Two years ago, the world changed forever. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Because scientists and medical officials knew so little about the new disease, the government called a national emergency, shutting down all schools, entertainment facilities and most restaurants. While the government closed these locations, grocery stores like Publix and Kroger remained open due to the requirement for food and other necessities. However, people tended to make minimal trips to the store and stock up on food with the fear of catching the new virus, causing empty shelves in the stores. The public took numerous precautions including spraying items from the grocery store with Lysol, wearing face masks in public and social distancing from others. 

“When the government called a national emergency, I didn’t necessarily know what to think. I knew it wasn’t going to be a two-week break, it was definitely nerve-wracking and I didn’t really know when it was going to end or how serious it was because I didn’t know anybody that was directly affected by COVID and I didn’t realize the severity of it until later. I don’t think I really adapted to online learning because I would literally log into my laptop at 8:19. However, I did maintain my grades pretty well, but it was definitely different and didn’t feel like a real school,” magnet junior Mya Conner said. 

The unexpected halt in people’s lives left bittersweet tastes in their mouths. Fortunately, several school districts allowed students to complete their school semester early if desired, resulting inadequate grades. This left plenty of free time for youth, as well as adults to spend family time together, participate in TikTok trends, try new recipes and take walks. While these home activities took place, several people developed mental health issues due to isolation and lack of socialization. Additionally, various people either lost their jobs and substantial amounts of money, contributing to poor mental health. 

“My favorite things to do in quarantine was to go on TikTok and do all the trends like the dances, the whipped coffee and watch a bunch of new shows. I also took up personal hobbies like painting and going outdoors. I actually feel much less comfortable participating in daily activities now compared to 2020 because I never thought twice about going in public without a mask and washing my hands after. Now I feel like I’m just going to catch a bunch of germs and get sick without a mask, which isn’t necessarily bad. However, I do think it’s a bit unfortunate that I don’t feel safe in public anymore, but at least I’m taking more steps in taking care of my own health,” Connor said. 

In 2021, the COVID-19 cases gradually began decreasing and a majority of schools resumed 100% in person. Although new variants like Delta and Omicron lead to a spike in cases toward the end of 2021, they quickly decreased. Now that the case number count continues to drop significantly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that lower-risk individuals can now roam maskless in indoor spaces if desired. 

“I went to Kennesaw Mountain and walked all the time and I sat outside with my neighbor a lot, we were basically quarantine buddies. I was publishing a lot of my teaching materials; it was a way to relieve stress and the anxiety of being at home. I also dragged my kids to the garage to play ping pong and things like that. For myself, I think I was anxious for a long time, but I was definitely able to get myself through that. I don’t think we’re endemic because there actually is another variation of the omicron variant, so I don’t know when we’re going to be out of this. It’s been frustrating to watch people who refused to get vaccinated, but I have gotten COVID and got triple vaccinated, so for that reason I am back to normal activities,” French teacher Mindy Cotton said. 

On the two-year anniversary of the pandemic’s start in America, the world finally emerges from brutal times of black squares, masks and new variants. The public continues to resume a majority of the activities that they participated in pre-pandemic and less to become ill every day. Nevertheless, those with chronic illnesses and underlying health conditions must still take precautions to prevent catching COVID-19 and furthering the severity of their illness. Although the virus still remains present globally, the world’s people can hopefully live lives as “normally” as they possibly can.