my summer vacation amid covid 19 essay

• < Previous

Home > History Community Special Collections > Remembering COVID-19 Community Archive > Community Reflections > 21

Community Reflections

My life experience during the covid-19 pandemic.

Melissa Blanco Follow

Document Type

Class Assignment

Publication Date

Affiliation with sacred heart university.

Undergraduate, Class of 2024

My content explains what my life was like during the last seven months of the Covid-19 pandemic and how it affected my life both positively and negatively. It also explains what it was like when I graduated from High School and how I want the future generations to remember the Class of 2020.

Class assignment, Western Civilization (Dr. Marino).

Recommended Citation

Blanco, Melissa, "My Life Experience During the Covid-19 Pandemic" (2020). Community Reflections . 21. https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/covid19-reflections/21

Creative Commons License

Since September 23, 2020

Included in

Higher Education Commons , Virus Diseases Commons

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately, you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Expert Gallery
• Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• SelectedWorks Faculty Guidelines
• DigitalCommons@SHU: Nuts & Bolts, Policies & Procedures
• Sacred Heart University Library

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

30,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• School Education /

Essay on Summer Vacation: Samples for Students

• Updated on  
• Jan 8, 2024

Summer vacation offers a cherished break from routine. It’s a time to unwind, explore, and create lasting memories. Whether relaxing on sandy shores or venturing into new cities, the freedom of summer allows for rejuvenation. Activities like swimming, hiking, or simply reading a book by the pool offer a sense of bliss. 

It’s a chance to bond with family and friends, sharing laughter and experiences. As the warm sunsets, the moments lived during this break become stories that enrich our lives and fuel our dreams until the next summer adventure arrives.

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Activities and Destinations
• 1.3 Quality Time with Family and Friends
• 1.4 Reflection on Memories
• 1.5 Returning to School
• 1.6 Conclusion
• 1.7 Things to Include in Essay on Summer Vacation
• 2 Essay on Summer Vacation in 100 words
• 3 Essays on Summer Vacation: 200 Words Sample
• 4 Essays on Summer Vacation: 400 Words Sample
• 5 A Journey of Self-Introspection
• 6 In Conclusion

Also Read – Essay on Human Rights

Summer Vacation Essay for Students: How to Write 

When writing a summer vacation essay for students, it’s important to include a variety of points to provide a well-rounded perspective of the experiences and emotions associated with the break. 

Here are some key points to consider including in your essay:

Introduction

• Introduce the concept of summer vacation and its significance for students.
• Set the tone for the essay by expressing the anticipation and excitement of the break.

Activities and Destinations

• Describe the different activities you engaged in during your summer vacation.
• Discuss any trips you took, whether it was a family vacation, a road trip, or a visit to a new place.
• Mention specific destinations, such as beaches, mountains, cities, or cultural sites.

Quality Time with Family and Friends

• Emphasize the importance of spending time with loved ones.
• Share anecdotes and experiences of bonding with family and friends during the vacation.

Reflection on Memories

• Reflect on memorable experiences and moments that stood out during the vacation.
• Share stories or incidents that left a lasting impression on you.

Returning to School

• Transition to the end of the vacation and the feelings associated with going back to school.
• Express a mix of nostalgia and renewed energy for the upcoming academic year.
• Summarize the various aspects of your summer vacation and its impact on you.
• Conclude by highlighting the value of breaks like these in shaping holistic growth.

Things to Include in Essay on Summer Vacation

• During my summer vacation, I do a lot of new things and have fun.
• Doing artwork and playing with my friends are two of favourite things to do in summer vacation.
• During my summer vacations, I usually visit my grandparents and spend some days with them.
• Me and my sister help our grandfather to water plants. His hobby is gardening.
• At bedtime, I love to hear stories from my grandmother.
• One of the favourite thing of mine is the delicious food that my grandmother makes during summer vacation.
• During my summer vacation, I love to spend time with my family and watch movies with them.

Use descriptive language to make your experiences come to life for the reader. Additionally, aim for a balanced mix of personal reflection and broader insights into the significance of summer vacation for students.

