HOW CORONAVIRUS IS IMPACTING LIFE: FROM A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE By: Nicholas Karamanol

 

Picture taken by Embry-Riddle Eagles

Erin Smeilus, student of Jefferson Township High School, is a lacrosse and field hockey player. But recently, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, it has affected how her activities take place.

She was interviewed last week about how she thinks Halloween will be different this year with the global pandemic, as well as how it has affected her extracurricular activities.

“I don’t know how many will be comfortable with going to stranger’s doors,” Smeilus said.

Lots of people during the pandemic are apprehensive of Halloween and are paranoid about the Coronavirus spreading at a faster pace due to exposure of fellow trick-or-treaters. Luckily, there are some ways that can reduce the exposure to the virus. Smeilus suggests, “Not having huge groups of people, keeping masks on to keep safe, and have 2-3 at a door at a time to help reduce the spread.”

There may be people that choose not to go trick-or-treating even with guidelines in place, as well as places that ban Halloween for the 2020 season.

“I think the outcome will be less,” Smeilus says. “I think the parents might be on the overprotective side and tell their kids to wear masks to go outside.” 

Sports programs and extracurricular activities have had to drastically alter how they run their programs with the ongoing pandemic and Smeilus is one of many students who are playing sports in a virtual setting.

“For sports there were online zoom classes. For lacrosse in the beginning, it was difficult to learn in that setting. For field hockey, we also have to remember to stay six feet apart.”

Even with the ongoing football season, it has affected how things play out. The season was delayed by around a month, and now football activities are postponed for two weeks after a player in the football program contracted COVID-19.

Even though field hockey and lacrosse for Smeilus is looking a bit different this year, strides are being made to help defeat the Coronavirus and make things go back to semi-normal.