On December 31, China announced that there were several cases of an unusual pneumonia spreading in a small sea market town in Wuhan. The disease was soon called the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and now, almost 4 months later, the illness that started in a small town in China has grown to affect the world, and it’s come to our town of Frisco, Texas, on the other side of the globe.

Due to the severity of COVID-19, Lebanon Trail announced that it would be having online school until April 3 to prevent more spread of the disease, but with COVID-19 only affecting more and more people each day, it seems LT’s students and staff are going to have to stay at home for a bit longer. 

With no vaccine in sight, it’s a wonder the federal government hasn’t taken the precautions that China and Europe seem to have taken long ago, such as a national lock down, stopping bills and rent, and helping those unable to afford resources. 

The federal government must do a mandatory lockdown and provide essential resources so that the United States can prevent facing more deaths from COVID-19 and to slow down the spread of the disease. 

States like New York, California, and Illinois have been forcing people to stay at home unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave. But why is it that our state governments are taking precautions that our federal government is refusing to do?

 It’s obvious that COVID-19 is more dangerous than people thought, and if the United States does not want to suffer the same fate of Italy with 6,820 deaths and counting, the federal government needs to step up and do what’s safe for their people.

As a student currently writing this editorial in pjs in the comfort of my home, we’ve been told to practice “social distancing”, staying at least 6 feet away from anyone other than our family members. School has been cancelled, restaurants are closing, Walmart no longer has 24 hour service, and yet I’m still seeing people hang out with friends and taking this as a “vacation” and not as a pandemic.

People aren’t taking the advice of social distancing seriously, and while we’re still largely to blame, the federal government needs to realize that they need to take action if they really do want to stop the spread of COVID-19 like they say. 

Without people taking isolation seriously, and our government not forcing a mandatory lockdown, COVID-19 cases are rising dramatically, but it’s affecting more people than we think. 

COVID-19 is dangerous for the people infected, and for the people working tirelessly in the hospitals trying to cope with patient overloads. It’s becoming too much for physicians and hospitals to handle, as they’re on the verge of running out of ventilators, and room to have more people. 

Instead of hoping this problem will go away, it’s up to our federal political leaders to provide resources and to force social distancing to help the people who are helping those with COVID-19. 

There have been so far 64,755 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and according to health experts, the US has not even hit its peak yet. If the government truly wants to flatten the curve of COVID-19 and dramatically slow the spread, advising social distancing is not enough.

I know myself and others are longing for life to return to normal and to never hear the words “COVID-19” ever again, but it seems we will have to wait. Our government is not taking this matter as seriously as it should be taken, and with that we’re stuck in a pandemic with no light at the end of the tunnel.