Also Read – Essay on Waste Management

Essay on Summer Vacation in 100 words

An incredible time to visit hilly destinations with family are holidays. They give an escape from the same monotonous life schedule. The summer season is an incredible time to have those stress free excursions and get in touch with nature which is nearly impossible in our daily schedules for the whole year. I visited my grandparents last year and stayed with them for two weeks. In contrast with the word summer, the cool thing about summer vacations is discovering new trails, creating new things, etc. During my stay with my grandparents, I also read novels and other books that helped me expand my knowledge of the world. For the remainder of the vacation days, I spent them playing games and cooking my favourite dishes.

Essays on Summer Vacation: 200 Words Sample

Summer is a time to bask in the warmth of the sun, explore new horizons, and create lasting memories.

During this break, I embarked on a journey of relaxation and adventure. I had the opportunity to visit the serene beaches of a coastal town. The soothing sound of waves and the gentle caress of the sea breeze offered a perfect escape from the bustling city life. The sand between my toes and the sun kissing my skin provided a sense of tranquillity.

Holidays are an amazing time for us to visit hill stations with family. The summer season is a great time for us to take stress-free trips and get to trek in nature, which we aren’t able to do in our busy schedules for the entire year. Last year I visited my grandparents and stayed with them for 20 days. The best thing about the summer holidays is creating and discovering new things in the village. While enjoying my stay, I also learned some new things that expanded my knowledge. I spent the rest of the summer holidays playing board and video games and cooking under my mother’s supervision.

As the summer days slowly waned, a sense of nostalgia crept in. The memories and lessons from this summer vacation will continue to shape my journey as I return to the world of academics with renewed vigour and a heart full of gratitude.

Essays on Summer Vacation: 400 Words Sample

Summer vacation, that much-awaited break from the mundane routines of school and study, is a time of rejuvenation, exploration, and personal growth. It offers the perfect opportunity to unwind, reflect, and create lasting memories.

A Journey of Self-Introspection

During this past summer vacation, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and adventure. The journey began with a sense of anticipation and excitement, as I bid adieu to textbooks and classrooms. My destination was a coastal paradise, where golden sands met the azure sea. The tranquil rhythm of the waves provided a serene backdrop for relaxation, reflection, and renewal.

The break also provided ample time for cultural exploration. I wandered through quaint streets, explored historical sites, and engaged with locals to gain insights into their way of life. Trying local cuisine became a delightful adventure in itself, as I savoured flavours that were a symphony of tradition and innovation.

Amidst exploration, I found time to reconnect with my family. Shared laughter, deep conversations, and moments of camaraderie became the heart of the vacation. We hiked through lush trails, picnicked in meadows, and watched sunsets that painted the sky in hues of orange and pink. These experiences solidified the bonds that make family the cornerstone of our lives.

Beyond leisure, the vacation allowed for personal growth. I pursued hobbies I had set aside during the academic year, from painting to playing musical instruments. I also volunteered with a local community organization, an experience that not only gave me a sense of purpose but also introduced me to remarkable individuals and stories.

As the vacation drew to a close, a sense of nostalgia settled in. The days had flown by, leaving behind memories etched in the sands of time. The journey, both physical and introspective, had transformed me. I returned with a newfound appreciation for the beauty of the world, the importance of relationships, and the significance of taking breaks to recharge.

In Conclusion

A summer vacation is more than just a break from school; it’s a transformative experience that encompasses relaxation, exploration, and growth. It’s a canvas upon which we paint our memories, our passions, and our connections. As I stepped back into the world of academics, I carried with me the lessons and experiences of this summer, poised to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Related Reads:-

Summer vacation denotes the period of leisure in the summer season. Due to the elevated environmental temperatures, particularly in late May and throughout June, educational institutions such as schools and colleges remain shuttered during this interval.

Summer is a period of prime significance for children. Children have the freedom to engage in activities of their choice. During the break, they have the opportunity to revel in the company of their parents, closest companions, neighbours, and more.

