4/1/20 Helen Huang Period 8

Modern Mythology 2020

Helen Huang PD8 (Blogger #8)

4/1/20

What is it like working from home?

Working from home has lowered the stress level for many of my peers and I since we have more choice in how to spend our free time. This is mainly due to the fact that our school days are split up into 3-day cycles where each day only consists of three 75-minute blocks. This new schedule has benefitted me by allowing me to sleep for a total of 14-15 hours a day instead of being limited to 7-8 hours. More sleep benefits us students by making us better rested so that when we try our best to focus, we are more productive. However, it is also up to me to plan out my work effectively so that I’m not procrastinating too much. There is no requirement to get a little bit of homework for each subject done each day so if you don’t manage your time, you’ll be rushing to finish assignments right before they’re due. In this manner, I find that the remote learning experience is helping me better understand/ get used to how classes in college will be like. During this quarantine, my living area has become significantly noisier than usual so something new is that I have learned to cherish the alone/quiet time that I can get.

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

There have been at least 83,712 confirmed cases of the coronavirus discovered in the state, including more than 47,439 in New York City. At least 1,941 people with COVID-19 have died in the state, which has the largest number (around 40 percent) of confirmed cases in the U.S. Nationwide, more than 190,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed across the country. At least 4,310 people have died from the virus in the country, where 25 states have confirmed more than 1,000 cases. COVID-19 has killed more than 44,200 worldwide. Governor Cuomo said that 12,226 people are hospitalized and 3,022 are in the ICU. He also said that of the people put on ventilators, they appear to have a 20% survival rate. However, the good news is that so far, 6,142 people have been released from the hospital. Cuomo said the projection model he's following shows the apex in the end of April. Of the possible 100,000 national deaths projected, Cuomo says 16,000 of those deaths could be in New York. The governor claimed that this model says it could go on through July. New York is currently the hotspot for the coronavirus and predicted future centers for the virus are Detroit, New Orleans, and Dallas. This will likely keep schools and many businesses closed down.

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

Ever since early February my parents have been advising/warning me to not go to any crowded places such as the mall or restaurants. The only exception was school because they view that as very important. My parents were so worried about the chance of me catching it on the crowded buses that my dad started waking up early just to drive me to school. I made the mistake of going to the city over Midwinter Recess which resulted in me catching the flu, one that kept me out of school for 11 days. When social distancing/ quarantining yourself was recommended in the middle of March, many people didn’t take it seriously because they didn’t truly understand the risk of them hanging out. They probably thought that nothing would happen if they were in small groups of four, like my mindset in February. It took until positive cases of COVID-19 started to pop up in NYC schools that I believed in staying inside. Unfortunately, it took many deaths for the majority of people to act responsibly. Whoever is still going outside for non-essential reasons is selfish for increasing the risk of spread to those around them. One academic concern I do have is if I will pass my AP exams due to the new format.