more weeks).
The worst pandemic in a century had begun.
For some people, the earliest days of the pandemic may feel like a lifetime ago; for others, it may feel like just yesterday. But for all of us Covid has indelibly changed our lives and the world. What do you remember about the earliest days of the pandemic? When did it first hit home for you? How did it affect you, your family and your community? What lessons did you learn about yourself and the world?
In “Four Years On, Covid Has Reshaped Life for Many Americans,” Julie Bosman writes that while the threat of severe illness and death has faded for many people, the pandemic’s effects still linger:
Jessie Thompson, a 36-year-old mother of two in Chicago, is reminded of the Covid-19 pandemic every day.
Sometimes it happens when she picks up her children from day care and then lets them romp around at a neighborhood park on the way home. Other times, it’s when she gets out the shower at 7 a.m. after a weekday workout.
“I always think: In my past life, I’d have to be on the train in 15 minutes,” said Ms. Thompson, a manager at United Airlines.
A hybrid work schedule has replaced her daily commute to the company headquarters in downtown Chicago, giving Ms. Thompson more time with her children and a deeper connection to her neighbors. “The pandemic is such a negative memory,” she said. “But I have this bright spot of goodness from it.”
For much of the United States, the pandemic is now firmly in the past, four years to the day that the Trump administration declared a national emergency as the virus spread uncontrollably. But for many Americans, the pandemic’s effects are still a prominent part of their daily lives.
In interviews, some people said that the changes are subtle but unmistakable: Their world feels a little smaller, with less socializing and fewer crowds. Parents who began to home-school their children never stopped. Many people are continuing to mourn relatives and spouses who died of Covid or of complications from the coronavirus.
The World Health Organization dropped its global health emergency designation in May 2023, but millions of people who survived the virus are suffering from long Covid, a mysterious and frequently debilitating condition that causes fatigue, muscle pain and cognitive decline.
One common sentiment has emerged. The changes brought on by the pandemic now feel lasting, a shift that may have permanently reshaped American life. As part of our coverage of the pandemic’s anniversary, The Times asked readers how Covid has changed their attitudes toward life. Here is what they said: “I’m a much more grateful person because of the pandemic. Life is precious, and I see the beauty in all the little miracles that happen all around me. I’m a humbled human being now. I have more empathy and compassion towards everyone.” — Gil Gallegos, 59, Las Vegas, N.M. “The pandemic has completely changed my approach to educating my child. My spouse and I had never seriously considered home-schooling until March 2020. Now, we wouldn’t have it any other way.” — Kim Harper, 47, Clinton, Md.
“I had contamination O.C.D. before the pandemic began. The last four years have been a steady string of my worst fears coming true. I never feel safe anymore. I know very well now that my body can betray me at any time.” — Adelia Brown, 23, Madison, Wis.
“I don’t take for granted the pleasure of being around people. Going to a show, a road trip, a restaurant, people watching at the opera. I love it.” — Philip Gunnels, 66, Sugar Land, Texas
“My remaining years are limited. On the one hand, I feel cheated out of many experiences I was looking forward to; on the other hand, I do not want to live my remaining years with long Covid. It’s hard.” — Sandra Wulach, 77, Edison, N.J.
My students, read one or both of the articles and then tell me:
How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect you, your family and your community? How did it reshape your life and the world? What are your most lasting memories of this difficult period? What do you want to remember most? What do you want to forget?
How did you change during this time? What did you learn about yourself and about life? What do you wish you knew then that you know now?
Ms. Bosman writes that some of the people she interviewed revealed that four years after the global pandemic began, “Their world feels a little smaller, with less socializing and fewer crowds.” However, Gil Gallegos told The Times: “I’m a much more grateful person. Life is precious, and I see the beauty in all the little miracles that happen all around me. I’m a humbled human being now. I have more empathy and compassion towards everyone.” Which of the experiences shared in the two articles reminded you the most of your own during and after the pandemic and why? How did Covid change your overall outlook on life? “The last normal day of school.” “The nursing home shut its doors.” “The bride wore Lululemon.” These are just a few quotes from “When the Pandemic Hit Home,” an article in which The Times asked readers to share their memories of the world shutting down. Read the article and then tell us about a time when the pandemic hit home for you.
In the last four years, scientists have unraveled some of the biggest mysteries about Covid. In another article, The Times explores many remaining questions about the coronavirus: Are superdodgers real? Is Covid seasonal? And what’s behind its strangest symptoms? Read the article and then tell us what questions you still have about the virus and its effects. How do you think history books will tell the story of the pandemic? If you were to put together a time capsule of artifacts from this era to show people 100 years from now, what would you include and why? What will you tell your grandchildren about what it was like to live during this time?