Opting to frequent hill stations annually can provide respite from the unbearable summer heat.

We hope that this blog essay on summer vacation has given you some known and unknown facts and secrets about summer vacation. For more amazing daily reads that will help you build your IQ and improve your reading and writing skills, study tuned with Leverage Edu . 

Aditi Gupta

A bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communication graduate, I am an enthusiastic writer. I love to write about impactful content which can help others. I love to binge watch and listen to music during my free time.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Connect With Us

30,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today.

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

How to Write About Coronavirus in a College Essay

Students can share how they navigated life during the coronavirus pandemic in a full-length essay or an optional supplement.

Writing About COVID-19 in College Essays

Getty Images

Experts say students should be honest and not limit themselves to merely their experiences with the pandemic.

The global impact of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, means colleges and prospective students alike are in for an admissions cycle like no other. Both face unprecedented challenges and questions as they grapple with their respective futures amid the ongoing fallout of the pandemic.

Colleges must examine applicants without the aid of standardized test scores for many – a factor that prompted many schools to go test-optional for now . Even grades, a significant component of a college application, may be hard to interpret with some high schools adopting pass-fail classes last spring due to the pandemic. Major college admissions factors are suddenly skewed.

"I can't help but think other (admissions) factors are going to matter more," says Ethan Sawyer, founder of the College Essay Guy, a website that offers free and paid essay-writing resources.

College essays and letters of recommendation , Sawyer says, are likely to carry more weight than ever in this admissions cycle. And many essays will likely focus on how the pandemic shaped students' lives throughout an often tumultuous 2020.

But before writing a college essay focused on the coronavirus, students should explore whether it's the best topic for them.

Writing About COVID-19 for a College Application

Much of daily life has been colored by the coronavirus. Virtual learning is the norm at many colleges and high schools, many extracurriculars have vanished and social lives have stalled for students complying with measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

"For some young people, the pandemic took away what they envisioned as their senior year," says Robert Alexander, dean of admissions, financial aid and enrollment management at the University of Rochester in New York. "Maybe that's a spot on a varsity athletic team or the lead role in the fall play. And it's OK for them to mourn what should have been and what they feel like they lost, but more important is how are they making the most of the opportunities they do have?"

That question, Alexander says, is what colleges want answered if students choose to address COVID-19 in their college essay.

But the question of whether a student should write about the coronavirus is tricky. The answer depends largely on the student.

"In general, I don't think students should write about COVID-19 in their main personal statement for their application," Robin Miller, master college admissions counselor at IvyWise, a college counseling company, wrote in an email.

"Certainly, there may be exceptions to this based on a student's individual experience, but since the personal essay is the main place in the application where the student can really allow their voice to be heard and share insight into who they are as an individual, there are likely many other topics they can choose to write about that are more distinctive and unique than COVID-19," Miller says.

Opinions among admissions experts vary on whether to write about the likely popular topic of the pandemic.

"If your essay communicates something positive, unique, and compelling about you in an interesting and eloquent way, go for it," Carolyn Pippen, principal college admissions counselor at IvyWise, wrote in an email. She adds that students shouldn't be dissuaded from writing about a topic merely because it's common, noting that "topics are bound to repeat, no matter how hard we try to avoid it."

Above all, she urges honesty.

"If your experience within the context of the pandemic has been truly unique, then write about that experience, and the standing out will take care of itself," Pippen says. "If your experience has been generally the same as most other students in your context, then trying to find a unique angle can easily cross the line into exploiting a tragedy, or at least appearing as though you have."

But focusing entirely on the pandemic can limit a student to a single story and narrow who they are in an application, Sawyer says. "There are so many wonderful possibilities for what you can say about yourself outside of your experience within the pandemic."

He notes that passions, strengths, career interests and personal identity are among the multitude of essay topic options available to applicants and encourages them to probe their values to help determine the topic that matters most to them – and write about it.

That doesn't mean the pandemic experience has to be ignored if applicants feel the need to write about it.

Writing About Coronavirus in Main and Supplemental Essays

Students can choose to write a full-length college essay on the coronavirus or summarize their experience in a shorter form.

