To whomever it may concern,

My name is Riley Morgan and I am currently a rising senior at Bronxville highschool. On March
20th, Bronxville switched to distance learning to take precautions and help stop the spread of the
Coronavirus. Since then, most stores in our town have been closed, and there is an 8 PM curfew for all
people under the age of 18. I am writing this letter to talk more in-depth about the virus, how it has
affected our town and ways we can improve and come together (metaphorically) as a town.
Before I go in-depth, I want to give a refresher on the basic information about the virus. To start
from the very beginning, I learned in my Advanced Biology class this year that a ​virus​ is a Genetic
element (RNA or DNA) enclosed in a protein coat. We also learned that ​viruses​ are not alive and rely on
other living or host cells to multiply. This means that while the Coronavirus is not spreading through the
air, it can easily be spread directly from person to person. According to the New York State Department
of Health, COVID-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2.
The respiratory droplets spread through humans can land on the nose, mouth, eyes, face, or hands
of another person within close contact and spread the virus. One of the hardest factors in controlling the
pandemic (a disease prevalent over an entire country or world) is that according to the World Health
Organization, symptoms can take up to 14 days to show up. Our town has done an excellent job of
making sure masks are being worn, and social distancing is being kept. However, I feel that we have
lacked a real sense of community and unity during this time. While I am aware we are not able to
congregate in big gatherings, I think we all need more things to look forward to, and things that can help
us make light of the situation we are in.
Short term wise, it is important for us as a town to create fun and socially distant activities we can
partake in because it will lift the spirits of the people who live here and provide others with a sense of
security and safety within our town.
Long term- It will make sure that the Bronxville civilians make it through this time stronger than
before, as well as create new possibilities and ideas for the Bronxville Officials to use moving forward or
if another problem arises. One activity we could do as a town is a drive-in movie. This would provide a
way for all of us (or those who are interested) to feel the social interaction we have been craving without
breaking social distancing practices. Having everyone together in a safe way is a great way to show our
town's creativity and dedication to its people.
In an Eye Witness News article written on May 13, 2020, the author discusses how many towns
in Long Island have provided its people with drive-in movies as an activity the town can partake in
without worrying about spreading or contracting COVID-19. The towns are offering them multiple times
a week, and sometimes multiple times a day to ensure there is not a surplus of people attending one event.
Having multiple ones allows the people of Bronxville to get a sense of normal life and interaction without
spreading COVID more in our town.
Another way our town can do better at satisfying and showing its care for Bronxvillians is to open
the restaurants in town for dining. While it is obvious that we are not ready for enclosed inside dining,
many places have created dining spaces outside and allowed seating at socially distant tables. In
Connecticut, many restaurants have opened their dining patios and have allowed customers to enjoy a
meal without having to take it to go. In Greenwich Connecticut, Many streets have been blocked off and
filled with socially distant tables to not only create more business for restaurants who have been
struggling to pay rent and workers who have been out of a job. It has also allowed the people of
Connecticut to have some aspect of their normal life back. The distance kept between the tables allows for
the safety of all diners. Masks worn by the employees ensure there can be no transmission. In our town, I
suggest we close a street and place socially distant tables outside.
This helps Bronxville in many ways. From a business perspective, many of our restaurants are
family owned and are solely surviving off their business in Bronxville. While takeout orders have been
supplying them with funds, allowing seating will create more jobs and more profit for our town's local
businesses. Creating socially distanced seating also shows our town's dedication to its people. It allows
people to have something to look forward to and gives them a reason to leave the house. These are just
two out of many ways that the officials in Bronxville can unite our community and make its people happy
while keeping them safe. I feel the importance of distanced interaction and activity speaks for itself,
considering we have been in isolation for over three months.
However, if you do not see the importance, allow me to explain. William Wan is a journalist for
the Washington Post. He wrote an article on May 4th, 2020 explaining the negative mental health
problems that the Coronavirus has been inflicting on people. He states that federal agents and mental
health experts have warned that a historic wave of mental health problems such as depression, substance
abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. is approaching. A federal emergency hotline for people
in extreme emotional stress saw over a 1,000 percent increase in April 2020 than it did in 2019.
According to Wan, there has also been over a 65 percent increase in therapy users. With mental health
problems spiking all across the world, it is important to understand them on a scientific level to see what
is causing them and how they can be fixed. brain regions implicated in depression are the ​amygdala​,
hippocampus, and the dorsomedial thalamus​. ​Depression​ is known to cause the amygdala -the part of
the brain that deals with emotion- to enlarge. According to Bridges to Recovery, a company dedicated to
educating the public about mental health, When the ​amygdala​ becomes larger and more active, it causes
sleep disturbances, changes in activity levels, and changes in other hormones. In times like these where
there is a huge amount of stress, anxiety, and fear placed on the general public, people are much more
likely to develop a depressive order.
One thing that can help prevent depression is dopamine. In my biology class, we spent a long
time going over the parts of the brain as well as the chemicals and hormones that are released. ​Dopamine
is produced from the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. With no variety of ways to distress and the
ability to partake in everyday activities, it is easy for dopamine levels to decrease. Bridges to Recovery
states that an increase in dopamine levels “could have a big effect” on depression-like behaviors. A big
way to increase dopamine levels in your brain is through eating enjoyable food, being outside, and social
interaction. I feel it is almost as important to make sure the people in our town are staying safe mentally
as well as physically. This is why Bronxville needs to create more ways for us to safely leave our house
and enjoy ourselves.
Although crowded groups can be dangerous if out of hand, I believe we all can do our part of
wearing masks and social distancing. It is key to making sure no one has to go through losing a family
member or friend, not to the virus, but mental health. There are many easy and safe activities such as
drive-in movie theaters and socially distanced restaurant seating that can and will do our town well. Not
only will activities have a positive short-term impact as it will relieve stress for our civilians and create
opportunities for people to feel normal, along with making sure the mental health of our people are not
spiraling out of control; but on a long-term level will make the Bronxville community come out of this
situation stronger and more unified, and the town of Bronxville will be more skillful in planning events
for the town, preparing for emergencies in the future and communicating its care for the people in our
community., If you did not understand the importance of said activities before, I hope you do now. Our
town’s officials need to do a better job of making sure its people are ok on more than a physical level. I
hope you will read this letter and consider my proposal. I know that this is something much needed and
would be highly appreciated by all civilians in Bronxville. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Riley Morgan