Here's my two cents: When COVID-19 was first declared a pandemic, I was nearing the end of my 8th-grade year. This moment was a checkpoint for a lot of things. One after another, everything began to change. In-person schooling became daily Zoom calls. Lunch with my friends meant sitting six feet away from each other. Most important of all, my 8th grade graduation became virtual. Looking back at it now, it is hard to believe how fast time has passed and how much has happened. Like Ms. Thompson, I also think I have a “bright spot of goodness from [the pandemic].” Even though options were limited, my friends and family made the best of it. Whenever it was one of my friend’s birthdays, we all gathered together at their house to celebrate. Even if we were six feet apart, the mere presence of each other helped us forget about the world around us. Since my birthday was in April, I had to suddenly make changes to any birthday plans I may have had. To compensate for this, my family celebrated it at home. Now that it has been four years, things have started to return to normal. Even if anyone close to me tested positive for COVID, the severity was not the same as it was years ago. Although the pandemic had more negative effects than positive, it taught me many lessons. I have now worked to approach my everyday life being more appreciative of everything. Whenever I chat with my friends, exchange a high five, or walk around, I get reminded of the time when we could not do them. During the time of the pandemic, I learned a lot about myself and who I was. I had a hard time initially because of the changes in everything, which ultimately affected my life in many different ways. I was so affected because I couldn't go to the gym and workout or play basketball. This was a big issue for me. Basketball is something I love and enjoy doing, so for it to be taken away at that time I felt as if I didn't have anything. But the period wasn't all that bad as I started to play my video game again with my friends. Having the game and my friends took the stress off having to worry about if the gym was gonna open or if the planks would be taken off the rims. I started to integrate the time for basketball into the time for gaming by making sure after every game I was doing a workout like pushups or situps, just a little something to keep me fit. From doing this I started to have a balanced schedule of working out and gaming with friends.Now that COVID-19 is about 3-4 years old, I think of it as a time when I made something out of nothing. As I sit here and I'm reading this article, answering this question, there is something that I relate to that goes, "For some people, the earliest days of the pandemic may feel like a lifetime ago; for others, it may feel like just yesterday." When the pandemic first hit, I was only in seventh grade, which feels like an eternity to me today. Middle school had already been difficult for me, but having to completely distance myself from any social interaction at all had a heavy impact on me. As the article points out, "Covid has had an indelible impact on everyone." This was certainly true for me and everyone else I knew - I knew people who lost family members to the virus, and although I was fortunate enough not to experience the same thing, I witnessed firsthand the sadness and grief it caused. Mixed with the complete isolation, it was an incredibly hard time. During that span, I developed some unhealthy habits, such as not leaving my house for an entire month around November 2020. It has been very hard for me to move forward from Covid. I mean, my education was stunted, my social circle completely destroyed, along with everyone elses. I feel like, personally, I have done the absolute best I could at trying to move past those times and become a different and better person. It definetly still impacts me in some ways but I think I have completely recovered mentally and physically.
Covid 19 affected me a lot in a mental capacity. when someone is left in a room alone with little to do they tend to go insane. COVID-19 was exactly that; staying inside all day without much to do and alone with myself. first I grew bored and just played video games a lot. Surprisingly, the many different games I played spending the whole day inside lasted me almost a year. It wasn't until then that I began to grow more and more exhausted on account of myself, and constantly looked for uses of my seemingly endless time at home. This grew into depression, something I wouldn't want anyone to go through. I questioned too much and thought very little of myself. I hated who I was and didn't see a future, or care what happened. It took months to come to terms with myself, and even though I never told my parents, I was able to find joy in different parts of life. Covid made me realize that video games while fun-I still play them-are never a good use of your time. "I feel cheated out of my experiences," says 77-year-old Sandra Wulach, while I am much younger I feel the same. Once I realized and saw what I was spending my time on, I wanted to change for the better. I began to become more physically active and started back up with soccer something I gave up on during Covid. COVID helped me to see what life should be about, Enjoyment. COVID-19 was hitting my family hard. My sister got long COVID, and I never got it during 2019-2023. I was more scared than ever because my little sister was always sick. Everyone in my family got it except me and my father. When my sister got COVID-19, it was terrible. She slept in the living room. Even during the summer, I had to wear a mask outside camp. My parents stocked up on essentials like towels, toilet paper, and tests. Sometimes, I had to share a room with my infected sister whenever she got it. She was only around 4-5 when she got it the first time, and she constantly got sick after that. I turned crazy when I got back into physical school, and I wouldn't take off my mask. In 6th grade, I still wore masks occasionally, but my parents still had masks in their bags and purses, just in case anything happened. Over quarantine, I felt like I stopped paying attention. I would sit on the side, watch YouTube, and answer questions rarely. My parents have been doing virtual work ever since quarantine. When I had to interview to get into middle school, my wifi cut out. Getting back on wasn't very comfortable, and they thought I was fearless. When it cut out, I started crying because I thought it ruined my chances to get in. I am currently in that school, and I am writing this response. COVID-19 changed my life, and I will forever stand by that.