To help students explain how the pandemic affected them, The Common App has added an optional section to address this topic. Applicants have 250 words to describe their pandemic experience and the personal and academic impact of COVID-19.

"That's not a trick question, and there's no right or wrong answer," Alexander says. Colleges want to know, he adds, how students navigated the pandemic, how they prioritized their time, what responsibilities they took on and what they learned along the way.

If students can distill all of the above information into 250 words, there's likely no need to write about it in a full-length college essay, experts say. And applicants whose lives were not heavily altered by the pandemic may even choose to skip the optional COVID-19 question.

"This space is best used to discuss hardship and/or significant challenges that the student and/or the student's family experienced as a result of COVID-19 and how they have responded to those difficulties," Miller notes. Using the section to acknowledge a lack of impact, she adds, "could be perceived as trite and lacking insight, despite the good intentions of the applicant."

To guard against this lack of awareness, Sawyer encourages students to tap someone they trust to review their writing , whether it's the 250-word Common App response or the full-length essay.

Experts tend to agree that the short-form approach to this as an essay topic works better, but there are exceptions. And if a student does have a coronavirus story that he or she feels must be told, Alexander encourages the writer to be authentic in the essay.

"My advice for an essay about COVID-19 is the same as my advice about an essay for any topic – and that is, don't write what you think we want to read or hear," Alexander says. "Write what really changed you and that story that now is yours and yours alone to tell."

Sawyer urges students to ask themselves, "What's the sentence that only I can write?" He also encourages students to remember that the pandemic is only a chapter of their lives and not the whole book.

Miller, who cautions against writing a full-length essay on the coronavirus, says that if students choose to do so they should have a conversation with their high school counselor about whether that's the right move. And if students choose to proceed with COVID-19 as a topic, she says they need to be clear, detailed and insightful about what they learned and how they adapted along the way.

"Approaching the essay in this manner will provide important balance while demonstrating personal growth and vulnerability," Miller says.

Pippen encourages students to remember that they are in an unprecedented time for college admissions.

"It is important to keep in mind with all of these (admission) factors that no colleges have ever had to consider them this way in the selection process, if at all," Pippen says. "They have had very little time to calibrate their evaluations of different application components within their offices, let alone across institutions. This means that colleges will all be handling the admissions process a little bit differently, and their approaches may even evolve over the course of the admissions cycle."

Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.

10 Ways to Discover College Essay Ideas

Tags: students , colleges , college admissions , college applications , college search , Coronavirus

2024 Best Colleges

Search for your perfect fit with the U.S. News rankings of colleges and universities.

College Admissions: Get a Step Ahead!

Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S. News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy .

Ask an Alum: Making the Most Out of College

You May Also Like

Premedical programs: what to know.

Sarah Wood May 21, 2024

How Geography Affects College Admissions

Cole Claybourn May 21, 2024

Q&A: College Alumni Engagement

LaMont Jones, Jr. May 20, 2024

10 Destination West Coast College Towns

Cole Claybourn May 16, 2024

Scholarships for Lesser-Known Sports

Sarah Wood May 15, 2024

Should Students Submit Test Scores?

Sarah Wood May 13, 2024

Poll: Antisemitism a Problem on Campus

Lauren Camera May 13, 2024

Federal vs. Private Parent Student Loans

Erika Giovanetti May 9, 2024

14 Colleges With Great Food Options

Sarah Wood May 8, 2024

Colleges With Religious Affiliations

Anayat Durrani May 8, 2024

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Skip to Site Navigation Skip to Page Content

• Physician Referrals
• Patient Resources
• Why UT Southwestern

Refine your search: Find a Doctor Search Conditions & Treatments Find a Location

Appointment New Patient Appointment or Call 214-645-8300

Summer travel advisory: How to have a safe vacation amid COVID-19

July 1, 2020

The old adage "Safe travels!" has taken on an extra dimension this summer as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect nearly every aspect of our lives.

