Letters to COVID-19: Part 1

Sabrina Bierman, Contributing Writer

Signs announce the closure of Tropicana Atlantic City, Monday night, March 16, 2020. Gov. Phil Murphy ordered casinos, movie theaters and gyms to close indefinitely, beginning 8 p.m., to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. (Lori M. Nichols)

Students in Ms. Rodriguez’s Introduction to Journalism class were tasked with writing a “letter to COVID-19.” They reflected on the changes that the pandemic has brought into their lives, but also their realizations and their regrets while adjusting to a new lifestyle. Here is an entry by sophomore Sabrina Bierman.

Dear Covid-19,

You are quite the piece of work, aren’t you? Not only have you managed to single-handedly dismantle the Chinese economy, but now you’re proceeding to destroy the economy of the United States. You have managed to infect nearly every country on the face of the planet, leaving us all bewildered and fearful, hiding away from you in our homes.

Are you happy now? Satisfied? Because from the looks of it, you’ve done enough damage and you should be on your way. You have derailed the lives of billions of people, who are indirectly suffering the consequences of your presence. My main question for you at this point is: why? Why did you have to enter our world when you did, or at all? Why are you so unpredictable? But mostly, why haven’t we been able to rid ourselves of you? 

You may not have infected me, but I’m still sick. I’m sick of being confined to the four walls of my room. I’m sick of staring at a screen all day. I’m sick of waiting for my life to go back to normal. I’m sick of you being the only thing anyone is capable of discussing, but above all I’m downright sick of you. You will surely go down in history as the worst global pandemic the 21st century has seen, but that’s evidently your goal, isn’t it? You only bring harm to innocent people, wreak havoc on their lives unapologetically. I really have nothing more to say to you other than “good riddance.”

                                                   Sincerely, Sabrina Bierman (a young victim by association)