By Ryan Ryu ’25
Mask mandates in public spaces and schools are removed, athletic competitions are back, and people are saying goodbye to the never-ending online classes. Life from pre-covid is returning to us.
In March 2020, schools began to temporarily close due to the outbreak of the contagious virus, Covid-19. Not many took it seriously at the time, as students welcomed this sweet break from school. Little did we know that this break would seem to never end.
After a little over two years of the pandemic, the world had undergone many dramatic changes, including mask mandates, job losses, an increase in poverty, and lockdowns. The world had also lost over 6.54 million loved ones from this virus.
After all of the unfortunate, the world is making its way from the pandemic to the endemic (a disease outbreak is endemic when it is consistently present but limited to a particular region). Nevertheless, it’s critical to remember life during the pandemic to return to the pre-covid life and keep the same level of awareness to prevent future crises.
Today, the virus is rapidly spreading across the states, as people’s awareness of covid-19 has significantly dropped. Officials say that remembering what to do to keep ourselves and our community safe is very critical on our path to pre-covid.
During an interview with Tammy Marquis, APRN, the Director of the Health Center Services at the Frederick Gunn School, she gave her insights as to how we should keep ourselves healthy at this time of the year.
Ms. Marquis mentioned that a spike of flu cases is expected to be back this year, along with other widespread colds before the pandemic. Masking will remain key to preventing any kind of disease. Nonetheless, it will be critical to check ourselves and ensure that we don’t have any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, however, avoid participating in groups, keep your distance, mask up, and get tested.
“Most importantly,” she said, “keep the basics of what we’ve been through for the last two years. Wash your hands, sanitize your belongings and your hands, wear a mask if you don’t feel good and get tested, and you know, just things that can keep ourselves and our surrounding community safe.”
As we approach the end of this pandemic, remembering the hardships and frustrations and what we’ve learned over the past two difficult years is important. “Following the basics”, as Ms. Marquis said, will not only keep you staying healthy but also help your community to stay healthy together.
