Lockdown requires participation due to severity of virus

Every day I wake up to my alarm playing as I open my eyes to the light from my window. But Friday, March 13, was different. I woke up to school being canceled due to coronavirus. Some may say that school closure was lucky, but the thought of school closing was extremely scary. It’s not new to say that coronavirus has led to events being canceled and ruined many opportunities in the school. Alternatives, music tour, ISSTs and other school events and trips have either been postponed or canceled. But now, with school in its entirety succumbing to the effects of the virus, we’ve hit a dangerous stage in the pandemic.

I don’t think constantly worrying about the situation is the solution to stopping the spread of the COVID-19, but we should not be taking the cancellation of school as a chance to invite over a bunch of friends to your house. We need to be taking this situation seriously.

The school has been closed for a reason: to stop the spread of the virus. This pandemic leads to many deaths, all caused by contact with those who are infected. We must take this time to limit the contact we have between people. Making sure you are indoors at all times and only physically contacting those in your household is extremely important if we want to be able to go outside again freely.

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Even if a young person shows minor symptoms, or none at all, they could end up passing it on to older, more vulnerable people. Treating this as the normal flu will result in many more deaths, infected people and even more work for sleep-deprived doctors and nurses.

According to the CDC, the virus can be transmitted to someone within six feet of an infected person. Coronavirus is very efficient in spreading, so avoiding contact with others is the safest way to go. Cutting physical contact is hard to do since we’re so used to being social and interacting with others every day.

Still, we must continue to practice social isolation to hopefully continue on with our daily lives sooner. The government has announced that people are allowed to go out once a day for exercise. It is crucial to not take advantage of that as it could lead to stricter rules and, more severely, more deaths.

Making sure that you self-isolate is crucial to help stop the spread of the virus. Also, according to the CDC, washing your hands is the best way to stop the spread of disease because you wash off germs and microbes.

I know that many of my friends aren’t scared of getting coronavirus, as it won’t affect them. And truthfully, it probably won’t end up directly affecting us. According to Worldometers, the death rate for people between 10 and 19 is about 0.02%.

It might seem like it isn’t a big deal. However, it is a big problem. Even if a young person shows minor symptoms, or none at all, they could end up passing it on to older, more vulnerable people. Treating this as the normal flu will result in many more deaths, infected people and even more work for sleep-deprived doctors and nurses.

We must also realize that the NHS is under a lot of stress. Hospitals are getting filled up, and there are very few beds for people with coronavirus. We need to try our hardest to avoid the disease and make sure we aren’t passing it on to others. Wearing gloves and face masks in case you may have contracted the disease is necessary when going outside (but only if you absolutely need to).

As a student, I understand the stress this pandemic is putting on us. We are all bored and sick of staying inside all day. Picking up a new hobby, listening to music and reading books are all things that can help cure your boredom. Using apps such as FaceTime and Houseparty can also connect you with your friends and family. It’s a terrible situation, but we must continue to make the best out of the situation and look at the positives.