New York City, the epicenter for the COVID-19 Pandemic, has been taking all measures against the deadly coronavirus by creating more hospitals and asking for more ventilators for infected patients. The virus is spreading like wildfire around all five boroughs and is mainly killing the elderly and people with underlying conditions. The scariest part about COVID-19 is that younger generations may contract the virus and show no symptoms. But, as the virus lives through them, it can spread to their parents or grandparents and be fatal to their lives. 

These are strange and tragic times for everyone in America. Governor Andrew Cuomo is urging people to stay at home and practice social distancing; which means staying away from human contact and human interaction, other than significant others. Shelter in place in the protocol and people have just been catching up on the most recent Netflix shows. 

Students around America are participating and finishing their year on an app called Zoom which is facetime but with more people. The craziest and most nerve racking aspect of this pandemic is the line to get into supermarkets. The Stop and Shop in Howard Beach, Queens is keeping a limit on the number of people entering the grocery store and keeping a distance between people on line. The biggest trend of the COVID-19 pandemic is the fact that toilet paper and cleaning supplies are nowhere to be found. A man in Tennessee held 18,000 bottles of Purell in his garage for close to 70 dollars on EBay and Amazon. Eventually the FBI removed the purell from his garage and he publicly apologized. 

The positive side of this pandemic is that people are adapting and complying with the orders of the government to stay inside. Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and even the Music industry have been flooded with entertainment and media. Music producer Boi 1da and Hit-Boy took on a challenge started by Swizz Beats and Timbaland to go on Instagram Live and face off in a battle of who produced more hit songs. It was quite interesting, and keeps everyone in a light and positive mindset during these times. TikTok, another social media app, is absolutely blowing up as new dances are being created and new users are figuring out their own spin in using the app. People are trying to keep busy during this pandemic because it can be easy to fall into an overwhelming state of fear. 

Now for the bad news. 

In Jackson Heights and Corona, Queens, which is quite ironic, there are close to 2,000 cases of coronavirus. In Borough Park, Brooklyn there are 771 cases. In the Bronx, near Riverdale, there are close to 500 cases in that vicinity and Manhattan has a scattered number of 200 cases all around the borough. Queens, in general, has close to 20,000 cases of coronavirus with the death toll closing in on 2,500. Today, Long Island was reported to have the most recent surge in people that have tested positive for COVID-19. If you have minor symptoms it is best to self-quarantine, but if fever or shortness of breath occur it is best to call 911 so EMT workers may admit you into the nearest hospital. 

Governor Cuomo has stated the most recent problem for New York City hospitals has become the lack of ventilators. There are plenty of beds for patients, but ventilators are needed as the most recent story in Belgium came up in my recent feed saying that a 90 year old woman, Suzanne Hoylaerts, died and gave up her ventilator. Her last words were, “Keep it for the younger ones.” This story is frequently happening in New York City as there is an ethical problem of who should get ventilators. It is truly disturbing to know that doctors are being pressured to pick and choose who to save. An even bigger problem is in the staffs of doctors and first responders as they are being exposed to the virus day in and day out. A doctor in New York City was recently interviewed on CNN claiming that it is stressful and scary to go home from dealing all day with people infected with the virus and not knowing if he will wake up with symptoms the next day. 

Students around the country are being affected heavily by the virus as seasons are cancelled and graduations are postponed. Donnie McKillop, Assistant Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach at the Loomis Chaffee School, said, “It is crazy to have all spring seasons cancelled and truly devastating to all programs out there. All we can do is be good citizens and follow the rules that are in place. I keep up with my players every week on Zoom just to check in and make sure everything is alright. As leaders, coaches and teachers all we can do right now is support each other.” Sports have been heavily affected due to this pandemic as everything has been cancelled. Players are forced to workout in garages and get back to the basics of working out at home because gyms are cancelled as well. McKillop mentioned that he’s lucky he has a few old weights that he can throw around in his house. Even the practice of religion in this country is coming to a halt as all churches and places of worship are being forced to close. New York City playgrounds are closed as well. 

During this pandemic, most people are working from home and spending time with each other. If you go outside, no one is outside and whoever is outside is wearing a mask. These are strange times in this world. It is important to stay positive and surround yourself with your family. This is a perfect time to reflect on the past and plan for the future in order to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. Hopefully, we can learn from this but this fight is far from over. So until then, I encourage everyone to follow the rules of social distancing and keep a strong mind by either reading a book, trying a new hobby or even getting into a new Netflix series because there are plenty of good ones.