“Happy Birthday, Coronavirus.”

Next month, we approach one year since COVID-19 was first brought to the media and caught the attention of billions of people around the world. On December 31st, 2019, the outbreak of coronavirus was publicly reported for the first time in Wuhan, China. Almost 53 million cases, 1.29 million deaths, and one year later, no one would have possibly imagined the new society we now call our “norm.” So sit tight, put on your masks, and grab your hand sanitizer, as we reflect on the way the coronavirus has changed our world over the last year.

January 2020

“Three, two, one… Happy New Year!” was shouted by billions around the world. Hugging and kissing one another, shaking hands, and being surrounded by the ones you love that very night, no one realized that soon after, those simple acts of affection would become widely unacceptable, and people would go months without seeing one another again. On the previous day, December 31st, 2019, the Chinese government had confirmed that they were treating dozens of people in Wuhan who were infected with the unknown “coronavirus.” Disregarding it, believing that it wasn’t a big deal, the rest of the world continued to celebrate the new year unsure of what was to come. 

Ten days later, the Chinese government announced the first death related to the coronavirus. The infected man previously spent days shopping at the markets in Wuhan during the fairly busy holiday season, which concludes that this caused one of the very first outbreaks due to person-to-person contact. 

After following reported deaths, the world began to worry about the rapid spread and whether it could enter their country. Unfortunately on January 20th, this was proved to be true as cases were confirmed in the nations neighboring China, specifically Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. Just a day later after traveling back from Wuhan, a man in Washington State became the first US citizen to test positive for the deadly virus. In an initiative to contain the spread, the Chinese government terminated all transportation to and from Wuhan, suspending train, bus, and plane rides. 

On January 31st, the W.H.O. declared a global health emergency because the cases in China had officially hit the thousands. The United States and the Trump Administration denied entry from travelers who had been to China within the last fourteen days and panic began to rise throughout the world.

February 2020

As if it couldn’t get worse, February brought along many challenges and fear instead of chocolates and roses. On February 5th, a Japanese cruise ship had to quarantine over 3,600 in response to multiple positive-tested passengers. It was the largest number of cases outside of China thus far and by the end of the trip, 600 people had become infected. 

Dr. Li Wenliang was a Chinese physician who was well-known by many for his attempt to spread information and raise awareness about COVID-19. After being shut down by the government, and forced to stop spreading “false” information, the number of deaths increased, including Dr. Wenliang on February 7th. People all over the world grieved his death, and were afraid that the crucial information he had shared would be hidden by the government. 

The virus also remained unnamed until February 11th when the W.H.O proposed the name Covid-19, which was short for coronavirus disease 2019. It encouraged people to stop placing blame on a place, person, or animal for the development of the virus by making no reference in an effort to avoid stigma. 

Valentine’s day, a day full of love, roses, and cute stuffed animals was instead full of sick and dying people in Europe after they had reported their first death. Rather than love, people felt grief, remorse, and terror, still lacking information on the disease. Italy and Iran had now become a “hot spot” for the disease as numbers soared and hospitals were full. Following them was Latin America after a man returning from Italy tested positive and infected other passengers on board his flight.

(Fun fact: I was on vacation in Mexico while this was happening!)

A leap year only comes around every four years, this year that extra day in February only called for more bad news. The first death in the US was announced just outside of Seattle, Washington, and the Trump Administration discontinued any travel to Italy and Southasia until further notice. Only two months into 2020, the new decade was not looking as magical as people had hoped.

March 2020

Of all the months this year, I believe it is fair to say that March was the most life-changing, crazy month for many people, especially Americans. The disease had further spread to other states in the United States and on March 13th, President Trump declared a national emergency. 

(Sidenote: Just days before this I was in Boston for a volleyball tournament, in a conference center with thousands of people, and the only protocol they took was no shaking hands with the other team. It’s crazy how much changed just four days later!!!)

As rumors of a “quarantine” were being talked about and questions arose, the CDC came out and recommended canceling any gatherings of more than 50 people. New York State was actually one of the first to close their school systems and at 2:50 PM on March 12th, students in East Rockaway High School walked out of the building planning to come back in two weeks. Of course, this caused devastation among the students who were only four days away from the 84th annual Rock Rivalry entrance. Stands built, murals painted ready to be hung up, and costumes ready to be put on, were put aside for the time being.

“It’s two more weeks to prepare,” we hoped.

People hung out with their friends and hugged them goodbye for the last time, teachers taught their last live class, and others went out to dinner for the last time, without even realizing it. 

Quarantine across the world officially began on March 16th. Quarantine – a word I for one, had never heard of until that day in March because never in a million years would anyone have imagined the world we were living in. Monday morning students woke up and went to school, in their bedrooms, using Zoom to join a class. In a panic, people went to the stores and brought every roll of toilet paper and disinfectant they could find and the shortage of essential supplies occurred quickly. 

On March 24th, officials announced the cancellation of the summer Olympic Games until 2021. Before then, only three games had ever been canceled, all because of war. This was the first canceled due to a deadly, worldwide pandemic.

Two days later, on March 26th, the United States led the world in the number of confirmed cases. Nurses and doctors were working around the clock trying to keep patients alive, the roads were empty because everyone else stayed home, and some small businesses closed, never opening back up again.

April 2020

No words can truly describe how people felt coming into April. A mix of fear, anxiety, and loneliness overwhelmed everyone. Millions of people were left unemployed, others lost their fight to COVID and died alone due to social distancing orders, and the rest stayed home bored out of their minds.

