The coronavirus has made an impact on so many lives, some good, some not so much. There are more than 9 million cases in the United States — 35,000 cases in Montana alone — and those numbers continue to rise daily. The people most at risk are the elderly with poor health, newborns, and young kids with underdeveloped immune systems.

Families who have to take extra caution can struggle to get the supplies they need to survive while also not risking the lives of their loved ones. People with serious medical conditions can’t do anything because they are literally scared for their lives. Even with the guidelines now it’s hard for people, because they can’t travel to see family for the holidays. 

At the very beginning of this entire ordeal, we went into a countrywide quarantine. Schools, bars, restaurants, and many other places were closed, and several small and local restaurants were forced to close their doors permanently because they weren’t making as much money as the larger food places.

The quarantine was also hard on students who were forced to do online school. Arguments between parents and students, grades dropping, and not being able to see friends were just some of the issues. For some students, like myself, school is really their only way to see friends and be social.

Living out of town has made everything harder on me and my family. Online school was nearly impossible for me to do, and I almost failed most of my classes. I also wasn’t able to see any of my friends since I live so far out of town.