A COVID-19 Summer

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Three months and thousands of deaths later, the Coronavirus is still making long lasting impacts on life as we used to know it. Plans such as travel, camps and public functions have been either postponed or canceled until further notice, and certainly into the summer of 2020. This radical change has made significant impacts on not only the majority of the Wesleyan community, but the world as a whole. High School Spanish Teacher Senor Vallejo, sophomore Griffin Caldwell and junior Summer Kidder have all experienced a shift in their summer travel and camp plans due to the ever-changing COVID-19 outbreak.

Having experienced a significant shift in his life, work and summer plans, Vallejo feels a heavy sense of loss on behalf of his summer plans. Due to the current global pandemic, Vallejo is no longer able to travel down to Bogota, Columbia to see his family and childhood best friends. When asked to what extent has the virus affected him, Vallejo said, “I would participate in working Wesleyan Summer Camps every year to pay for my plane ticket, food and overall travel to Bogota, but due to the Coronavirus, and the likelihood that summer camps won’t be taking place in the coming June, I will no longer be able to make the trip.” Vallejo is hopeful to reschedule his annual trip to visit his mother in the later months of the year, but his current summer plans have been put on pause, as well as many of his students’ plans for this coming summer.

Similarly, Kidder has experienced major firsthand disappointment in her summer plans due to the spreading of the Coronavirus. When asked how the virus has impacted her thus far, Kidder said, “The worst part about quarantine is not being able to see my friends in person, especially because I hate using media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram to talk with people, and I miss being able to go out to dinner and have sleepovers.” Not only has Kidder been impacted in the remaining months of her junior year of high school, but her summer plans have also experienced a severe shift in trajectory. When asked how her summer plans have changed, Kidder said, “I had to cancel a trip to Switzerland that my family had planned. We had already bought the plane tickets and booked the hotel for our vacation, but because of the Coronavirus, we had to cancel both the flights and the hotel reservations for our trip to Switzerland.” Kidder remains hopeful to reschedule her trip to Switzerland when the traveling situation becomes a safer idea, but in the meantime her and her family will remain quarantined at home to avoid getting sick and getting others sick.

Caldwell’s summer endeavors have also been impacted and canceled due to the chaos of the world’s current situation. When asked how his plans this summer have changed, Caldwell said, “I had intended to go to many football training camps to prepare for our impending fall football season, but due to the Coronavirus, they have all been canceled or postponed for this upcoming summer. I had no beach plans for this summer so far, but we will definitely not be planning one now.” Caldwell has lost not only a significant part of his summer, but the remainder of his sophomore year on behalf of COVID-19. He intends to stay inside and continue his social distancing and self-quarantining until further notice. He will spend his time practicing football and spending lots of quality time with his family.

Due to the current global pandemic, every student has experienced some change in summer and future plans, big or small. Vallejo, Kidder and Caldwell have all experienced huge losses in their summer pans. Americans will now be more cautious of their surroundings, interactions and travel. Health restrictions and regulations will see a sharp increase in numbers and security measures post COVID-19 outbreak. With many prayers and dedicated assistance from Americans front line health care workers, the United States will return to life as we once knew it, and return for summer. Until then, stay safe, stay inside and stay healthy.

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