In a world where six-feet spacing is the new default setting, and it’s more uncommon to see someone without a mask than with, circumstances are ever changing. Wayne City High School isn’t excluded from that statement, and has many students unable to come to school for two main reasons. One being, despite the school’s constant efforts to keep the spread of the virus to a minimum, the student has caught Covid-19, or another sickness. “I started feeling sick Wednesday night, so I went and got tested Friday morning. I still don’t feel the greatest, but I’m recovering,” says Lizzy Landreth, a student diagnosed with the virus and quarantined for two weeks.

However, not all students who are being forced to quarantine have the virus. Due to contact tracing, any student who has had direct contact with another student that tested positive must quarantine for two weeks. This is to ensure that if the student who came in contact with the virus begins to show symptoms, they are away from their classmates, which will prevent the spread. If a student’s chair is less than six feet from another student who tested positive, both students will be quarantined and do remote learning for two weeks. Many students dislike online learning, and have found it to be more difficult than being face-to-face with a teacher. “I definitely like sleeping in, but it can be hard to find motivation to do homework when I’m not in an actual classroom,” says Kalyn Meritt, a senior who was quarantined because of the spacing between her seat and another student’s seat who tested positive. As Covid-19 cases continue to rise, more and more students will be forced to stay home and continue their school work online.