Dear XYZ: What are some methods we can practice to stay safe from new virus mutations?
X Responds:
- Double mask! Based on the CDC, the correct way to double mask is to wear a surgical mask under a cloth mask. This is especially helpful since COVID cases are rising in New York. If you would like further information on this topic check out the CDC’s website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/effective-masks.html.
- Bring your own bottle of hand sanitizer and/or wipes. Yes, the school provides sanitizer and wipes in classrooms, but at times they are empty and aren’t replaced/refilled quickly. Therefore bringing your own disinfecting materials to school is the best option. I would recommend buying a big container of hand sanitizer and wipes and having a small hand sanitizer to refill. Disinfect surfaces and or avoid touch surfaces at the school that you know a lot of people touch (eg: disinfect – keyboards, desks, seats, etc. / avoid touching – door handles, classroom materials, etc.).
- Bring extra masks in your backpack. The mask you’re wearing may break and having extras will prevent you from being exposed for too long. In addition, if you see a classmate not having a mask you’ll have extra masks to give to them. A lot of students take public transportation to get to the school and I’ve personally given students masks on the bus, even if they aren’t from MCSM. Just be cautious since not everyone will be happy if you go up to them handing them a mask, even if they looked like they needed one.
- Don’t be afraid to tell other students to put their masks on correctly. I’ve personally seen students not wear masks correctly in class, so don’t be afraid to ask them to pull it up correctly or ask the teacher if they are willing to do it.
- Wear long sleeves/sweaters/pants. Wearing clothes that cover a majority of your skin will prevent direct skin-to-surface exposure, just make sure to change out of those clothes when you get home.
- Eat outside. Going outside to eat lunch is better than staying inside while everyone has their mask down; you can pack your own lunch at home if you don’t want/can’t afford to buy lunch. Right now the weather isn’t the best for that, so I would recommend doing this when the weather gets better.
- Waiting during the transition between classes. The bell-ringing signifies the transition between periods, and everyone is in the hallways. If you are concerned about contracting COVID, waiting in your current class for the traffic to calm down could be an option for you especially if your next class isn’t too far.
Dear XYZ: What do you think of the New Year so far?
Y Replies: In my opinion, 2022 hasn’t been that “bad” compared to the start of 2021 and 2020. It’s been a crazy year and a half for all of us alternating between lockdowns and new outbreaks. I’m aware that the Omicron variant has been increasing day by day, and that does raise concern and danger for us. However, on the bright side, the rate of death from confirmed Omicron cases up to now has been extremely low. There has been progress in the fight against Covid-19 and the economy is finally getting close to normal, so let’s be optimistic about that. Also the United Nations has declared 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development, the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, and the International Year of Glass. This is all super exciting, and I’m curious to see how our world may change by the end of 2022. I hope this year will be less stressful for us, and that we can have more of the “one to one” interactions that we missed out on last year, and the year before. As far as the weather goes, I feel like I’m in Alaska these days. It’s extremely cold and I don’t really like it … but I hope we get more snow days. After all, who doesn’t like snow, right?
Dear XYZ: Do you think schools will switch back to remote learning because of the new Covid variant?
Z answers: There’s no doubt that Covid has certainly messed up the school year. Unfortunately, the situation hasn’t been getting any better. However, now that we have safer protocols and vaccines in place, I don’t think schools would want to go remote again. Recently, the DOE sent out a message that students will now have a remote learning option. Yet this didn’t seem to apply to us due to New York City’s new mayor’s decision to keep schools open. This means that they’re determined to keep schools running as long as they can. Perhaps if new cases and hospitalizations get way too high, then they’ll reconsider their choices. As covid numbers rise, so will student absences. Many will be forced to quarantine and do schoolwork online. But this doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon. Even though Covid cases happen to be rising again right now, it’s apparently not enough to have the schools shut down again.
There are a number of reasons why the mayor might want to avoid shutting down schools. One reason is because the last time it happened it created chaos for the DOE. Students weren’t learning as well and this caused the regents to be canceled. Households with adults who were essential workers couldn’t adequately supervise their home-bound children. Or it might be that this new mayor has a different approach to the pandemic, along with a different idea of how the city’s educational system should function. We can’t know for certain how the rest of the school year will go, we’ll have to wait and see. So for now, we stick to our regular, everyday school routine.