By Zach Gullion
Winter may soon be over, but Covid is still out there, waiting to pounce on unprotected prey. With many Delta students planning to travel to densely populated vacation hotspots like Florida beaches, the virus may get its chance to spread even quicker through the school demographic.
With Spring Break quickly approaching on March 19, many students have the intention of travelling to a different location and having a relaxing vacation.
Science teacher Dr. Lance Brand says, “I think if people are smart, and they stay within their family group, and they’re not putting themselves in higher risk situations, then the risk is minimized a little bit.”
Sophomore Blake Jones says he plans to travel with his family to Madeira Beach, Fla., and fish. Jones says the pandemic will not get in the way of his plans like last year.
Sophomore Avery Chester says, “Covid doesn’t change my plans,” but if it did she’d stay home and hang out with friends.
Sophomore Sydney Stroble says that it’s unlikely for Covid to affect her plans this spring break, but if they do that she’d stay home, sleep, and participate in hitting lessons for softball.
Chester, Stroble, and Jones believe that the restrictions are too strict and unnecessary. Chester says, “If you’re gonna get Covid, you’re gonna get it anyways,” and that “you’re eventually going to have to leave your little house.”
Conversely, senior Brett Shearer believes that the government’s response has been “rather lackluster,” and that “we’ve been sort of behind the curve in comparison to other countries.” He says that he thinks most of the restrictions are necessary.
Dr. Brand believes that our county and state has done a relatively good job at controlling the spread and safeguarding the population.
Dr. Brand also believes, however, that people don’t see the whole perspective. “They see the inconvenience to them and others,” he says, “but I’m not sure everybody sees the whole perspective of how it influences the entire population.”
Shearer believes that it’s irresponsible for so many students to be travelling for vacation. “I understand it’s traditional,” he says, but he believes that students who choose to visit grandparents during the vacation or soon after are putting them in unnecessary danger.
Many chose to not go on Spring Break last year as the fear of Covid was spreading. Jones says his family decided not to go last year because of the pandemic and that they’re in need of a vacation this year.
Chester says that while she and her family did go on vacation last year in spite of Covid, she got quarantined there for two weeks.
Jones, Stroble and Chester aren’t worried about the possible effects of the pandemic and the risk of possible infection. Stroble says she’s not worried because she plans to wear her mask. Chester strongly believes that she’ll be fine because she already had Covid last spring break. Jones says, “It makes me feel mad and sad that we have to live our lives like this.”
Shearer, however, says he’s worried for the immunocompromised and the elderly who don’t have the ability to protect themselves as much as the younger generations.
Chester, who is travelling by plane, says, “I feel a little nervous and unprotected about being that close to people.”
Dr. Brand, who is travelling this spring break, says he’s being safe by not travelling by plane. “We’re literally just renting a cabin up in the mountains,” Brand says. “We’re not going to be in crowded spaces, we’re not going to be travelling in crowded groups, we’re not going to be on a beach with a whole bunch of people without masks on.”
Stroble says that if this were a normal vacation without Covid, she’d bring more people with her. Chester says that her vacation would be no different without Covid, and Jones says if things were normal, he’d go out to eat every night and not wear a mask.
Hopefully, students are able to vacation and relax while also staying safe over Spring Break.
