Possible Second Lockdown

Due to rising cases

For the past two years, Covid-19 has taken control over everyone’s lives and the way they carry out each and every day. It has particularly affected the school system and the students along with it. As students returned to in-person instruction this school year Covid-19 cases were maintained at a manageable level. However, as of November 2021 a new, faster spreading Covid variant, Omicron, made cases reach another high comparable to the original Covid-19.

Isabella Castillo and Gabriel Harris, both  11th graders at North Garland High School, were virtual students during the 2020-21 school year. As the new variant caused a wave of Covid cases to hit the school the question of virtual learning and the possibility of it returning was lingering. 

“When I first heard of Omicron I thought it was kind of funny ‘cause the name sounds like a transformer,” Castillo said. “but then everybody started to get sick with it and I started to get a little worried.”

Omicron is a fast-spreading variant that has been said to spread seventy times faster than the previous Delta variant. However, it has been said to have milder symptoms and requires less of a recovery time.

“I feel like it’s kind of affecting a lot more people than the first one did. That’s why a lot more people are getting it,”  Junior Samantha Escalada said. “A lot of people are missing school.”

In early 2022, as cases grew and more students and teachers called out sick, the district entered into the yellow zone which had the district considering going back to virtual school. However, virtual school is not always the best for students and brings hardships for many.

“Online, for me, was really difficult, because I really struggle with learning in general. So, when they moved it online, everyone’s cameras were off, everyone’s mic was off, I couldn’t talk to the people around me to try to help me figure stuff out.” Castillo said. “I just felt really isolated.”

Although staying quarantined has been shown to improve Covid cases and diminish the amount of active cases, the cost of education and the lack of “one-on-one teaching” can be difficult for students especially if they already have trouble normally. Therefore, the question is, will we go back into virtual learning?

“I don’t think we will go back on lockdown because we’ve had Covid for so long. I feel like they have new ways to keep it contained since they know more about the virus,” Harris said.

“I’m really worried that we’ll go back online because of the fact that we are in the yellow zone and cases are rising,” Castillo said. “Do I want to go back online? No. But it may be the best choice.”