Covid-19 affected me because while we were in covid my social life deplete a lot and I gained weight. I used to be so social and when I say social I mean going out everyday texting and calling my friends everyday. In this period of my life I remember doing school online on my computer and my mom was teaching right next to me and I went to answer a question my mom yelled at her kids and my whole class heard. I want to forget when I got covid because it was a horrible experience. I don’t think that covid is a seasonal thing because when I got sick with covid I got it in the summertime and it was not fun because I missed so much soccer and I had to stay in bed for so long. I think that if someone from the future finds a book about covid and they read it and think of how bad of a time this is or think that this was a great time they would be very wrong because when you got covid it was so bad and if they think of staying home for school must have been the best they were so wrong because there were so many problems with lets say your google meet wasn’t working or zoom wasn’t working. I would just tell them that this was not a fun time at all and they are very lucky.
I remember the day that school stopped for Covid very vividly. I was nine years old, and it was a Friday morning. We were supposed to dress up as our favorite book characters that day. I was all ready to go downstairs for breakfast in my Hermione Granger costume, and then my dad came into my room and told me that there was no school. I remember being somewhat upset to miss going to school dressed up, but I wasn’t too bothered. Little did I know, that Thursday had been the last time I would ever go to that school again. One day turned into two weeks. Two weeks turned into two months. Two months turned into the rest of the school year. Virtual school started after those first two weeks. I had a lot more free time, but pretty quickly I missed going to school in person. I missed my friends. We could FaceTime, but not much else. For the majority of the next summer, I was sure that I would go back to school in the fall. In August, I found out that we were continuing virtual school, and I was devastated. There was one improvement, though. I was in a pod with my friend, and we got to go to each other’s houses some days for school. For the rest of fourth grade, I kept hoping that we would go back to school, but I didn’t. I started middle school the next year. I wish I could remember that Thursday before everything changed. It had seemed like a normal day at the time, but it was far from that.
I think Covid years were crazy for all of us. My birthday is just before March 13th, and I had a birthday party right before everything shut down. Schools closed and everyone said things would go back to normal in two weeks. I think we all know it lasted longer than that. I remember talking to a friend and saying that I hoped things would go back to normal soon. She said that things probably wouldn’t end soon and that it might be a couple more months. I told her that we’ll never know how long it will take, I said it might take two years or twenty years. We had virtual school and everyone in my school missed the PSSA’s (standardized state tests) that year. I would go outside to the park regularly, but I couldn’t hang out with anyone. I was separated from the world, like most other people during covid. My mom and I had plans to go to California, but we still haven’t gone. I sometimes wonder what life would be like if we never had the Covid-19 pandemic. We wouldn’t have lost loved ones and we wouldn’t be separated from the world, but we also wouldn’t be as appreciative now. I think that we take a lot of things for granted and Covid times helped us understand that not everything lasts forever and to appreciate what you have.
The Covid-19 pandemic set off lots of panic in the world. All you would hear is 100 more people in the hospital, 50 more dead, 200 dead, 10 more sick, this just kept going on and on. It was scary hearing this. Schools were shut down and students went to online school. Trying to stay focused and actually do the work wasn’t easy at all. I will admit I cheated a lot on my homework, because I didn’t have the motivation to actually do the work. My family overall wasn’t too worried about this whole situation, although in April of 2020 my step mom had a baby so we had to be careful with her little immune system. I was still allowed to go hangout with friends and have friends over. But when someone didn’t feel good we would have to test just to make sure they didn’t have Covid. Masks were required everywhere and these were just so annoying to wear, they also limited how many people could be in a store at once, this made going anywhere a pain because you most likely had to wait. I can’t imagine the masks helped too much, unless you had on like 5 of them or just had a very expensive one shaped to your face. I know there’s lots of people that loved the experience of us teens riding to each other's houses, just enjoying the outside weather. But I also know many people like me just about lost their mind because I didn’t have many people that lived close to me and I was still pretty young to ride around on the roads, so I was stuck inside most of the time.
Since covid, I have been changed. It all started when covid hit, and every single person in America went berserk because we had to quarantine. But because of the quarantine, everyone bought toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and hand sanitizer. I vividly remember a moment when my mom bought 15 bottles of normal-size Purell hand sanitizer. Even worse, I thought she lost it when she told me to carry the bottle with me wherever I went! Another time, was when she bought toilet paper in bulk. However, that toilet paper soon diminished, and I had to conserve the toilet paper. That taught me not to overuse anything even though it may be tempting. If I had to say one thing though, I am so thankful for my mom. If she had not been there buying toilet paper for me, I would have had to wipe my cheeks with leaves.
As an extreme introvert Covid had some perks, I like being inside and by myself but the complete lack of any social life did have its effects. If Covid never occurred I truly think I would be a different person. I am fortunate to not have lost anyone to Covid but I did lose contact with a lot of people. The forced isolation had its effects on me mentally more than anything else. I struggled with depression and spent most of my time on my
