Covid-19: A Means to an End

A pleasant spring break short-lived by unforeseen circumstances

It was a warm, beautiful day on Wednesday, March 11th. My friends and had decided to take a spring break trip to Los Angeles, California. The weekend prior to that, the forecast said it was supposed to rain the majority of the week starting Tuesday, which it did.

The trip got off to a superb start taking in the sights of Los Angeles and all it had to offer. We often ran into celebrities such as the likes of Nick Young, Jhene Aiko on Rodeo Drive, Zach Efron passing through Melrose, Killer Mike at the Roscoe’s, and Robert Griffin III at a restaurant where we ate.

Expecting a day filled with rain, when we woke up that Wednesday morning there was nothing but sunshine in the air, so it was time to go to the beach, and not just any beach.While we were deciding which beach to go to, another developing story was coming to the front. We were learning that colleges were closing down their campuses for the rest of the semester to combat the COVID-19 spread.

We were stunned that it had come to this; at this point we knew that this pandemic was a serious matter. However, we still decided to go to the beach since it was such a great day. We did realize that California had a good number of COVID-19 cases already, hence we took the necessary precautions going to the beach with at least one sanitizer or other forms of disinfectant.

I was glad we had gone to the beach that day. Experiencing California for the first time, it was a soothing experience playing basketball on the courts of Venice Beach, where people from all walks of life watch you play while taking in the vibes of the beach just like you.

Let me reiterate I was glad to have gone to the beach that day, because it would be the last real day I would not only enjoy in California, but the end of the semester.

This sudden news led us to reminisce about the things we were looking forward to the rest of the semester. That Friday we came back to the campus of Morehouse College, and I could tell already that the college aura had already sent its final goodbyes. As I sat in my dorm room in Perdue Hall, the only things on my mind were how could this be happening, my sophomore year was officially over and that we would be going back home early.

A couple days later, Morehouse sent an email stating that we had to leave campus by Wednesday, March 18th, instead of the 21st because the city of Atlanta had issued a shutdown of the city in the middle of the week. My job was now to think fast and figure out how to be prepared to check out on Wednesday.

This abrupt situation seemed like an emotional roller coaster nearing its peak, as I had to clear out my room, find a storage space, and get a ticket for Wednesday afternoon. I made the necessary arrangements, and by Wednesday I was ready to go back home to Washington, D.C. I hope this is the last time I have to be associated with the COVID-19 virus, as I understand it’s not a good feeling to get the disease.

Matthew Cooper is a student at Morehouse College.