Although this pandemic has provided large social barriers, students have found many creative solutions to safely visit their friends during this time, which is very important for many students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made clear many COVID-19 restrictions that must be followed. In Los Angeles County, a mask is required in stores and a six foot radius must be maintained between people. Additionally, the CDC recommends that people should not see each other in groups of more than 10 people. The CDC has also recommended that people should wash their hands before eating, touching their faces and handling their masks. Despite these recommendations and regulations, students of all ages have found ways to go shopping, out to eat and hang out with friends safely.
Many students have found a number of solutions, enabling them to see their friends. Keira ‘24, said that she was able to see a friend on Halloween. “We were sure to keep a safe distance from each other and both tested negative before meeting,” she said.
Other students have reported that they have done drive-through hangouts where they drove by one another’s house and stayed in their cars the whole time. This ensured that they were at least six feet apart the whole time. They also wore masks the entire time and stayed in a private place, so if they had the virus, they wouldn’t spread it to anyone else.
Some students have even made a “quarantine bubble” of friends. This is when a group of people, typically less than 10, see each other regularly. They always make sure to only hang out with the same group of people and to not be around or exposed to others. This ensures that if one were to contract the virus, it would only be spread to a small number of people.
The M conducted a survey of Marlborough Students and 42% of respondents said that they have been able to see their friends regularly. The two most popular locations for students to see their friends were either at their own house, or at their friends’ houses.
“It makes me feel safer to see my friends at either my house or theirs because you never know who went out in public,” Reilly ‘24 said.
The same survey showed that 28% of students have only seen their friends for special occasions and holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving and birthdays.
Another way Marlborough students have safely seen friends is planning activities outdoors. Whether that means in the park, on a hike or just in their yard, students said they feel more comfortable meeting following the CDC recommended that when meeting with people, it is safer to be outdoors. By going outside, it is harder for the virus to spread to a large group of people, thus somewhat containing the virus. As directly stated by the CDC, “Avoid indoor spaces that do not offer fresh air from the outdoors as much as possible. If indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible.”
