Dispatches from Quarantine:
Young People on Covid-19

5/5/20
8 weeks into quarantine

Dear Diary,

Panic. Panic on the news. Panic from the schools. Panic from my parents. Panic from the people. Drowning in panic. For what? I had no time to process the situation, quarantine had begun faster than I could wrap my head around anything. Leaving me with unanswered questions. Leaving me in shock. The virus spread faster than ever before. “There’s a virus. And it’s deadly.” “I am declaring this a national emergency.” “Due to these unprecedented times…”  “Stay inside.” “Stock up now.” “Six feet apart.” “No mask, no entry.”  “The nation, as a whole, is in quarantine.” “They just announced a stay-at-home order.” 

The scariest part is watching with my very own eyes as our kind turns on one another. I currently live in a society where greed overpowers helping hands. Where panic overpowers positivity. I see people creating mountainous stockpiles compared to what they need. Leaving others with nothing. Shelves, empty. I hear news reports of people breaking social distancing. Endangering the lives of people, for what? To have fun. It’s embarrassing, embarrassing to think that people can’t do the bare minimum and stay home. It’s common courtesy. Risking the lives of others, because it doesn’t affect us? Oh but it does. Grandparents, loved ones, people with tales to tell. People with lessons to teach. Legacies to pass on. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to just change perspectives and viewpoints, just for a second. I’m fifteen, and it’s not that hard.

xoxo,
Isabel