COVID-19 FAMILYSURVIVAL GUIDE

Navigating Hard Situations By Mary Leah Yearty

Don’t isolate yourself. Your family is going throughthe same process as you, rely on them for support.Talk about the person who passed and tell stories oftheir life. Laughing helps to remember them fondly. Don’t feel rushed to make the big decisions. Give youand your family time to process before you rush intohandling affairs and logistics.

IF YOU'RE DEALING WITH GRIEF..

The best way to avoid major issues is to plan before theworkday and stay organized. Have separate spaces forparents and kids to work.Try to print and gather all materials before the workday toavoid moving around and disturbing anyone. Be considerate of others. If the family has different lunchand snack breaks, try to eat outside or in a different roomto keep down noise. Be aware of your family’s schedule andneeds and try to adjust your own habits to respect theirs.

IF YOU'RE ALL WORKING AT HOMETOGETHER...

Differing personal beliefs, especially about Covid, canbe difficult to reconcile in family situations.If your family members are more Covid sensitive, tryto be considerate of their concerns. Skipping a fewactivities is worth preserving an important familyrelationship.Discuss the issue. Don’t let it become an argument,and try to find a middle ground. Both people shouldbe prepared to reconcile something.

IF YOU HAVE DIFFERENT COVIDBELIEFS…

If someone has tested positive, the whole familyshould be careful and monitor symptoms. If you are isolating in different rooms, opt forvirtual options like group Facetimes, GamepigeonCrazy 8s games or watching the same movie.Stay positive and try to stay in contact withoutside friends. Try virtual poker, Cards AgainstHumanity, 20 questions or Pictionary.

IF YOU ARE QUARANTINEDTOGETHER…

Being placed on lockdown or having to quarantine has been a universal experience for people across the world, specifically in the United States. While most of us saw it as a time to do DIY projects, read a book and slack on schoolwork, many families became divided due to being stuck at home, especially considering the recent, politically charged climate. Not only are families battling mental health issues and working from home, but vaccine beliefs, Covid-19 concerns and election stressors are also contributing to family tensions. As the pandemic has slowly progressed, the introduction of the vaccine has been the main focal point as of late. The pandemic itself has become politicized, which has carried over into the vaccine distribution. With different political opinions within families, there’s a chance some family members may feel strongly about receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, while others may argue against it. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) conducted a survey amongst 80,000 adults on whether they’d decline or accept the chance to get a Covid-19 vaccine. The survey showed that 17 percent of adults would not get vaccinated. These parents who do not believe in receiving the Covid-19 vaccine may then go on to encourage their children to not get the vaccine either. Arguments and internal conflicts within families will start to break out as many parents and children have different opinions about whether they should get the vaccine or not. “My family has been skeptical of the vaccine after several right-wing news anchors told them that it was dangerous,” senior Jacob White said. “Therefore, they told me I could not get it. I am 18 though, so I scheduled my vaccine and got it without them knowing.” The intensity of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement rose simultaneously with Covid-19 cases. So, as people were forced back into quarantine, families found themselves watching the news about protests, sparking heated political discussions. BLM was a source of tension between families with both similar and divided views. Desires to go protest in support of the cause were matched with concerns about contracting Covid-19 from the protests. In other homes, family dinners turned into heated debates about the loss of black lives and the demonstrations occurring across the country. During the 2020 election cycle, party lines were drawn even more harshly because of the influence of Covid-19. Many of those concerned about the next president’s pandemic response voted blue due to the emphasis President Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates put on Covid-19. In contrast, voters for Former President Donald Trump and Republican candidates did so due to a desire for freedom from the restrictions of the pandemic. These divided beliefs about contract-tracing, mask mandates and the legitimacy of the

virus were often carried into many American homes. The politically-influenced actions of members in a family, such as not wearing masks, caused stress on those more concerned about Covid-19 safety. “When my mom caught Covid-19, she quarantined in her room for two weeks, and I did the same,” White said. “My dad did not want to and disagreed with us doing it, so he would come into our rooms to try and get us to stop.” With the intensity of the political climate at this time, the impact of Covid-19 on families has only made relationships more strenuous and uncomfortable. Having to be quarantined with people who have different political opinions can be difficult, especially when it involves beliefs on whether to receive the Covid-19 vaccine or not. Any family member who is cautious of being exposed to Covid-19 and has chosen to stay as safe as possible during the pandemic should be supported by the rest of their family. It is time to have mutual respect for our families and agree to disagree on each other’s differing political views.

