As we all know, the coronavirus has led to many businesses, schools, events and activities to close. Governors, Donald Trump, and the government have made these calls to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect society. They also advise to stay six feet away from people at all times, to wear masks in public, and to practice social distancing. However, despite these regulations, some people continue to go out in groups and hang out. They disregard others well being. While they may not have COVID-19, they still may be carriers of the disease and they could spread it to others.

According to the article by U.S. News, in March, Governor Ralph Northam, Governor of Virginia, closed all schools until the end of the year. The U.S. is now on lock down, almost every school is officially closed. Parents, teachers, and students were all livid at this early call to cancel school. It also presents stress for all students who don’t have access to meals at home. According to CBS News, “School officials in New York City have just hours left today to figure out a way for children who rely on school meals to continue getting that support, and to make sure that health care workers and first responders have access to childcare.”

Seniors at colleges and high school are especially disappointed. They won’t be able to have a graduation because of the large mass of people the event would attract. Seniors in high school won’t be able to have their senior prom as well. According to the article by Metro West Daily, Anna Nolin, a Natick schools chief stated that, “I empathize with our outgoing seniors who are mourning the traditional rites of passage with a spring prom and graduation to send them off into young adulthood. Rest assured we will leave no stone unturned in trying to reschedule or reshape these events, Nolin wrote to families Tuesday.” According to the article, “Framingham High senior Mira Donaldson stated that, ‘I believe in my heart that we’ll have our own moment in the future,’ said Donaldson. ‘Because we all worked so hard up to this point.” When I interviewed Madeline Brown, a senior at Lafayette she said, “I’m upset that I will never get to have a proper finish to my senior year. I feel that the coronavirus has taken everything away, including outside of school, and I’m sad my last couple of weeks in Williamsburg before college won’t be normal.”

There have been many cases where people aren’t following the guidelines at all. Some people don’t care, or don’t think that they have it, or carry it. According to the article by CNN News, “Dr. Deborah Birx said that she can tell by looking at the U.S. curve of coronavirus cases that not every American is following the guidelines set out by the administration for people to stay home, and be vigilant about washing their hands.”

It’s frustrating because some people are doing their part to protect themselves and others, while others are disregarding all of the regulations. Everyone wants the same thing: to get to the new normal as soon as possible, but the more people that break the rules, the slower that we’re going to achieve the new normal.

I interviewed Olivia Patrinicola, a senior from Jamestown High School, and she said, “This quarantine made me realize how I take seeing my friends at school everyday for granted, however, it makes me sad when I see people out and about when we aren’t supposed to be seeing one another, especially in groups. While it may feel like a couple people breaking the rules of social distancing won’t affect how much longer we’ll be at home, the more people that violate social distancing, the longer we’ll be in quarantine.”

I also interviewed Catherine Corlett, a senior at a high school in Arizona, on what how she felt about school closures and quarantine and she stated that, “I know it’s not the end of the world, but I was looking forward to cherishing my last high school memories. I, like many other seniors, won’t close my senior year like I thought I would.”

Despite the hardships of quarantine and social distancing, America has come together and supported each other. We are all learning the new normal and are encouraging each other to make the best of it. We’re spending more time with our family, and are taking better care of ourselves while we have the time to do so. We try to make each other smile and laugh by using apps like Tik Tok,  and celebrities try to brighten up this quarantine by doing the All In Challenge to raise money and awareness. America is making the best with what they can, and can only move forward as of now. We need to continue to support and encourage each other to stay home and virtually brighten up the days of others.