Opinion: If you meet up with friends, you are part of the problem

Shelter-in-place may not be fun, but rejecting social distancing guidelines makes it worse for everyone

Opinion%3A+If+you+meet+up+with+friends%2C+you+are+part+of+the+problem

Jared Bysiek, Features Editor

Many people don’t like being quarantined. They don’t like being stuck at home, missing their friends and loved ones. Some are able to get by, they simply keep powering through the quarantine doing what they have to. Other people, however, decide that they’ve had enough. They decide to go out, and meet up with some friends. Though it’s a struggle to stay home, the people who don’t right now are a big part of the problem, and need to understand the importance of following the necessary precautions.

The whole point of being forced to stay home, or follow precautions like staying six feet apart, are to reduce the amount of people together at one time. In reducing crowds and interaction with others, the disease has a far lesser chance of spreading to many people who are outside their homes. By meeting up with friends and going around the town, some people are increasing the risk to not only infect themselves, but those around them. When this all started out, teens and young adults didn’t care, because this was only supposed to affect older people more. Now that younger kids are starting to get sick, some even dying, it’s important to reconsider any selfishness.

Be honest: Have you met up with friends in-person during social distancing?

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Nobody likes being stuck home, or being forced to go out in limited numbers, having to maintain a safe distance. The time we have to stay home keeps getting extended, but if people keep breaking the quarantine to see people and hang out, guess what happens? The disease doesn’t slow down or stop, and the time gets extended even further. Some of the teenagers who have gone out to be with friends have gotten into trouble with the police. It sounds dystopian to say avoid seeing friends to avoid getting in trouble with cops. However, by avoiding it all together people don’t have to worry about getting stopped by something that sounds so ridiculous.

One important thing to note, however, is the effect quarantine has on some people’s mental health. There are those who begin to grow depressed and lonely, having to be stuck home, or only going out in limited circumstances full of precautions. But right now is a more important time than ever to just try and stick it out. If someone can’t stand being quarantined, they can try to keep occupied. Work on hobbies, play video games, watch movies or shows, call and text your friends and so on. As sucky as it may be, it’s that or this pandemic, and the quarantine, worsens.

At the end of the day, nobody likes being stuck home. Some people are able to make the most of it, but nobody likes being unable to go out to the extent they want, or being unable to see friends and loved ones. But by feeling desperate enough to meet up with friends, they are only making this worse for everyone, and causing unnecessary problems. It’s important to remember to stick it out for everyone, stay occupied and follow the necessary precautions if we want this to end anytime soon.