Mar 19, 2020 9 min read

We closed the Common Ground Teen Center, but I’ve created a Virtual Teen Center. We are hosting zoom meetings twice a day. Social isolation can be challenging. Anyone ages 13 to 19 who is interested in joining the Virtual Teen Center should email me at podmj@healthyteens.com for links and passwords.

I listen to young peoples’ voices and hear them. Here are a few of their reactions to the virus:

Zoie Carroll: I feel upset that the virus has caused all the schools and malls and restaurants and everyday things to close down. I get worried more and more every day, but I try not to show it. I just want things back to normal. This doesn’t feel normal. I don’t wanna be trapped in my house. I’m worried about how long this is gonna take. I wanna be able to finish school and still enjoy hanging out with people and enjoy my senior year. I’m worried for you, Mary Jo, and I’m worried for my grandparents and older people In my life. I hope things go back to normal. I’m scared my senior year is ruined. I may say I hate school, but I’d much rather be there.

LaShauna Carruthers: I’m just frustrated. It’s making me believe that certain things school-wise aren’t worth it. That doesn’t mean I’m not gonna do it all. It’s just frustrating. I also work at a highly populated place, so I’m trying not to be there, which puts me at a loss for money. I’m in the process of moving into a new house, buying a car and trying to save so I can go to college next year and it’s just so incredibly frustrating.

Anthony Darby: I’m not so worried about the virus, what I’m really concerned about is mental health and the way this is affecting what’s going on around us socially. I can understand most people are staying away from others, but taking precautions isn’t the same as everyone panicking. People aren’t thinking rationally. Other countries are on lockdown and their virus numbers are up, but they’re not panicking, you know? I don’t like the fearmongering, blaming people, like Asians, which is just sad. As a retail worker, I feel overwhelmed with this – people blowing it out of proportion and fighting over toilet paper and sanitizer. It makes them look stupid, really. Eventually, this will pass over us, but for now I’m worried about my friends and family, not just because of the virus, but because of their mental health.

Kendle Haught: I think the only way we can combat this is to just stay home. Our generation seems very selfish and has the mentality that they won’t get it or be the one to pass it on – if they have it and don’t know it. I don’t think anyone is taking it as seriously as we should be. Everyone I talk to is going shopping, going to church, going to birthday parties, etc. and not being any more cautious than they usually are – if at all. I am at high risk and am completely fine staying away from people for a few weeks. Yeah, it’s annoying, but if it could save my life, it’s worth it.

Karianne Lloyd: I know a lot of elderly and sick people and I’m concerned for their health and scared for them. I also know a lot of people with babies who now can’t get things for them because the stores ran out of supplies. Most of these people are my co-workers. We are now shut down and I hope they are all OK and can provide for their families. This is really starting to scare me now. At first I was like, “Is this even real?” And now it’s very real and frightening. My senior year has turned into a horror film, and I’m scared for the people I know with compromised immune systems who are very close to them. This year was supposed to be about making memories; now it is filled with fear of am I even going to graduate? Nobody knows.

Michael Lucas: I’m frustrated due to all the shutdowns and people panicking for no reason. Yes, there is a contagious virus and, yes, it’s spreading quickly. As long as we follow the guidelines in place we will be fine. There’s no reason for mass panic. Social isolation is a good thing. I think it will slow the rate of spread. I think colleges will be closed for the rest of the semester. But again, I feel that if we listen to guidelines and respect each other and hunker down we will be fine.

Toni Maurer: I believe the coronavirus is not as bad as the media making’s it seem. I understand that high risk groups – like the elderly, those who are already immunosuppressed, etc. – need to take precautions and avoid getting ill. I would want my grandparents to take care of their health and safety before anything else. However, I think there is more at stake than illness. Students of all ages are missing important instruction. Employees are either missing work or having reduced hours. For me, personally, I am missing college instruction that somehow will be moved online. Many important tasks will be missed online. I also know I will not receive tuition reimbursement. People are suffering because we are losing our ability to work and study, but other people are crazily stockpiling unnecessary items, making it even more difficult to sit at home when we need to ration food and toilet paper and cleaning supplies on top of not going to work or school.

Madelyn Miller: This whole coronavirus thing is really hitting me hard for many reasons. Since we are out of school, I most likely won’t get to do the two big performances for theater I’ve been working on for months and it breaks my heart. Not only that, I’ll probably miss out on our band trip in May, as well as prom and graduation. These are the most exciting parts of high school and seniors won’t get to participate in them. Missing school because of this virus is also very hard because I’m in many AP classes and missing out on so much material is really hard to make up for the tests coming in May. I’m very worried we won’t get the proper education needed to finish out senior year since Wash High has no plan for online work at this time. I hope schools won’t be closed for the rest of the year, because I need schooling and social interaction to make my life complete. My education is so important to me and it would really suck if we had to miss out on the rest of the year. Another thing that worries me about this virus is how it affects older people. I’m not really worried about the people my age, but I’m especially worried about my grandfather. He has trouble with his lungs, so if he catches this, it would be very tough for him to recover.

Amanda Reilly: I’m not worried about myself, but about those that surround me. I think many younger people don’t understand that there’s a bigger picture than ourselves. I worry about the idea that I might be around someone with the virus who is asymptomatic, obtain the virus, and then give it to my parents who are in the age range where it is very serious, especially with their health problems. I just wish more people would read how to handle this situation, stop the hysteria and realize this is a big deal, but it can be managed. It’s going to be hard finishing out my first year of school all online, and chances are it will be a full semester, but I can only imagine how fast the virus would spread on a college campus. It’s better to take care now than later. We can always do more first and take a step back when we realize it’s safe; we can’t sit back and watch something awful occur and hope to clean it up afterwards. I’d rather take precautions now than live in a constant state of worry.

Landan Weakland: It’s scary. Growing up, I remember the other sicknesses we had to deal with, like H1N1 and Ebola, but because I was young it never hit home how bad it could get. Right now, we have a mixture of over and under reacting. Over, because people are gathering supplies and have taken too much so people who really need them now have to wait for them. And, under, because our government seems to be slow to react to the situation, while other countries seem to be on it. I’m scared for the next couple of months, but I have hope we will pull through because we humans are resilient.

Have a question? Send it to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski’s email podmj@healthyteens.com.