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 AND POLITICS ON FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

For Maclay School, the Covid-19 pandemic not only brought changes to the learning environment, but to the Maclay faculty as well. In the fall of 2020, science teacher Matt Schnippert departed from Maclay, citing in a school-wide email on Nov. 6 that his reasons for leaving included conflict with Head of School James Milford, as well as neglection of proper Covid-19 safety guidelines. Schnippert’s daughter Liisi, a sophomore, remained at Maclay for the school year after her father’s resignation. For L. Schnippert, the pandemic not only brought stress about safety, but also stress about the changes her family had to endure. “It’s causing me to have to change schools next year,” L. Schnippert said. “It was hard in the beginning. At the end of October when my dad told me he was leaving, he obviously said that I had to leave too.” M. Schnippert’s sudden departure raised much curiosity amongst the student body. After the Tallahassee Democrat published an article on Nov. 12, 2020 about M. Schnippert and his concerns regarding Maclay, the interest surrounding his exit increased. As his daughter, L. Schnippert had to face her peers’ questions and concerns. “I definitely got a whole bunch of questions in the beginning, because all my friends took his class,” L. Schnippert said. “They expected me to know the future.” While L. Schnippert had to undergo the pressures of dealing with the Maclay community’s reaction, M. Schnippert himself had suffered severe stress through the process. Schnippert, along with other teachers, fought tirelessly over the summer for the implementation of more safety guidelines due to the pandemic, such as plexiglass for the teachers’ desks. It was the rejection of their suggestions and poor treatment of the group of teachers that caused M. Schnippert to notice a decline in his mental health. “There was a lot of stress with my

family because mentally he was just in a bad place,” L. Schnippert said. “That put stress on my mom and home life.” As students returned to campus and the school year began, M. Schnippert and fellow Maclay faculty became uncomfortable with the misinformation being spread about Covid-19 cases and the lack of safety being enforced, as it cultivated distrust in the community. “In the fall, it was the stress that he wouldn’t know if he was truly safe or not,” L. Schnippert said. “As a whole, Covid was a big risk, but he had to be there. He wasn’t allowed to teach from home.” The problems brought about by the pandemic caused major changes to occur in the lives of the Schnippert family, and although it gave them a great deal of stress, Liisi believes that, though she will be changing schools, the future looks brighter. “I’ve just come to realize it’s probably for the best,” L. Schnippert said. “I’m just excited for a new beginning.”

Looking to leave the past behind

HOW THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHANGED THE LIVES OF THE SCHNIPPERT FAMILY

“My family was quarantined in our home for almost four weeks. It was very difficult to navigate with people testing positive at different points. Personally, I got very sick and had symptoms for over two weeks, while my dad and brother felt no effects. We had to celebrate Christmas with masks and sit on different ends of our living room, and I spent New Years sick and alone in my room. It was a long and difficult period

for my family.”

“In the beginning of the pandemic, my stepmom was laid off from her job of 12 year. She filed for unemployment; however, she had high hopes that her company would hire her back once they got everything under control. It has been nine months, and her company has gone completely under. She is still actively looking for a new job in staff recruitment. I hate that she doesn’t get to go to work with her longtime coworkers and do what she loves anymore, but I’m hopeful that 2021 will turn things around for

her and my whole family!” “Chick-Fil-A is obviously a spot where workers see a lot of people every day, so when I was told I needed to quarantine, I immediate-ly said I would not be able to come in; However, I don’t agree with their policy about quarantining, which is basically that unless you have symptoms, you still need to come in. I feel that is unfair and not safe, so I am continuing to quarantine, knowing I could get in trouble with Chick-Fil-A for not coming in, which is definitely an

added stressor.”

junior Stuart Brown

junior Lilly Hamilton

“I had two of my grandparents pass away on the same week-end during the pandemic. Being quarantined and alone with my thoughts made the grief so much worse. After they passed, my family and I were under a lot of pressure to have funeral services that followed Covid safety guidelines. Los-ing my grandparents during the pandemic was probably

one of the most stressful, horrible periods of my life.”

senior Sarah Smith

freshman Jane Parker

by SHELBY WATSON | general editor

by veronica marshall-kirk | online editor-in-chief

Source: Pew Research Center

NAVIGATING TOUGH SITUATIONSby mary leah | managing editor