by Adriana Bragg, 04/09/2020, Traverse City, Mi

Middle School 6-8 Category

2020 will be the year that everyone remembers for decades or indefinitely to come. There have been things that have caused a pandemic around the world before, but this is different. Things are changing, and fast. The highly contagious virus, COVID-19, has been affecting millions, and cures seem to be taking longer than expected. How do we know this will pass?
As time passes by, people have been staying home, hopefully doing what they can to stay safe or stay healthy or keep busy or stay informed. My family and I have been doing the same; staying home, and cleaning everything. Every morning when we turn on the television it is always about this situation and never anything else. Television seems to be one of the main items and ‘activities’ people are using/doing. Many television apps and sponsors appear to be giving free trials and more deals for people staying at home.
Schooling. That was always going to be questionable, thankfully this is the 21st century and people can communicate via technology and continue to be engaged in their education. In the beginning, people thought that this would be their way out of school, but their joy was quickly taken away when they learned that they were going to continue with schoolwork.
Gatherings and celebrations have been changing since the beginning of this pandemic. We have also noticed how it seems as though everything has suddenly just stopped, which it has. Everything from sports events to concerts has been canceled or postponed, there are no longer any meet and greets for celebrities and The Olympics have also been postponed. Just a few weeks before things got serious I had been hanging with some of my friends, and we are now very glad that we did before we were no longer allowed.
A few weeks later, the governors and mayors of several states have recommended for people to go/play outside, go for a walk, go on hikes, or at least receive fresh air every other day. My family and I had gone out to walk by the bay for a little while and we were caught by surprise when we found some of our other friends doing the same, of course we kept our distance, and they were walking in the opposite direction, but it was nice seeing them after a long period of time.
Some people, in the beginning thought the warmer weather would help, but now scientists have concluded how that is not the case. I also think it will return in the fall when students and staff return to school, and other workers return to their offices etc. Hopefully from now until they find a cure, people will stay home, stay safe, and be respectful of people around them. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but there are people’s lives at risk and the way it is affecting everyone is not like other tragic times.