The Santa Ana Unified School District is committed to keeping every student, educator, and administrator safe from COVID by implementing COVID  testing and policies in schools and SAUSD offices.

As COVID has progressed, so has the human race, with vaccines to counter COVID’s major effects. Some schools were closed for around two years and many pupils desired to get away from zoom courses and return to face-to-face instruction. This would not be possible without COVID policies to ensure the safety of every student and educator.

Junior Samantha Esparza believes that masks and vaccines ensure the safety of everyone.

“I believe a lot of us would feel safer knowing that the majority of the campus is vaccinated. However, at the end of the day getting the vaccine is a choice and everyone is free to decide whether they get the vaccine or not,” she said.

 The significance of comprehending the difficulties and symptoms that people must endure while infected with the Coronavirus is that students can know what symptoms to watch out for. The majority of persons infected with COVID will only have a minor sickness and will be able to recover at home. COVID symptoms include chills, fever, cough, breathing problems or shortness of breath, fatigue, aches in the muscles or throughout the body, headaches, new loss of taste or smell, throat irritation, congestion, and a runny nose, which are both symptoms of congestion. The treatment approach, which focuses on symptom management, can include rest, hydration, and pain medications. Patients should feel better in approximately a week after experiencing symptoms for a few days.

Principal Damon Voight continues keeping us safe from the contained COVID in MCHS.

Voight stated, “If just one of you were to get sick and have long-term COVID or get really sick and be hospitalized, I would think it was worth it. Then we stop just one person from getting sick. I think it’s worth it to be a little inconvenience. The test will take two minutes for kids to go through and just do the cheek swab and then get back to class.“

For a long time, we have struggled and fought against COVID. We evolve and grow over time as we learn more about the infection via medical research. Due to the large scale of the problem, it may be difficult to comprehend that individuals may contribute towards preventing disease transmission. Disinfecting and social separation remain effective prevention practices for limiting the spread of infectious illnesses. The majority of individuals were encouraged to stay at home, but essential workers were not, allowing for a comparison of vital and non-essential worker knowledge and views.

Junior Andrea Haro from Godinez Fundamental High School is excited to have the COVID testing at their school.

“I think the COVID testing is a much-needed thing. I am actually going to get my very first test tomorrow. I feel this is the best way to ensure safety for all my fellow peers. Especially since someone can be carrying COVID without having any symptoms. This will help to eliminate the widespread. In order to stay in person, we need these tests to make sure no outbreaks happen and everyone is being as safe as they can be,“ Haro stated.

Though masks might be uncomfortable to wear, they are a crucial element of COVID prevention. The easiest method to avoid coronavirus is to wear a mask, wash your hands often, and keep a few feet apart from everyone.

Junior Cecy Rivera believes that masks are comfortable at times and encourages everyone to wear their masks.

“Wearing a mask, in general, is uncomfortable at times but is very convenient to have since I don’t want to get sick and miss out of school. I think that being able to take our masks off outside when we leave our classrooms is amazing since we are able to have a break from them for at least a little while. So far I think the policies for COVID are alright for now. I feel comfortable when I wear a mask, personally, I would encourage kids to wear masks as often as they can.” Rivera stated.