But, some positivity did begin to spread and good came out of the bad. “Drive-by” birthday parades started, allowing people to be celebrated but without contact with others. (Personally, I loved going to drive-bys!!) Zoom meetings were shared between friends, old and new, to keep each other sane and catch up. Others took up a new hobby, whether it was a new sport or activity. Virtual challenges took place to keep each other active and connected, and dog shelters were emptied as more and more people adopted a puppy.

Around the world, people celebrated their first holidays without their families during Easter and Passover, and traditions were discontinued for the sake of stopping the spread of the Coronavirus.  Christians attended mass from the comfort of their own home and Easter egg hunts and all fun Spring activities were relocated to backyards or canceled. 

On April 26th, the global death toll surpassed 200,000. Although being the first infected, China’s numbers reported to have gone down significantly since January, and people around the world hoped their decreasing numbers would be next.

May 2020

Excitement was through the roof as the weather started to get warmer and the end of the school year was approaching. Teachers and students were fully adjusting to the new learning environment and the school year was smooth sailing from there. 

Summer was beginning but not the same as it had always been, beaches were restricted to certain people, barbeques were not permitted, and amusement and water parks were closed. It was definitely a strange time for everyone, not getting to experience the warmer weather like they had in the past, and struggling to plan their summer. 

Towards the end of May, mass protest over police violence against people of color took place in response to the death of George Floyd. Large gatherings of people caused concern for the spread of Coronavirus and new infections. In some cities, most protesters did wear their masks so the numbers did not increase significantly. 

June 2020 

It is proven that the heat can lower the chance of getting the coronavirus, so when June and 85 degree weather came to New York, more things began to open as numbers decreased. Outdoor dining was a hit! A safe and innovative way to keep restaurants running, and it got people out of the house. A popular diner in the area is the Golden Reef Diner in Rockville Centre. They set up a huge tent in their parking lot and they became crazy busy. It was awesome to see restaurants doing so well again.

Nail and hair salons began to open up again too, but with many new protocols. (The excitement was unreal as most of us looked like Tom Hanks in Castaway). The malls reopened for the first time in months and people were finally able to go back to doing their “normal” things with new restrictions.

Birthday parades and Zoom calls didn’t take place as often anymore, and they were replaced with socially-distanced functions that were still limited to a few people. 

Unfortunately, high school seniors did not get the ending they deserved though because limitations prevented ceremonies and prom from taking place. The teachers of ERHS did have a parade around the town celebrating the class of 2020, and it was exciting to see everyone in person again. 

Summer 2020

After what felt like the longest first half of the year, July and August came and went. When you say that the summer of 2020 is one for the books, it doesn’t necessarily mean what it has in the past. 

For the most part, summer camps didn’t happen, which left working parents with nowhere to send their children during the weekdays and caused lots of stress. Many forms of child care were limited and working parents had a difficult time making it work. 

Big vacations were canceled, so most people came up with things to do to keep them entertained from their homes. 

The beaches lifted more restrictions and became overcrowded very quickly, making what is supposed to be a relaxing beach day, quite uncomfortable. 

Parties did start taking place more and large, maskless gatherings increased which caused more positive cases. By July 6th, the US death toll surpassed 130,000.

September 2020

September only means one thing: school is back in session. For the first time since March 12th, students at ERHS stepped back into the building as part of the “return to learn” plan, but it was not how they left it. Now with only half their friends, masks, and newly set up classrooms, the school environment required quite the adjustment. Hybrid learning was put into effect nationwide, sending one group of students into school one day, and the other group the next. It was crucial for students to be back in a live classroom so they were able to catch up on what they missed out on due to the lockdown earlier in the year. 

Fall sports were canceled for public schools including ERHS, but alternatives were established to get student-athletes back to playing the sport they love with their teammates. Intramurals lasted six weeks and were mainly successful, getting everyone hyped for the real season in the spring. 

Along with the reopening of school comes the anxiety of coming in contact with Coronavirus. Even though protocols are being followed and restrictions are applied, corona won’t magically go away. With our school closing twice already, it really puts into perspective how cautious we need to be to keep everyone safe and healthy. 

October 2020 

This October was spooky, for sure. Just a month away from the presidential election, the country seemed to spiral into complete madness. Protests, rallies, and many other mass gatherings revolving around the election rose a concern for the spread of COVID-19. 

Our country became divided into two between Trump and Biden supporters and many events became violent and out of hand. During a time when people really needed to support one another the most, people turned on each other because of their political views.  

Halloween, one of the most exciting events of the year was also exceptionally different. Fewer trick-or-treaters, fewer people handing out candy, and fewer events and activities overall. The emptiness of the streets happened to be the spookiest thing this Halloween, in contrast to creepy costumes and haunted houses.

What happens now?

The presidential election took place just a week and a half ago, and people are continuing to riot and protest in mass gatherings. The warm weather has faded away, taking outdoor dining and activities with it. Many cities across the country are going into lockdown again as their numbers show a steady and rapid increase. What happens now? Almost one year since this all started and we are just going back to square one? 

This past year has been the most terrifying, yet crazy years anyone has ever experienced. Millions are sick and dying, others are overworked and exhausted, and others are barely holding on due to anxiety and depression caused by all of this. We need to come together as a nation and as a world to adhere to the laws and regulations and make 2021 a better year. 

So, have a (not so) happy birthday, Coronavirus.