For the past few weeks, most of the world has been forced to stay in their homes, isolated from society as a pandemic lurks in our streets. It was only supposed to last about two weeks, but now has been extended to at least over a month. Fear has been brought in the lives of many in this time of uncertainty, as the case numbers keep rising.

As a result of this scenario, a lot of anxiety has been put on people. Hard working people have lost their jobs since the economy is dramatically falling. Friends are praying for each other as they have been infected, and public areas from Disneyland to schools have closed down.

On Friday, March 13, one unusual day to say in the least, tension filled the air as people were anticipating the inevitable. Hours later when the school closures were announced, people were frantically driving to pick up their kids. Unfortunately for some, their panic and consuming thoughts of the virus caused them to get in car accidents.

From that day forward, new information of the pandemic has been coming by the hour, often depicting negative outcomes the coronavirus has had on areas. This is most certainly not a normal situation for people in the world, as the last time something remotely happened like this was during the 1918 Spanish flu, and our technology since then has supposedly been more advanced in order to take on situations like this.

 For teens, the school closures have brought unneeded stress to students. They have been doing online school to make up for lost time in class, and though it has been effective, there have been some complaints about how much time they are having to complete assignments. Elaine Thio (9) agrees with this, saying, “The teachers have been giving us a reasonable amount of work, though sometimes I feel rushed in completing the assignments.” Addressing the issue regarding the state of confusion students must be in right now, both the governor of California and President Trump declared that students will not have state testing this year. This gives kids more freedom instead of hours at a time in one classroom. 

For people that may be emotionally attached to others such as friends or relatives, it may be an even harder time for them.  As of Sunday, March 29, Trump has extended our social distancing order until April 30. This forces us to stay in our homes for longer, staying away from normal social activities around the world. As well as this, it has the potential to make people less social, and to render people inept in the art of socializing.

There also is the issue revolving around when students go back.  Since there is constant news being delivered reporting the speed at which the virus is spreading, and that it could potentially be seasonal like our flu, it may cause many to overreact and be afraid of touching or being near anyone. This could cause them to be germaphobic, increasing their anxiety levels and making it difficult to regularly navigate the world again after being at home for such a long time. 

However the virus ends up in the next few months, it will for sure be awhile before people feel safe again. Constant worries of the unknown, people’s lives in danger, and last minute changes have put the world in a catastrophe. Because of this, our ideas regarding illnesses may never be the same for a while, if ever.