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By Michael Mandia ('24)
All people are guaranteed to share two moments in life: birth and death. But for the past year, many of us have shared a feeling of boredom and have been affected by the virus. Everyone's go-to question is “How do you stay occupied?” Some people don’t even know. They just look forward to the day that everything goes back to normal. It is hard for all of us, especially the youth that needs to socialize and learn their fundamentals.
The two-week lockdown that turned into over a year caught many by surprise. As the pandemic kept many people home, the number of adopted dogs increased drastically. According to The Washington Post, “Lucky Dog Animal Rescue in Arlington said it expected to finish 2020 helping about 3,385 pets find homes, up from about 1,800 the year before.” Quarantining and working from home has led to more family time, which makes a great excuse to adopt a new pet.
Being stuck inside with all of this family time has also increased the urge to travel. During the peak of Covid, airlines reduced some flight prices down to $20 round-trip. You can say goodbye to that! Prices are skyrocketing now that the vaccine has reached over 70 million people. Hotel costs have also been increasing, and CNBC stated that “searches for summer travel have been up 27% each week” since Biden’s announcement that consisted of information on the quarantine travel restrictions. This spike just goes to show that staying home has impacted people's outlook on traveling.
Social media has also been a key factor in staying occupied. Apps like TikTok have made their way to the top. The time-consuming and very creative application has an astonishing 500 million monthly users with over 2 billion worldwide downloads. TikTok’s global VP expressed that the platform is designed to “inspire creativity and spark joy.” It is not only a silly app but a source of income for many. Bustle reports that “the program planned to distribute $200 million to users over the age of 18, with minimum 10K followers, who've amassed minimum 10k views in the last 30 days. After enthusiasm from users, TikTok promised to grow the fund to over $1 billion, to be paid out over the next three years.” TikTok has been a primary source of entertainment for many during the pandemic, and we encourage you to check out our top 10 TikTok dances article as well!
The boredom has also pushed people into making radical decisions, such as creating a home gym. Being home all the time and having a gym at your fingertips just makes life so much more convenient…. Wrong! Prices of weights have surged to up to $2-3 per pound. Availability in many stores is low and some people resell items for triple the retail price. “Health and fitness equipment revenue more than doubled, to $2.3 billion, from March to October,” according to NPD, which is a market research company. Many people have invested in a private area dedicated to weight training during the lockdown, including myself, to ensure that they can still train even though gyms shut down.
Quarantine fun from The Razor!
A year has passed since the start of the pandemic, and we have learned to adapt. Humans have control over the world because we adapt and overcome. We could not have seen any of this coming, but I would say that we are managing well. Friendly reminder to stay safe, stay healthy, and try your best to stay occupied!
Cover from bymuratdeniz/Getty Images. Home page from the Holidus Quarantine Survival Guide.
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