Vacations and getaways will look very different this year. A survey by Travel Weekly found that 47% of would-be travelers are more likely to drive than fly in 2020, with 42% more likely to stay close to home on their road trip.

Luckily, there are lots of things to do outdoors – my family changed our international travel plans to take a trip to a national park. There are also plenty of great daytrips to take in Texas, where you can still enjoy fun in the sun and stay close to home without major risks to your health.

So, grab your mask and hand sanitizer and consider these five tips to have a safe, fun summer getaway, despite the pandemic.

1. Hit the road, Jack (or fly with caution)

No matter how you travel, check the CDC's COVID-19 tracker to see if your destination is a high-risk area. Several states are requiring a 14-day self-quarantine if you are coming from Texas.

When it comes to COVID-19 risks, traveling by car is safer than flying. Contain your car crew to just the people you live with, or if you're traveling with extended family and friends, make it a caravan of vehicles rather than everyone piling into the van.

Pad your typical road trip kit – load up on snacks, drinks, and entertainment for fewer stops. And be sure to pack extra hand sanitizer, disposable masks , and disinfectant wipes. Keep in mind that rest stops are potential hot spots for virus in the air and on surfaces. Do an extra-thorough wipe down if you have to use a public baby-changing station or a public restroom and wear your mask.

Even if you choose to travel more locally this summer, don’t forget to call before you make the drive. Many attractions are limiting hours, capacity, and requiring reservations to make it easier to maintain physical distances between patrons. See Texas COVID-19 case counts .

Another survey found that 61% of U.S. respondents planned to postpone vacation until travel restrictions are lifted – with 47% stating their first trips would be to visit friends and family.

Airports (as well as bus and train stations) are high-traffic areas where it can be hard to social distance. If you do fly, keep this mind:

Masks are strongly encouraged at Dallas and Fort Worth airports, but not required, which increases the level of risk for COVID-19 infection.

Some airlines are requiring masks on flights, but physical distancing is next to impossible on a plane, even though several airlines are leaving the middle seats open to create space between passengers.

Ultimately, if you’re going to fly do your best to control the controllables:

• Plan to wear your mask the entire time, in the airport and on the plane
• Skip the snacks – to eat, you'd have to touch your face (a COVID-19 no-no)
• Bypass beverages, even the first cocktail in first class, for the same reason
• Carry hand sanitizer (mind the TSA size limits!)
• Wipe the seats and tray table with disinfectant wipes
• Keep the flight short, if possible

If you're traveling internationally, follow CDC precautions and self-quarantine for 14 days to avoid potentially infecting others – even if you have no COVID-19 symptoms .

2. Look for low-key lodging

Try to stay at smaller hotels or motels, which will reduce the number of people gathered in one place. Ask the hotel about its COVID-19 cleaning practices. When you arrive, use disinfectant wipes to sanitize all high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, counters, and faucet handles. Repeat this as your family comes and goes-

3. Move the fun outdoors

As I’ve mentioned in previous COVID-19 articles , the risk of transmission outdoors appears to be significantly lower than indoors. COVID-19 is transmitted through small respiratory droplets in the air and on surfaces. So, consider traveling to some of the country’s wide open spaces.

If you visit a busy trail, park, or beach, try to keep at least six feet of separation between you and others not in your immediate family. Wear a mask when they venture closer. Instead of an indoor family reunion, consider an outdoor barbecue or rent an open-air pavilion. Keep your groups small (fewer than 10 people) and spread out as much as possible.

If you have family coming to visit you or they’re traveling from other states or countries, consider the risks associated with the places that they left. Is it a hot spot ? Have they been physically distancing? It's OK to politely ask these questions. And if you're asked, be honest to avoid unintentionally spreading the virus.

4. Enjoy takeout or dining on patios

Indulging in local flavors is a favorite vacation activity, but it requires some precautions. When you’re on the road, consider opting for takeout meals, splurging on room service, or purchasing groceries from a local store so you can make fresh meals in your room.

