Jaselle Ríos

Professor Hugetz

ENGL 1301-05

November 2nd, 2020

Full Rough Draft of Report Essay

For the majority of 2020, our lives have been consumed with worry and stress about the

immediate threat of the ongoing pandemic, Covid-19. Corona infections spread like wildfire all

throughout the world, and with no certified cure, as well as symptoms that can either appear

more severely in others, it’s been proven extremely difficult to slow down the spread. With new

information coming everyday about new symptoms and concerns, the question remains whether

or not it was a good idea to reopen the general public. Reasons for doing so could be attributed to

preventing another economic downfall – such as the recession of 2008. The virus has been a part

of our lives for a while now, and everyone was anxious to ‘return back to normal’, but was it

worth it? While some leaders, economists, health care professionals, and politicians believe that

the worst of the Corona Virus pandemic is behind us and that we should continue reopening as

normal, others believe the worst is yet to come and we should be taking precautions more

seriously and prepare to possibly face another lockdown.

When the virus broke, everything came to halt. Corporations, small businesses, schools,

everything was shut down in order to prevent the spread. It began with employees being laid off

in the masses, the U.S lost 20.6 million jobs from March to April alone. This means that the

United States saw an unemployment rate lower than that of the Great Depression. This
information could be taken to the side of the debate that the states need to open back up in order

to provide employment and attempt to help the current state of the economy. America was

devastated when the pandemic hit, not only by the numbers of infections and death that took a

toll; but also on the economy with the sudden drop of unemployment. Many went without jobs,

and lost their only source of income. So one could argue that the reopening gave these people

affected a chance to gain their livelihood back.

The rise of cases that came with the reopening of businesses should have been a warning

sign to government officials, but the economy was in such a rut, it seemed to be the only option

to help save our country. In the reopening of states after a few months of quarantine, COVID-19

cases began to surge in the places that reopened. While some states experienced a steady opening

with no immediate breakouts, other states were seeing a massive rise in cases within weeks.

With no cure and a new school semester that “needed” to begin, more and more students

and faculty are being exposed to the virus, leading to an increase in cases. As aforementioned,

states are varying in the amount of spikes in cases, with this in mind, public schools and colleges

are opening back up and allowing students to return back to their schools. While this can be seen

as beneficial – considering children who rely on schools for their meals, a safe environment, and

an overall place of shelter in which to learn – it is unethical to argue that this step isn’t putting

both the students and teachers at risk to a virus that is continuing to spread, and isn’t showing

signs of stopping anytime soon. With this widely debated topic on whether or not schools and

campuses should be reopening, this means that children can get their education in-person and

actually take in the material and learn. All the while. More and more students and staff are being

infected, and some never recover. Cases of the virus are rapidly growing, thanks to the

unexpected events that are bound to happen in public schools.

 Now the topic that everyone is anticipating: the fight for ‘personal freedom’ that comes

with the public being told they are required to wear masks. At the beginning of the lockdown

back in March, the general public was not informed that they should be wearing masks for not

only their safety, but for the safety of everyone around them. Why would states reopen the

general public when it has been shown that some people cannot follow simple safety guidelines

(social distancing, no large gatherings, wearing protective masks, etc.). Back in June, one of the

biggest stories in the media was about the Charlotte protests. At that same time, Black Lives

Matter movements were going on as well; however, the ones taking place in North Carolina were

focused on the refusal to wear masks. If the public cannot come together and follow rules and

safety precautions in order to prevent the spread, why would states open back up, potentially

putting more lives at risk?

In conclusion, there are multiple contrasting views and opinions concerning opening up

public areas. There are both pros and cons to each side of the debate, from benefiting those who

lost their means of income and helping out the economy, to potentially putting more people at

risk and causing flare ups – it is a hard subject to speak on, and difficult to decipher what

argument is right. All that needs to be said is: follow the safety guidelines and protect yourself,

as well as others.
SOURCES:

- Bartik, Alexander W., et al. The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Outcomes and

Expectations. 28 July 2020, www.pnas.org/content/117/30/17656.

- Kamenetz, Anya. “Are The Risks Of Reopening Schools Exaggerated?” NPR, NPR, 21

Oct. 2020, www.npr.org/2020/10/21/925794511/were-the-risks-of-reopening-schools-

exaggerated.

- Petrow-Cohen, Caroline. Wearing Masks Will Be Mandatory Now. Here's Why Some

People Have Refused to Wear Them.

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article243672692.html.

- Santora, Tara. “More Than 40 Schools Have Already Closed for COVID.” Fatherly, 28

Aug. 2020, www.fatherly.com/parenting/all-these-schools-reopened-and-then-had-covid-

19-outbreaks/.