To reach the basement bathroom, junior Georgia Cook holds her breath and runs as fast she can out of her room — evading any objects and handles to avoid contamination. After spending spring break in Seaside, Fla. with two of her close friends, Cook is quarantined for two weeks alone in her bedroom. Not even her dog can visit her.
Florida is a popular spring break destination for East students, whether with family or friends. But with the recent spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, better known as the coronavirus, East students who made the trip are facing a two-week quarantine with little to no human interaction upon their return.
As of March 25, President Donald Trump declared Florida as a “disaster area,” as it has upwards of 2,000 confirmed cases and has seen major drops in economic growth, according to nbcmiami.com. Despite the drastic change in Florida’s safety over spring break, Cook doesn’t regret going, even with preliminary initial concerns.
“[My friend’s parents] were thinking of not having us go, it was kind of like back and forth and they were really concerned about it,” Cook said. “My parents were really concerned too because there’s a ton of people from everywhere at Seaside, and that’s obviously a big spot to get exposed to Corona.”
Freshman Kate Whitefield also thought her Florida trip was worth the risk — one week on the beach makes up for two weeks in quarantine. Even though the beaches closed part-way through both Whitefield’s and Cook’s stays, they found the tropical escape with family and friends to be just what they needed before being locked up for 14 days.
So far, their 14 days have been filled with running out of shows to binge on Netflix and minimal interaction, especially for Cook, who has to spend her quarantine away from her family since they didn’t go with her to Florida. Similarly for Whitefield, all precautions are being taken. Her family gets out of the house by going on walks together, but dutifully maintain a six-foot distance from other people. Hands are washed far more frequently than under typical, non-pandemic circumstances. Kate even sits in her grandma’s driveway for an afternoon chat, never less than 10 feet away. It’s hard not to hug her.
“We’re definitely maintaining the rules. I wish I could go give my grandma a hug, but at least I get to talk to her,” Whitefield said.
Other East students also faced challenges during their Florida trips. While sitting in the Kansas City International Airport’s parking lot, sophomore Sydney Beck’s mom held a final family vote before proceeding with their flight to Miami — 4-1. They were going.
From Miami, their plan was to drive in a rental car down to Key West, Fla. for a week’s vacation. But the week-long stay was cut short to only two days when all beaches closed the night the Beck family arrived. Being crammed in a rental car for three days wasn’t their most ideal spring break, especially when their final destination was home. Watching Netflix and listening to podcasts became their sanity.
“I don’t think I regret [going because] I did have a fun time,” Beck said. “I mean, of course, if we get sick or we brought it back and could put other people at risk, I’ll definitely regret it.”
Cook and Whitefield feel the same about their endeavors, but all three emphasize that they took proper precautions while in Florida. Social distancing reached extreme extents with local businesses in Florida during their stays. When Cook went to a restaurant the staff only allowed three people into the building at a time to take their order in addition to mandating everyone standing six feet apart. Cook remembers a girl upset in line because she couldn’t stand with her dad.
Beck also recalls Bath & Body Works’ one-hand-sanitizer-per-purchase policy — newly established due to high demand from the coronavirus — that forced them to check out individually so they could each have a pocket-sized bottle to stay sanitary.
“We want to do our part of the quarantine, especially since we went to one of the areas that was asked to quarantine, we think it’s only fair to do what we’re asked,” Beck said.
All three realize that the situation could be much worse for them, such as showing symptoms of the coronavirus. While social distancing comes with different reality checks — like Cook briefly seeing her family when they drop food off by her door — they have also chosen to look at it as a time for self-growth.
“I, personally, have been working on my music and just messing around with Garage Band and stuff,” Whitefield said. “I have a lot of time now to make songs and that’s been fun for me.”
Beck is using the time to unleash her artistic side through dance and painting, while Cook puts time into fostering friendships through Zoom.
To the girls, the idea of being quarantined initially sounded dreadful, but one week in and the realization that everyone else is also on lockdown makes it not so bad. That, and Netflix of course.
Related
Leave a Reply