We are in clearly unprecedented times. With Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” initiative being strongly suggested as opposed to enforced, the moral obligation posed to us as individuals by society and our governments puts us in a unique position.
While many aspects of this pandemic remain unclear, one constant piece of information that we’ve all been collectively fed is that people under the age of 40, unless with exceptional medical circumstances, are less at risk for the virus than most individuals. This leaves the youth of the state of Washington with a potentially alarming and perhaps immoral dilemma: Do I care about this?
Andy Johnson is a senior at Gonzaga University who is currently trying to finish his last semester online. Johnson is 22 years old, and thus fits squarely into the demographic who has been deemed low risk. When asked about his level of concern regarding the current ongoings, Johnson said he’s “hanging in there, trying to stay positive and stay as busy as possible.”
The conversation then turned to the social distancing guidelines imposed by Gov. Inslee.
“I’m trying to follow as closely as possible,” Johnson said. “When this all first started, I didn’t particularly care, I actually went out on St. Patrick’s Day. But as things progressed in the following weeks it became clear that I needed to follow the stay at home order as much as possible.”
He did admit that his neighboring classmates and himself have continued some level of interaction, typically centered around studying, but otherwise is essentially only interacting with his roommates in a face-to-face manner.
Kyler Knight, 22, is working on getting a business management degree from Spokane Falls Community College. When asked how he’s dealing with COVID-19 emotionally, Knight said, “I’m getting more and more worried about my grandma as things progress. It’s tough, too, because it’s not like I can just go over and check on her.”
His grandmother is 70 years old, smack dab in the middle of precisely the demographic in danger. When asked about how seriously he’s been following social distancing guidelines, Knight said “I didn’t really think much of what the news or government had said (about COVID-19),” until he lost his job at a local Subway that was shut down.
Now, he says, “I don’t leave the house without my mask on.”
Whether it’s confirmation of how dangerous a time we’re in or reassurance that we’re headed in the right direction, it would seem the local youth has begun to take social distancing a lot more seriously.