As of 12 April 2020 at 12:33pm, there have been 1,794,849 coronavirus cases, 109,939 deaths and 411,830 people who have recovered. More people have recovered than those that have died; there is hope.

Schools are closed. Libraries are closed. And we’re on LOCKDOWN. How have you been affected?

Everyone across the globe has been affected by the contagious disease,COVID-19, otherwise known as Coronavirus. Its root is thought to be in Wuhan, China; though, there are a few theories as to how it began to spread. Some say that the virus spread by people eating bats that were infected with the virus in China, though some argue that it was the Chinese government who orchestrated the construction of the virus in a laboratory. A recently emerging theory is that 5G is to blame for the coronavirus outbreak, however there are many studies and scientific evidence that have been provided to dispute this theory. Despite whatever has caused the outbreak of this malicious virus, what matters most is lives being saved.

Due to the virus, schools have been closed until further notice as they are a breeding ground for such a contagious virus to circulate. Now that schools are shut many students, from reception all the way to University, have had to undertake remote learning. Different schools are using many different platforms to communicate with students, such as Google Classroom, and while this is different to a student’s usual school day, we’ve all had to adapt to the new situation that we’re in.

I asked one of my friends, Naomi Odusina,  ‘ How has coronavirus affected you? ‘. Naomi responded by saying “Coronavirus has affected me both negatively and positively. It has brought about a lockdown which has prevented me from seeing my family and friends. But it has also given me an opportunity to catch up on my schoolwork and has given me time to achieve personal objectives – it is an opportunity that may not come again.”

GCSEs and A-Levels have been cancelled and it has been confirmed that students will be awarded “calculated grades”.  These grades will be decided by teachers based on their professional judgement as well as on classwork, non-exam assessment  etc. This has resulted in many mixed feelings from both teachers, students and parents, alike. Teachers have now been put under an extensive amount of pressure as their students’ grades are in their control and it is possible that they will receive opposition from parents and students who aren’t satisfied with the final grade that has been awarded.

Year 11 students have been deprived of the opportunity to have an official results day as people in previous years have had, whereby they may have been nervous, excited or brimming with mixed emotions. Furthermore, Year 11 students are uncertain about what to do in the forthcoming months as they don’t have exams, and are unsure as to whether they should be revising, learning their A Level content or if they can relax?  I would advise Year 11s to begin to learn their A Level content and make revision resources as it is good to stay in a proactive mindset so that when they return back to school, the workload won’t overwhelm them.

In spite of all the calamity that has come along with Covid-19, nevertheless, we should also not forget about the positives that have come out of this pandemic. While they may seem insignificant compared to the array of negative outcomes, it is important that we also highlight these positives so that we can uplift each other’s  spirits and hit pause on everyone concentrating on the negatives.

Since the UK went on lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus, in some cities, the levels of nitrogen dioxide have dropped by 60% (according to BBC News) which is a massive change. Nitrogen Dioxide is a gas that is released by car exhausts which indirectly contributes to global warming.

Moreover, this outbreak has led to families having closer relationships and people being more hygienically aware. An increasing number of people are recovering from the virus which is something we should be celebrating as it shows that there is hope and that we should have faith. Evidently, much more positives have come out of this outbreak than what shows on the surface.

Stay safe. Stay at Home.

By Eve Okubadejo