Just when you think COVID-19 is over, it is back and has put multiple students at NHS in quarantine. At NHS, if you are not fully vaccinated or it has not been more than two weeks since your second dose of vaccination, and you receive a call that someone less than six feet away from you has contracted COVID-19, you must follow all quarantine requirements in order to return to school.

When you go to school and you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, you must be tested each morning and wait 15 minutes for your test to come back negative. If a student’s test comes back positive they will be sent home immediately and will have to quarantine for 10 days. The nurse advises you that you must wear a mask and maintain social distance. Students also have the choice to normally quarantine for 10 days since their last exposure. If you are fully vaccinated and it has been more than two weeks since your second shot, you are free to keep doing what you normally do at school.

People are glad that the school is testing students to ensure that no one else becomes sick, but others find it annoying. These other students often think that getting COVID-19 tested, social distancing and wearing a mask is too much on their plate. Their opinion is that getting tested is pointless if you have no symptoms and you’re already wearing a mask. 

According to ABCNews, states with low vaccination percentages currently have several COVID-19 cases and if people continue to not receive the vaccine, things are only going to get worse. If you have the vaccine you can still contract COVID-19 but once more of the population is vaccinated then those chances are reduced. 

Fall and winter are coming up and more people are starting to stay indoors for gatherings. Indoors meaning lots of people in close proximity and one can infer an increase in COVID-19 cases. People gathering when they are not vaccinated or are not wearing masks causes massive spreads of the virus.

Most students think it is necessary to follow all of the new COVID-19 quarantine protocols at NHS as it will help stop the spread. Staying six feet apart is one thing that bothers many students because it is hard when there is a full room of students. Social distancing will always be pretty hard in a packed classroom so teachers will often move a student to the other side of the room if they are dealing with a close contact. 

Following all procedures is preferable for students rather than quarantining at home because it allows them to study better in school. Many students struggled at being engaged and fully participating while studying at home last school year, so these safety protocols are the first step to maintaining in person learning throughout the 21-22 school year.