Even if you live under a rock, you know that we are still living through a global pandemic. Who knows, maybe you’ll be forced to crawl back under. As soon as the year began, the only thing I looked forward to in 2020 was my 21st birthday. The events during the first ten months of 2020, however, have been unprecedented.
On March 13, 2020, Trump declared COVID-19 a National Emergency. In the weeks that followed, residents of the United States and the world participated in shelter-in-place. Those weeks turned into months. Small businesses closed down due to a lack of customers, the stock market plummeted, and people have taken their opinions to the internet. In a social media dominated world, it’s no surprise that people turned to those platforms. No one knew how long this would last, and although most businesses are open and people are starting to rediscover their social lives, large gatherings are still not recommended.
I ordered decorations, picked out a cake to buy later, and selected an outfit to wear. My housemates and I planned the decorations and games in anticipation of the birthday party.
Last week, I encountered someone whose housemate had tested positive for the virus. Although the friend had not seen their housemate in about a week, I started to question my own health. I didn’t know the timeline of the friend’s housemate’s eventual positive test. The biggest worry about the coronavirus for many is that the symptoms and positive test will not show until up to two weeks after the infection. I waited for the friend and others to get their test results and I knew I should get tested as well. I had to tell my housemates and cancel the small party I was planning.
I have not experienced any symptoms, but since the affected can be asymptomatic, I am taking as many precautions as I can to minimize the spread to others. I cancelled my birthday party and rescinded the Facebook invitations that I sent out.
Even though my first birthday celebration was cancelled, I am choosing to look on the bright side. I apologized to my housemates for the possible COVID-19 case, and they were very understanding of the situation. They suggested that we have a housemates only celebration for my birthday. My friends from back home, who could not have come to the party in the first place, decided on a Zoom call, which I am so thankful for.
