Quarantine isolates, doesn't divide

     In addition, Kruse expresses concern for both her brother and her sister, as her brother lives with her parents and suffers from a weakened lung condition — another sickness in a higher risk category for severe illness.
     On top of everything, Kruse’s sister works as a nurse in pediatric intensive care near Grayslake, which drastically increases her chances of being exposed to and affected by COVID-19.
     “I did say to my husband last week, ‘If this goes bad, it could literally wipe out my parents, my brother [and] my sister,’” Kruse said. “That’s my immediate family.”

     As quarantine progresses, it is apparent that Kruse is not alone. Foreignpolicy.com illustrates that her fear, anxiety and feeling of helplessness is shared nationwide and is spreading faster than the virus around the globe. But people aren’t scared for themselves.
     According to the CDC, people with a higher risk of severe illness for the coronavirus include anybody 65 years or older or anybody with chronic lung disease, serious heart conditions, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and many other illnesses.

     While this doesn’t apply to most people individually, everybody is connected to somebody who falls under at least one of the higher
risk categories. It could be an older parent, or it could be a sibling with health issues. For Kruse, it’s both. And like Kruse, the world is being forced to live in isolation and care for loved ones over Zoom conferences and phone calls.
     Realizing that not being with loved ones is the best way to keep them safe is a tough pill to swallow. Not only is it a pill that the world is taking countries at a time, but people are being forced to take it by themselves while locked in their own homes.
     For junior Claudia Madsen, her biggest concern in the midst of the pandemic is not being able to see her dad. Madsen’s parents are
divorced, and she primarily lives with her mom. Typically, Madsen would get to visit her dad a couple times a week. Now, with the quarantine in place, the number of visits continues to decrease.
     Madsen also expresses that if things continue to get worse, she might not be able to visit her dad at all. Although the two often Snapchat and text each other, she relies on seeing him in person the most.

     In addition, Madsen is trying to stay in communication with her grandfather who lives in Mexico. While she doesn’t think the virus is as
bad down there yet, Madsen says her family is very concerned over what would happen if he were to get sick.

     “It scares me a lot be cause it didn’t seem like it could happen,” Madsen said. “Now, it is obviously happening to lots of people.”
     With her family and friends in mind, Madsen is doing everything she can to try to prevent the spread of any illnesses.

     “I think it’s really upsetting that people aren’t taking it seriously because they don’t understand the consequences they can have

for other people and their families,” Madsen said.

     While her household is constantly washing their hands and her mom always wipes down outside objects such as the groceries

and the mail, Madsen emphasizes that the best way to combat the spread of the disease is to practice social distancing and maintain
self-isolation. Other than to visit with her dad in his house, Madsen says she doesn’t leave her home.
     “Right now the most difficult thing [for me] is seeing people who are leaving their homes and are hanging out with their friends,” Madsen said. “It just makes me really angry because those are the people who are contributing to the possibility of [me] not seeing my dad or the possibility of my grandpa getting sick.”
     For the sake of keeping students inside and lowering the risk of spreading
disease, District 214 — along with the majority of the country — has implemented remote instruction.

     Madsen says she would prefer to be at school where she could see her friends and teachers; however, she does think remote instruction is doable. She also appreciates how well the school district is dealing with the situation as a whole.

     “Thank God for technology because it does make you stay connected,” Kruse said. “I just think if it was 1918 with the [Spanish flu] we’d be writing each other letters ... and then we’d be waiting three days to hear [back].”

     In the spirit of staying connected, Kruse reached out to her coworkers in the English department and ended up starting a book club.
Individually, they are going to read the book “Reading with Patrick” and hold weekly Zoom meetings to talk about what they’ve read and
catch up with each other.
     “I just miss talking to people and being at work and seeing people,” Kruse said. “Having those conversations [and] those friendships ... being able to keep those connections going is important.”
     In times like these, it cannot be stressed how important it is to stay connected. It’s easy to turn self-isolation into emotional isolation. It’s

easy to fall into loneliness and shy away from connection.
     Don’t.
     Make the extra effort. Join in on family game night. Force yourself to pick up the phone and call your grandparents. Text your friends.
It’s OK to feel lonely. It’s OK to feel scared and anxious, and it’s OK to be angry. Don’t use it as an excuse to shut down. Embrace your friends and family; they’re going to be the ones to keep the raft afloat.
     They’re the reason we’ll get out of this with our heads held just a little bit higher — together.