March 2020 vs. March 2021

March+2020+vs.+March+2021

Bri Alleyn, Reporter

COVID has affected every individual, but March 2020 was quite different from March 2021.

In March 2020, everything got shut down. There were rarely any places open. Many people lost their jobs. The virus was very mysterious, and the world did not know how much it would impact us.

There was a lot of fear. The death toll kept climbing. People rarely went out because of fear. Everyone was isolated because of this. 

The mask mandate was put immediately in place, and stores were selling out of them very quickly. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper were essential items that were very hard to find. Luckily for me, my sister had a collection of hand sanitizer.

When families would come back from the grocery store they would clean and spray all of the items they bought because they were worried they would carry the virus. My family would take showers immediately and change clothes in fear that the virus was attached to their clothes.

 The mental health for the majority of Americans was very poor. Being alone all day and being stuck inside really made a negative impact for many. Luckily, many psychologists did facetime calls, so they could still see their patients. My sister was able to call her therapist every Wednesday during this time.

Psychologists were not the only ones that switched to online calls. Schools did as well. Most schools became fully virtual. All of my friends and siblings had switched to all-virtual school. For my younger siblings who are in elementary school, it was very difficult to concentrate. It was very hard on parents as well because in a way they had to become their children’s teacher. 

While March 2020 was rough, March 2021 was much better.

People were able to understand the virus a little bit better, and the vaccine just got released. The mask mandate was coming to an end at the end of March 2021. 

The mental health for many got better since they could go outside. Many people could also go see their therapists in person.

The majority of people had their jobs back and were doing a lot better. People could go hang out with their friends and not be worried. My friends planned many outings during this time.

Traveling was now able to happen. The seats on planes were separated, but you could still fly. I was able to take trips to see my friends in Virginia. It began to all feel normal again.

Many schools went back to being all in person while some still had the virtual option. Students are able to have a more normal school year than the previous year. Social distancing was also no longer required in the schools.

Although things are not back to the way they previously were, everything has gotten a lot better.