If you do venture out to a restaurant, find a spot on the outdoor patio, sit at least a table apart from others if possible, and avoid community items, such as condiment containers or self-serve cups and snacks. Sanitize your hands regularly and wear a mask when you’re not eating.

Also, avoid touching reusable menus – look at their choices online instead. Or boost the restaurant's cleaning efforts by wiping off menus with disinfecting cloths.

The Summer of COVID-19 for Kids and Parents

Children who’ve been stuck at home since March are more than ready to dive into pool parties, sleepovers, and seeing friends again. But how will parents know what’s safe? UT Southwestern pediatric specialists Dr. Jeffrey Kahn and Dr. Rinarani Sanghavi join Dr. John Warner to discuss this hot topic.

5. Hunker down when you come home

After your adventure, you might need to self-quarantine to reduce risks to others. Consider where you've gone – was it a high-risk area? Were you potentially exposed? Do you have symptoms?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, self-quarantine for 14 days to be safe. The CDC provides links to each state’s health departments, which should include information on COVID-19 cases and restrictions in that area. The average time from COVID-19 exposure to symptom onset is two to five days. Patients remain infectious for approximately 10 days. Not all infected people develop noticeable symptoms, so you may unintentionally spread the virus.

COVID-19 has ushered in a new normal, from how we work to how we vacation. As you navigate your family's pandemic summer plans, remember we can't live in a bubble, but we can do our part to keep ourselves, our families, and the residents of areas we visit safe. So wear a mask, avoid large gatherings, observe safe physical distancing, and practice good hand hygiene.

We all have the responsibility to take care of each other. Do your best, and try to enjoy your summer.

For more information about COVID-19, subscribe to our blog . If you need to see a doctor, call 214-645-8300 or request an appointment online .

COVID; Prevention

Summer fun in the sun: What's safe outdoors during COVID-19?

• Sonja Bartolome, M.D.

May 22, 2020

More in: COVID

Next Article Flu, COVID, and RSV vaccines: Who should get them and when

More from COVID

Flu, covid, and rsv vaccines: who should get them and when.

• Julie Trivedi, M.D.

September 13, 2023

Brain; COVID; Heart

POTS or Long COVID? How to tell the difference

• Meredith Bryarly, M.D.
• Steven Vernino, M.D., Ph.D.

June 12, 2023

Omicron boosters: Do I need another COVID-19 shot, and when?

• James Cutrell, M.D.

September 12, 2022

What Texans need to know about monkeypox

• Helen King, M.D.

June 16, 2022

Sizing up the second booster: If, and when, to get another COVID-19 shot

April 22, 2022

COVID; Mental Health

Coping with crisis fatigue: 7 tips to ‘keep calm and carry on…’

• Kipp Pietrantonio, Ph.D.

March 3, 2022

COVID; Prevention; Your Pregnancy Matters

Maternal vaccination reduces newborn COVID-19 hospitalization risk by 61%

• Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, M.D.

February 22, 2022

Straight answers on Omicron, the fast-moving COVID-19 variant

January 20, 2022

Understanding Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant of concern

• Trish Perl, M.D.

December 22, 2021

More Articles

Appointment New Patient Appointment or 214-645-8300 or 817-882-2400

• Share via Facebook facebook
• Share via Twitter twitter
• Share via LinkedIn linkedin
• Share via Email email
• Print this page print

Should you travel this summer? Here’s a guide to vacation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

To some, the idea of taking a summer vacation amid the COVID-19 pandemic is out of the question. With COVID-19 cases reported in all 50 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people stay home to protect themselves and others from getting sick.

“COVID-19 remains an ongoing pandemic with sustained community transition — even if you are traveling to a place with fewer cases,” said Dr. Benjamin Singer, assistant professor of medicine (pulmonary and critical care) and biochemistry and molecular genetics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

To others, a carefully distanced excursion to the woods or a secluded beach is in the works after months of staying close to home.

“There will be lots of people who take trips, come home and everything is fine. But there are going to be other people who take trips and end up sick who wouldn’t have otherwise gotten sick if they’d stayed home,” said Dr. Emily Landon, associate professor of medicine, infectious diseases expert and epidemiologist at University of Chicago Medicine. “It’s really up to you, about what you want to spend your personal risk on.”

