Millions of people throughout the country have been advised to adhere to federal social distancing guidelines in wake of the exponential growth of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

A state-wide stay at home order has been issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom which implements the closure of all nonessential businesses and prohibits social gatherings in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus in the country’s most strict lockdown yet. 

Schools across California, the U.S., and the world have been shut down as of mid-March. 

In a press conference on Wednesday, April 13, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that schools are to stay shut down through the end of the 2019-2020 academic school year. 

Middle College High School senior Reyna Ediss finds it hard to deal with the day to day burdens of being in quarantine. 

“It is very difficult to adapt to staying home and quarantining myself. I can’t go out and see my friends or other family members. To adapt to this situation I use texting and social media as a source to contact my friends and family,” said Ediss. 

Santa Ana High School junior Jordan Nava shared some insight about the monotony of his family’s day to day routine.

“My family’s daily routine is waking up and eating breakfast together. My dad goes to work, and meanwhile, I get started on my chores. I do my homework and then continue with my day,” Nava shared.

Roughly 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment as of April 17, and experts project that the number will continue to grow in the coming weeks. When asked about how his parent’s jobs have been affected, Ocean View High School senior Alex Hernandez feels fortunate that his parents can continue working to support their family. 

“Luckily there was no impact in my family, and we still have work. My mom cleans houses and my dad has his own company for construction. My mom isn’t affected because she gets aligned with her bosses. My dad on the other hand gets called frequently and he doesn’t worry about money. My parents are glad they’re still working. They’re blessed,” Hernandez explained. 

Hernandez also spoke on how the pandemic has affected his social life and relationships.

“My girlfriend and I just broke up because I’m joining the military. I’m stressed because I tend to go out and I feel isolated. I want to go out and… live life,” Hernandez expressed. 

Senior Ediss leaves us with one final thought about her positive outlook during this historical moment.

“I think for the future I’m looking forward to resuming my life and not having to be cooped up, stuck, and trapped in the house all day. I hope that I could see my friends and family again and catch up on things. Although my senior year has been basically cancelled I hope to reconnect with my high school friends and have some adventures before everyone goes off to college. Even though roads are closed for us as seniors, especially not being in high school, there’s always new doors that will open up.”

As a senior myself, I’m devastated by the events that have unfolded as a result of the pandemic. The class of 2020 as a whole has lost the opportunity to have our very own prom, gradnite, senior activities, and celebrate the culmination of 12 years of hard work at graduation. Although there’s nothing left to do now, I encourage everyone to stay hopeful and stay safe. Hope is all we have and we need to keep it in order to keep moving forward. This year, undoubtedly, will be one for the books.