How well are we following COVID rules?

This year, we’ve had a slight increase in rules, regulations, and procedures. By slight, I mean that pretty much everything is different in some way. Over time, we’ve all become used to wearing a mask and social distancing. Hand washing is a new favorite staple of daily routines. As a result, we have all become hand sanitizer connoisseurs. Seeing large crowds of people in movies sends everyone into a frenzy. Montrose, of course, did not want to miss out on the new safety guidelines, and we’ve adopted practices including one-way hallways, mask breaks, and Zoomland. We know that these new rules are very important because they could make or break our chances of staying in school. It could change the outlook of the rest of the year, impacting major aspects of our lives. So how well are we really doing at following these safety procedures? 

The one-way hallways, in theory, should not be that bad: our school has what, 20 classrooms? Then it shouldn’t be that hard to follow the arrows, right? Meredith Baker ‘23 said: “I feel like we could definitely do better at not going the wrong way.” People are very willing to bend the rules a little bit, especially if it seems that there is nobody around. Most of the time, I forget that there are even one-way hallways. Overall, we have a roughly estimated 65% success rate in following the one-way hallways. Josephine Marcucci ‘25 said we are doing an “awful” job. I wouldn’t go that far, but 65% is nearly a failing grade. The one-way hallways are important to stop large groups of people crowding together and clogging entrances. While I myself have definitely broken the rules to try to get to a class faster, I think it is something we could all work on. Next time you have the urge to walk down the “up” stairs, stop yourself and take the extra 30 seconds to go around.

Another aspect of the new rules in which we could make improvements is social distancing. It is extremely hard to stay six feet from everyone at all times, especially when you are enjoying a moment with friends or trying to hear someone speak. But six-foot distancing is a key component to not spreading the virus. Social distancing is definitely a group effort, and if we work as a group, we can social distance and still have fun.

On a different note, we are doing a great job keeping our masks on! I have never seen someone walking through the halls or sitting in class without a mask. The mask breaks definitely help to break up the day and allow us to handle masks for longer. Additionally, masks are a little easier to get used to than some of the other protocols instituted — it really requires you to not take it off. Where masks and social distancing differ is the group aspect. You can wear a mask without anyone’s help! But when we’re all together it’s so much harder to stay far apart.

Staying away from people is really hard. Especially when you don’t want to and you feel like you’ve been doing it for so long. But we are so lucky to learn in person, and it might not last that long. The better we follow these rules, the more time we have to spend together, and the better we can appreciate each other. What quarantine has taught everyone is that human contact is such an important part of human life. Let’s keep following these guidelines with resilience, so that we can stay in school for as long as possible!

Theresa Marcucci ‘23, Staff Writer

23tmarcucci@montroseschool.org