by Nicholas Charles, Akiachak
The pandemic is making people lose it. Places and things like the sports world are being cancelled. The government is trying to slow the bend. Despite everything that they’re doing it’s still spreading. The World Health Organization is studying ways to find a cure, or something that is immune to it.
It’s affecting me socially because some of my friends went to Anchorage and now I can’t see them. Most of the time I’m home and the only way I can reach them is with my phone. Some of my friends come over, but the ones recently in from Anchorage are not allowed.
I just want this to be over so the world can go back to how it was. Everyone is avoiding close contact and even if someone has the common flu, everyone assumes it’s the virus.
The virus is affecting the economy because America stopped buying things from all around the world. A lot of people are losing their jobs and becoming unemployed. The market has dropped a lot. Big events that make a lot of money are being stopped and it hurts whoever hosts it. It’s hard to find jobs. The economy has fallen because of the pandemic.
My family is avoiding personal contact. Most of the time, they’re at home but they have to go out for specific reasons. They don’t want me to go anywhere but I can’t stay home and do nothing all day. My parents don’t want my family to go anywhere. My parents and family still go to work, but they minimize contact and stay a good distance from people.
My family in Bethel are fully avoiding contact with everyone. They wear gloves and masks to make sure they don’t get it. I hope the curve slows down soon because I want to see them (my Bethel family.)
In March, my village met to discuss what they could do to limit the virus taking hold here. They established a curfew for people to follow and a quarantine of 14 days for people who travel to or from Bethel and elsewhere. I noticed the village is limiting how many people can go into the store. There are those who live by those rules and some who try to do what they want.
I think that it is sad because if it hits the villages then it will spread quick, but if it spreads quick, the faster it will drop the curve, but it will also spike for a short time.
I don’t even know what the YK Delta is doing. I would think that they’re informing everyone to stay home and avoid contact with people. They should be providing masks and gloves to every community. If they really care. It seems like they have been doing nothing but I don’t pay great attention to the news. If they are doing something, then that’s a good thing.
The whole YK Delta should avoid travel unless it’s very important. Jobs and places that have crowds of people should be shut down and cancelled for a while. People will lose their jobs but if they really want this to slow down that’s what they should do.
It’s affecting me because I can’t go to the gym and workout or play ball. The things I normally do, I can’t do as much anymore. My parents tell me not to visit anymore. They limit who can come over. No one should even come here.
I don’t care if I get the virus but I really don’t want my parents to get it. They’re older and the virus can be lethal to older people. I wouldn’t want to lose them or any of my family members to the virus.
It’s kind of stress relieving because I’m alone for the most part and I love being alone. Some days are too quiet. The NBA is postponed so now I don’t even watch TV anymore. It’s boring sometimes. There’s nothing I can do but hope the virus goes away soon.
Nicholas Charles is a senior at the Akiachak School.
