There has been an exponential increase in the COVID-19 cases today, and we must take action and help stop the spread! The virus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019, was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 due to cases found in other countries and states. In the first 3 months of lockdown here in the United States, lots of businesses and public places had to stop opening their doors, because they wanted to prevent the chances of the case rate becoming higher. However, many people continue to throw parties or go to crowded places, and not wear a mask while doing so.
Wearing a mask helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, as research has shown. Germ spread is also less likely to happen if you also distance yourself from others. If you’re interested in reading more about how it is effective, please do so HERE. Inform yourself, and please help spread that information to others. These are serious times, and you won’t want to run the risk of yourself, a loved one or anybody else around you catching the disease. Wearing a mask won’t hurt anybody.
We’ve seen people all over the media refusing to help cooperate with the new rules of wearing a mask. Some people will walk into a store and not have one on their face. Others may politely ask them to wear one, but then it might turn into a needless verbal dispute. Don’t be one of those people. Instead, follow the instructions that the CDC has provided for everyone in the world, and help us all stay safe. Imagine if we all followed the rules, because by now the cases would have been decreasing little by little, and we might be holding school on campus by now. Sadly, we are nowhere near done with this virus.
Here in California, Los Angeles County takes the lead with the most COVID-19 cases in the state, with over 328,000 positive cases. The second-highest county is Riverside, with over 72,300 positive cases, and every other county is lower than that, but their numbers are still rising. Glendale currently has over 5,000 confirmed cases and that number is still trending upward today. It has affected us all here in Glendale, and many people are disappointed in the exponential rise in cases, which shouldn’t have happened if our residents practiced social distancing.
Glendale students are not physically in school, but everything must be online this year to slow the spread. Some student athletes have gone back to the school fields to practice, with very strict precautions, in order to stay safe for themselves and for others around them. The prospect of going back to school isn’t very promising, but for now, we remain behind a screen for our education. To learn more about the COVID-19 cases in California, please click HERE. On June 1, 2020, the LA mayor, Eric Garcetti, issued the “Safer at Home” Emergency Order, which declares that many citizens should stay at home and limit outside activities, but they may leave the house to buy the necessities needed on a day-to-day basis. This order was made to help ensure the safety of many residents here in Los Angeles.
Garcetti has ordered businesses to reopen and close over the past few months. But now he says what opens and what doesn’t open is beyond his control, because that is up to a state and county level of directors. He wants everyone to be safe and help prevent the spread.
Garcetti also understands that many people are going through a hard time with money, the loss of jobs, and the cost of rent. So he created an Online Jobs Portal, for those who have lost their job due to the pandemic, in the hope that it will help them find a new one. He wants the best for Los Angeles, and he believes that we can stay strong and calm during these times of uncertainty.
Many schools have been closed due to the risk of students catching the virus. All California high schools are closed, and as of now, there is little chance of them reopening.
More information as to where schools in the US are open, closed, or planning for reopening can be found HERE. If and when counties plan to reopen, they will definitely want to open with strict rules and regulations for students to continue to practice physical distancing. This will mean limiting the number of people allowed in any area, and separating students to a distance six-feet apart in classrooms. If anything, there will always be rules issued by those in power to make sure everything is well done.
America is going through this crisis together, so if we continue to practice social distancing, wear masks, stay apart, and make sure everyone around you is doing the same, then we will see good things in the future. Schools will reopen, more businesses can keep working, and theme parks will welcome guests again, but with COVID-19 precautions in place, of course.
When we do return to life as normal, it is likely that, for several months, people won’t be ready to have their masks off wherever they go. Some might go into a store and feel like they are missing something: the mask. We’ve all had those moments, but hopefully in the future, once everything has died down, everything will eventually go back to normal as it once was.
But as of now, please wear your mask and stay safe.
