How to quarantine the right way

By May Domingo, May 13 2020—

With the current pandemic, students were asked to stay at home and continue the rest of the winter semester through online methods. Tests were made to be 24 hours long to account for different time zones and courses can now be accepted as course credit/fail. This has allowed many students to lax and take their time with schoolwork. The power to slow down time was the result of these conditions that the school has provided to help their students. As Uncle Ben once said, “with great power comes great responsibility.” So, here are ways you can quarantine the right way.

Do your work:

Of course, this will be on the list since we are still university students. Finals season is ongoing and that means the library would have been bustling till late at night if it were not for the situation at hand. However, this is no excuse to forget the grades that students have worked hard on. This is not just for grades, however. At some point in the future, the school will reopen and students will have to attend lectures. Take this opportunity to perfect and explore different study methods and note-taking skills. With time on our hands, students can now do this and more. So, best to finish the term with a good work ethic.

Explore a new hobby or continue a new one:

Whether it may be writing the next big novel, knitting a huge sweater or learning to cook, this is the perfect time to explore the skills you may be able to use in the future. 

Participate:

Chain messages have once again dominated social media and everyone has their own opinion on this. Tags like the “10 beautiful women tag” were once a thing of Facebook and Tumblr. But, with everyone having more time to go on their phones, boredom has led to the rise of these chains. If you want to participate, go ahead. If you don’t, chat with your friends or watch a movie instead. Allow people to connect in ways our parents used to connect, as long as they are not phishing.

Care for your body:

There is no better home than your own home. Social distancing has allowed people to embrace their home, sleep as long as they want and eat as much as they can. That is all good if you are able to survive until social distancing has been lifted. Exercise as much as you can, keep talking to your friends through social media, STAY SANE — that is what I mean by caring for your body.

Last but most importantly, forget this list.

It is kind of pointless that I listed out ways to quarantine the “right way” when in fact there is no right way to quarantine. Mere suggestions do not change people’s habits. Some may work really well without having to physically attend class and some may enjoy sleeping in. But, that is the beauty of it all. We have the time to enjoy our homes with all this time in our hands. So, do not listen to people who say that you should be doing this or doing that because they probably are just as bored as you are. 

Social distancing is a strong recommendation from many government and health leaders around the world, and it’s important that we adhere to that. However, this has resulted in panic, boredom and laziness. I have listed ways you can get through quarantine, but I am no expert. Words do not mean anything if people do not commit to it. So, get in there and quarantine. Do quarantine your way. That is the right way.

This article is part of our Opinions section and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gauntlet’s editorial board.