Nick Cantone
March 31st, 2020
Corona Virus has completely taken the world by storm in the past couple weeks. It has turned into something that we have never seen before. The world is in a pandemic, social distancing quickly turned into the new thing and people are unfortunately losing their lives to this disease every day. Major sport leagues such as the MLB, MLS, NBA and the NHL have been shut down completely. Restaurants are closed to the public; store fronts are closed to the public and everything else you could imagine is closed to the public. These are unbelievable times for us, but together we will get through them.
I live in one of the wealthiest counties in the entire country. That would be Bergen County of New Jersey. With that being said, people here have been in complete ghost mode. Two months ago, you could drive down the road and see runners, bikers, people walking their dogs, but today you see nothing. Quarantine has been our best friend for the past two weeks. Yes, it is extremely boring, but it is the safest thing we can do as a community. New Jersey, itself, is now up to 16,636 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Coronavirus-related deaths went up to 198 statewide. In Bergen County, we have 537 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus. With that we have a confirmed 126 death toll as well.
Testing sites are popping up all over the Bergen County area. They are mostly coming to community colleges and other in-state college campuses. Such as, Bergen Community College and William Paterson University. At those two locations, people can get tested for free by simply waiting on the mile-long car line. These tests are actually done right from the comfort of your own car. Yet the test is not as comforting as your car. The COVID-19 test is done by sticking a long tube up your nose to reach an area where only bacteria lives. This test is painful, but it is necessary to take, especially for the people who truly believe they have the disease.
The State of New Jersey has been on complete lockdown since this disease has hit America. People do indeed go outside, but most stay in the comfort of their homes. The American population is quarantined. Which means no travel unless it is absolutely necessary, you cannot be in a group of people bigger than six and washing your hands has become a necessity. For the business side of things, everywhere is basically closed. With the rise of technology in the past decade, people are fortunate enough to work from home. But if your business is more hands on such as Barber shops, Salons or a nail spa you are closed. With no income whatsoever, until this disease has run its course. Most parks and other recreational opportunities are shut down, unless you want to go alone with your dog. Schools, not just in New Jersey, put the entire country are completely shut down. I’m talking major universities, colleges, high schools, grammar schools and everything in between.
A friend of mine, Riley Weis, had something to say about colleges being shut down. “It is actually unreal to me. I play baseball for William Paterson University and our entire season was cancelled. Is it safe? Yes of course. But this is something that we have never been through before, I mean there has never been something this serious that has hit the entire world before. Hopefully this ends soon because I cannot take sitting in my house any longer.”
This is the exact mood of not just Riley, but the entire nation. Businesses want to reopen, the economy is taking a huge hit, kids want to go back to school, we need our normal world back. But it isn’t that easy. The only way we could get through this is indeed social distancing from one another, staying indoors and following the rules of the government. It is a sad reality that we live in currently, but together we can make it through.
Houses of Worship are not open and will not be open until further notice. Hospitals are an absolute mess. Doctors and Nurses have been working endless hours to make sure we are safe. It is absolutely incredible what our doctors and nurses have been doing since this became an American issue. I honestly can’t say enough nice things about those people because at the end of the day they are heroes. Grocery stores are also a mess. For example, the Stop and Shop in my hometown only allows 25 people in the store at one time. And if you aren’t one of those 25, you are waiting on a long line of people.
The common mood of the entire population is basically dull. People want to know when this is over so they can get back to their normal lives. Leave their house and not have to worry about social distancing, hanging out with friends and washing their hands every time they get back inside. People are fed up with this pandemic, yet they have no choice but to follow the rules set by the government. Because the only way we can get back to our normal lives is if we listen to those of higher power. There is no easy way around this, we all have to go through this the hard way. And by that, I mean staying home, being with your family and staying safe from this terrible disease. Although it doesn’t sound that bad to just stay home, after about two days of it you want to go insane. Trust me, that’s how I am currently feeling.
To conclude, the Coronavirus has put the entire world on pause. And has us, the people, scared for our own lives. It is something we have never seen before and have never dealt with. But we are Americans so we will get through this. Just like everything that has been thrown our way in the past. It is an important time to be with the people you care about and make sure they are safe because who knows how long this will go on for. The coronavirus is no joke and we are most certainly not taking it as a joke. Stay safe and be smart!
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