Written by Leah Sonberg
While these most recent months have been anything but typical for people from all different walks of life, students and younger children have experienced particularly unique problems in light of the novel coronavirus. Many students across the globe have been forced into virtual schooling, giving up sports and extracurriculars, and even staying away from friends for months at a time. Tiffany Zhou, an IB student in Grade 11 at St. Petersburg High School in Florida, is a student/teen caught in these new norms brought about by the pandemic. For the past few months, she has been confined to her home in order to practice social distancing. In Tiffany’s case, this is particularly important because her maternal grandparents, who are a part of the high-risk population, live in the same house as her. Today, I spoke to Tiffany over a video call to discuss the struggles of isolation, her view on COVID-19, and some of her new hobbies! Who better to tackle these subjects with than someone who has been quarantined for over 4 months!
L: How long have you been in quarantine/isolation?
T: About four months now! I started during Spring Break, which was mid-March.
L: What has quarantine been like for you? Has it been boring or have you found yourself enjoying your spare time?
T: It’s been boring, but also relaxing in a way; I’ve been less pressured and don’t have much to do during the day. I also get more time to focus on myself!
L: What was your initial attitude towards COVID-19?
T: Lackadaisical. I didn’t care too much about it and was very ignorant. I wasn’t worried and didn’t know the extent it would reach or the crisis we would be in later. Now, though, I feel frustrated. This has been dragged on a lot longer than it should have been and I wish people wouldn’t have that same lackadaisical attitude I used to have.
L: How has this pandemic impacted you or your family personally?
T: Personally, I feel like my whole life has changed. I feel that as a whole my family has been more isolated. There has been a rising sense of paranoia and we have to be so much more careful. For instance, we disinfect surfaces regularly, my parents take a shower each time they get home from work since they are doctors, and are just more concerned, in general. Every time you leave your house, you are exposing yourself to other people and could end up hurting yourself or loved ones. The slightest misstep could lead to something fatal or permanent. A lot of events have also been cancelled. On the most shallow level, family vacations have been cancelled. On a more personal level, my parents and I were supposed to go visit my sister and attend her White Coat Ceremony, and this is a monumental moment in her life. Every time I visit my paternal grandparents, I have to wear a mask and be extra cautious all the time. My grandma has been going in and out of the hospital getting dialysis treatments, so I have to be very careful around her and take extra-precautions. It’s been very sad and lonely for a lot of people. I wish I could more freely visit my family and friends. Or even visit my friends at all, actually.
White Coat Ceremony: a rite of passage for medical students in which a white coat is placed onto a medical student’s shoulders. The Hippocratic Oath, an oath of ethics taken by physicians, is often recited, as well.
Dialysis Treatment: a treatment given to people whose kidneys cannot function properly in order to filter out excess toxins, water, and solutes from a patient’s bloodstream.
As of July 19th 2020, Florida has the third-highest amount of coronavirus cases,
by state. The Huffington Post recently reported that nearly 33% of tested children
in Florida tested positive for coronavirus, as well. However, after a whistleblower
came forward, there has been speculation that daily case counts reported by the
Florida Department of Health have been skewed and not accurately reporting the
amount of people testing negatively and positively for COVID-19.
L: For those that don’t know, could you describe how Florida and our county is doing in terms of dealing with the coronavirus, such as the rise in cases or restrictions in place?
T: Out of all of the states, I believe that Florida has been hit the hardest by the coronavirus. As a whole, Florida has been struggling the most and is literally the epicentre of the world in terms of the coronavirus. Honestly, there has been a lack of restrictions and there should be more. There should be more mandated mask regulations and social distancing should be executed by more people. Many people have been disregarding the news and the facts of the situation. They are not contributing their share to the prevention of spreading the virus as they should be.
L: As you know, our county has provided us with three options as to how we will proceed with our schooling: return to school in-person, participate in your own school’s virtual lessons and stay enrolled in that school, or enroll in Pinellas Virtual School and forfeit your spot at your school. Do you plan on returning to school during this upcoming school year? Why or why not?
T: For me, this has been a very easy decision and I will not be returning to physical school at least for this upcoming quarter. Actually, I don’t plan on returning to physical school until I get the vaccine. I would never enroll in Pinellas Virtual School and give up my spot in the IB program, and along with it, all of my hard work. I don’t want to die so that rules out going to a physical school. The second option was an easy one for me to choose because it’s the best of both worlds and the only viable option. I get to stay in the IB program while maintaining social distancing and staying safe.
L: Have you picked up any new hobbies or skills that you otherwise wouldn’t have tried, had there not been quarantine?
T: Because I’ve had a lot more time, towards the beginning of quarantine, I started reading more which I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. Normally, I would only read if I had to for school, but now I do it more leisurely and because I want to. Also, I’ve started baking more which I love! I understand I should make the best of my situation and take advantage of time. And I’ve become more interested in skincare, too, but that’s a whole other story!
Out of the many books Tiffany has read during quarantine, this is her favourite one.
L: As of right now, when do you predict you will be out of quarantine?
T: I honestly will not be out of quarantine until the vaccine rolls out and I can get it. I don’t know when that will be, but I’m hoping that if people wear masks and social distance, I could possibly see friends that way. At this point, though, I’m not too sure when that will be because the number of active cases in Florida are pretty high right now.
These are French macarons that Tiffany baked recently, which are widely regarded as extremely difficult to make:)
L: Finally, what is something you wish more people knew about this pandemic?
T: I wish people paid more attention and cared more. I wish people actually wore their masks and tried to social distance. I wish people hung out less, which is really difficult because it’s hard to be away from those you love. If people actually did stay away and social distance, the curve would go down and we could finally see each other again sooner in a safer way. If we want to end quarantine faster and get better, we need to social distance and do what we can to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Although these are difficult times for everyone, we owe it to friends, family, and even strangers to consistently wear masks, socially distance, practice better hygiene, and follow the recommended guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We, at EyesOnYouth, implore you all to follow the aforementioned standards in order to stay safe.
About the Author
Leah Sonberg is a grade 11 IB student living in Florida, USA. She is passionate about politics, current events, psychology, biases in the media and history. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, writing, creating and sharing original content with others. She hopes to bring new ideas to the table and encourage others to form educated opinons on the world around us.
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