The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rapidly increase as more than 37 million total cases have been confirmed in the United States alone. The virus has resulted in more than 622,000 deaths, with numbers increasing everyday. According to who.int, the first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31, 2019. It was said to be reported at a Municipal Health Commission, located in Wuhan, China. The virus continuously spread in China until a case in Thailand was reported. It wasn’t until January 2020 the first U.S case was confirmed. As time progressed, people started to panic. During March 2020, toilet paper and hand sanitizer were the United States most wanted items. 

Math teacher and mother of two, Lydia Putnam, had a lot to say about the topic. “I stay at home with my 2 children. I don’t take them out. I spend most of my time at my job.” She later continued on to say how her family is her main priority, explaining she has to take care of them. 

The pandemic has surely changed the opinions of many Americans. Elizabeth Hernandez, a former junior, said, “Overall, I believe the United States can do better on making sure we get fewer cases. It is difficult to get the whole country to follow expectations, but the vaccine can help us a bit. Although we are not the best at handling COVID-19 to other countries, the thing is that we are handling it.” 

Many states have been handling the pandemic differently, including our home state, Kentucky. With approximately 523,000 total cases, and 7,000 deaths, Kentucky is ranked 24th in the country for the highest number of COVID cases. 

However, going deeper in Kentucky you will find Bourbon County. With approximately 2,000 total cases, Bourbon County has implemented many different strategies in order to adjust to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bourbon County High School students have returned to in-person learning with COVID-19 guidelines in place.  Students are required to wear masks for the entirety of the school day, excluding eating and drinking, while also following the six foot social distancing rule. Students are not allowed to walk without masks; a rule put in place by Governor Andy Beshear. “We are to the point where we cannot allow our kids to go into these buildings unprotected, unvaccinated and face this Delta variant… There is no other option. This is absolutely what we have to do.” Sophomore Esmerelda Garcia commented on the status of how BCHS has been handling Covid expectations. “Yes, BCHS has maintained its promise and has handled it well. If a person were to get Covid, people who would have made contact with that person would get quarantined. Overall, BCHS has followed expectations.” BCHS has ultimately handled the pandemic as they should, a sign they should keep going.