The coronavirus strain COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization Wednesday, March 11. As of March 14, there are five confirmed cases in the Johnson County area and one death in nearby Wyandotte County. 

As coronavirus mania has spread more and more of the public have been rushing to prepare for the worst. Is this stockpiling really worth it? People are stocking up like this is some sort of zombie apocalypse. 

COVID-19 should be taken seriously, but as long as you keep informed and practice healthy hygiene there is no need to overbuy. 

As the coronavirus sweeps through the United States, make sure to wash your hands and overall practice good hygiene. If you or a loved one are showing signs of the virus, please take the proper steps to get healthy again. According to the World Health Organization, “the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea.” 

All across the country colleges are shutting down and sending students home, including the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Johnson County Community College. High school students within our own district have been affected by these closures. Students preparing for college had many of their campus visits canceled. Due to the Olathe school district closure, the DHS swim team has had to temporarily cancel their practices. 

As well as college campus closures many events are being canceled. The De Soto High School band and choir students were supposed to go on a spring break trip to Disney World. Their trip was canceled because of concerns regarding large crowds and barely a day later Disney World closed. 

In addition, the district has instituted a full spring break closure so that they can conduct a full deep cleaning on all district campuses and facilities. Students in grades 6-12 were also informed to bring home their Macbooks for continued learning in case the district has to extend its closure beyond spring break. 

  The virus may not be lethal for the average healthy teenager, but that does not mean we shouldn’t take precautions to stop COVID-19 from spreading.