By Leah Wilkinson
The weather’s been beautiful, but many remain indoors. However, Louisville’s Cherokee Park has been filled with people — and they’re not standing six feet apart from each other.
Bellarmine junior Layla Colakovic lives across the street from the park. “People are all over the place like it’s the beach,” she said.
Colakovic said she does not approve of what’s happening in the park but said she can understand people wanting to get out of their homes.
“A lot of people are staying safe, but I personally think some of the indoor insanity is hard, so some people do go out,” she said.
Colakovic said she hasn’t left her house in three weeks.
“It’s driving me insane, but I’m genuinely happy this way knowing my 88-year-old grandmother that lives with me is safe,” she said. “But I really don’t think some people realize the gravitas of this situation considering it’s super-damaging to people’s lungs if they get it regardless of age, depending on severity.”
Grace Sampson, a sophomore at Jefferson Community and Technical College, said she also sees many who aren’t being safe.
“I think the mindset is that they don’t feel at risk, yet they risk the health of others by possibly passing it along to them,” she said.
Nurse Alice Kimble, director of Bellarmine’s office of health services, agreed, saying this is about more than just individuals and the decisions they make for themselves.
“It’s not about you. It’s about other people that rely on you to help to keep them safe,” she said.
Bellarmine junior Jordan Stacy also echoed that sentiment.
“It’s about being a part of the community overall and valuing every single life as much as your own,” he said.
The Washington Post recently published an article about students, many who ended up contracting the virus, choosing to still go on spring break trips to various destinations.
The article stated the following: “‘If I get corona, I get corona’ was the unofficial rallying cry of thousands of young adults who viewed the government’s social distancing guidelines as a draconian overreaction to the coronavirus pandemic, which exploded from fewer than 100 cases nationwide on March 1 to more than 180,000 by the end of the month.”
Colakovic said she believes many aren’t following guidelines because they’ve never faced anything like this.
“It’s one of those surreal moments that [causes] people to go out of the norm and not do what they should be because people in our [age group] were babies when 9/11 happened,” she said. “This is going to be a big world culture shift [or] shock and a lot of people have died. It’s expected [but] people don’t know how to act.”
Colakovic said she feels those who have been in dire situations are more likely to take the recommended (and in some cases required) precautions.
Colakovic knows about dire situations: Her father was in the Bosnian genocide in Sarajevo.
“But my parents in comparison, my dad is a veteran and fought when he was [19]. He wasn’t in an army, he gathered up random guns and fought for his life and people, [and] my mom was a refugee. They understand a tough situation and they immediately put the family on lockdown,” she said.
Stacy, a resident assistant who will be on campus to oversee many check-outs over the next few weeks, said he can see why the blame is falling on the younger generations.
“I definitely see [the carelessness] happening still with a few friends and people around, so I can see why younger people may be the ones who need a little extra push to establish these social distancing practices in a way that is actually beneficial to everyone,” he said.
Sampson said she’s much more careful now than she was a few days ago.
“I haven’t seen anyone besides my boyfriend, compared to a couple of weeks ago when I was seeing friends and family who don’t live at home with me,” she said. “I sanitize basically anytime I touch anything outside of home [and] I tend to find myself going outside in less populated areas to walk compared to before.”
Sampson said the rapidity of the virus caused her to alter plans.
“How fast it has spread in such a short amount of time and the closing of businesses shows the seriousness in the situation,” she said.
Bellarmine sophomore Sasha Belinova shared what she’s been doing to keep herself and others safe.
“Well I know for me what I do is the basic stuff,” she said. “Wash [my] hands a lot and cover my mouth when I’m coughing or sneezing.”
With safety recommendations and requirements changing often, even those who have been staying safe all along have had to adjust.
Although Colakovic said she’s frustrated with those who are not social distancing, she also said she hasn’t always been as cautious as she is now.
“I didn’t get it at first, but I realized that [my parents are] right because this situation is beyond our control and keeping to the guidelines keeps us safe,” she said.
Stacy said he also wasn’t as careful in the beginning.
“As far as my practices and opinion, I’ll admit it took me a few days of getting informed and talking to people before I realized this really is an ‘everybody’ thing.” Stacy said. “It’s easy to think ‘I’m going, I’ll be fine,’ or ‘I don’t have anyone to bring it back to,’ but if everyone thinks like that these practices don’t mean a thing.”
On the flip side, Sampson said she does see many who are being safe.
“I believe many kids and younger adults are taking many precautions, such as self-quarantine, to help keep the spread of the virus [from growing], some by choice and some by parents’ choice,” she said.
But, like Colakovic and Stacy, Sampson said she still sees many being reckless with their health and the health of others.
“However, there is the other group of youth who continue to get together with friends in large groups,” she said.
Sampson said she’d like to see a balance amongst those who are cautious, specifically between those teetering on the edge of being safe and those hoarding items such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer and food.
“I feel there needs to be a middle ground between both groups. Someone who is being precautious, yet still being calm and not being greedy,” Sampson said.
The Washington Post article showcased the words and remorse expressed by one spring breaker who contracted the virus:
“Life is precious,” wrote Brady Sluder, the spring breaker from Ohio who said he would not let a global pandemic stop him from partying. “Don’t be arrogant and think you’re invincible like myself.”
Although some are less careful during these times, Stacy said he believes many in the Bellarmine community have been doing what they need to do.
“I think so many Bellarmine people hold those values and are doing what they need to do, which helps inspire others and gives a little hope that we’ll all get through this together.”