To quarantine or not to quarantine

Students have different lifestyles according to their parents’ opinions over social distancing guidelines.

Anna Jenkins, Staff Writer|September 25, 2020

Anna Jenkins

Students who have approached coronavirus prevention guidelines with leniency have been able to satisfy social needs whereas others have not.

While some people have had to grow accustomed to the quarantine lifestyle, others have chosen to not commit to such an adaptation.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has stirred controversy as people have developed different opinions concerning social distancing. As a result, students are living different lifestyles based on their parents’ perspective over the pandemic. 

Natalie McGuckin, a freshman at Granite Bay High School, has had quite a lifestyle change due to the coronavirus. McGuckin’s mother is a nurse, and her father works in the business with the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Granite Bay.

“Having my parents work 13 hours a week is hard….especially since it’s such a big change,” McGuckin said. “We had a lot more family time before the outbreak.”

Since her parents are involved in the hospital, she finds herself in a stricter environment than other kids with parents that don’t have as much concern for the virus. She is very cautious in public; using hand sanitizer and wearing masks is a requirement in the household. 

McGuckin was mostly saddened over not being able to hug her friends because she loves showing affection to friends. 

“I’ve gotten distant with people, and have not been as close with some friends like I was before quarantine,” said McGuckin. “I wasn’t able to see them as much. Some of my friends were even allowed to hang out while I was not.”

Janelle McGuckin, McGuckin’s mother, expressed how her family tried to make the most out of the unfortunate circumstances.

“At the time we didn’t know how bad COVID-19 was going to get,” McGuckin’s mother said.  “We took safety precautions and followed (the rules) everyone else was doing.  We tried to create a positive and peaceful environment because of all the stress that was going on. We entertained ourselves with family walks, games and even binge watched Outer Banks.”

Not all families were as observant of social distancing guidelines as McGuckin’s family, however.

Emily Lewis, a freshman at GBHS did not quarantine. For her, not much has changed during this pandemic.

“My parents don’t really care, they just want me to be out of the house because I’m annoying,” Lewis said.

Lewis was able to spend the summer with her friends and was even encouraged to do so by her parents.  She has also developed a stance against wearing masks.

“There isn’t a need to wear (masks),” Lewis said. “If you’re going to cough in public or if you have the coronavirus and you go out in public you’re stupid.  So the people that don’t have the coronavirus can live their lives.”

Many people are required to wear masks to get into markets, stores, churches  and restaurants. However, not everybody takes this rule very seriously. Lewis and McGuckin have the same opinions on masks. 

“People have learned not to just go up and high five each other,” McGuckin said. “We don’t need masks, we just need people to be self aware.”