For those planning a trip away from home this summer, the Tribune asked medical experts what precautions and items to take on every step of a journey by airplane, car or train. What follows are their answers, along with guidance from the CDC, Transportation Security Administration, and other state and federal agencies.

Whatever your plans, don’t lose sight of this opportunity to enjoy quality time with those you’ve been hunkering down with since March. “2020 may not be the summer we thought we would have, but find time to read, explore and find the joy around you — and savor what you can,” said Dr. Amy Bohnert, associate professor of clinical and developmental psychology at Loyola University Chicago, “That is a gift we can give our kids that will last a lifetime.”

BEFORE YOU GO

Q: First off, is travel safe?

CDC: Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. We don’t know if one type of travel is safer than others; however, airports, bus stations, train stations and rest stops are all places travelers can be exposed to the virus in the air and on surfaces.

Q: What factors should go into picking a destination?

CDC: The following should be considered when thinking about planning a trip away from home:

– Is COVID-19 spreading in your community? Even if you don’t have symptoms, you can spread COVID-19 to others while traveling.

– Is COVID-19 spreading at your destination? You can get infected while traveling. You can also spread the coronavirus – without symptoms – to loved ones when you return.

– Would you have to quarantine for 14 days after arriving at your destination? Check the state and local requirements.

Q: Are there any groups of people for whom you would not recommend travel for this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic?

Singer: “Higher-risk groups, including older adults and people with chronic health conditions.”

Q: Is one form of travel safer or limits exposure to COVID-19 better than others?

Singer: “Staying at home is the safest option, but travel options that allow you to stay socially distant would be considered the safest.”

Dr. Erica Hartmann, assistant professor of environmental engineering at Northwestern University: “I personally would opt for modes of transportation that are less densely crowded and allow for lots of ventilation.”

TAKING A ROAD TRIP

Q: What is the general guidance?

CDC: Making stops along the way for gas, food or bathroom breaks can put you and your traveling companions in close contact with other people and surfaces. You may have to stop less often, but RV travel typically means staying at RV parks overnight and getting gas and supplies at other public places. These stops may put you and those with you in the RV in close contact with others. One approach for eating is to pick up food at drive-thrus or curbside restaurant service.

Q: It’s inevitable – I’ll need to stop and use the restroom during my trip. Is there any way to prevent germs from following me back to my car?

Hartmann: “Wash your hands. Which really, you should be doing regardless of COVID-19.

“Perhaps not directly related to your question, but remember to practice social distancing in the restroom if there are multiple people in the restroom. And maybe you shouldn’t talk while you’re in there.”

GOING BY AIR?

CDC: Air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes. Social distancing, however, is difficult on crowded flights, and you may have to sit near others (within 6 feet), sometimes for hours. This may increase your risk for exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. Wear a nonmedical, fabric face covering during the flight.

AT THE AIRPORT

Q: A trip to the airport is in my future and I’m worried about potential COVID-19 exposure. How can I protect myself in the terminal?

Landon: “My mom’s 75 years old. She’s been stuck in Florida much longer than usual because of the pandemic, but it’s time to come home. She’s traveling in a week and a half. We’ve had a lot of discussions about what to do. Here’s what I would do if I was going to fly right now, and this is what I advised my mom to do, as well.

“When you get in the security line, then try to keep distance from the people around you. Make sure you are wearing your mask, if you can, then manipulate the situation so you’re in line with other people wearing their masks. If the person in line in front of you doesn’t have a mask on, then let other people go ahead. Security will touch your stuff. Don’t freak out about it. Hopefully, they will be wearing masks, too, because that’s required and recommended. When you get your stuff back from security – what you should do every single time – is wash your hands. If you don’t have time to stop and wash your hands in the bathroom, then use your hand sanitizer.

“After security, get some space and keep some space between yourself and other people before you have to board your flight. You don’t want to be stuck sitting close to other people. Maybe that means finding an empty gate or one that doesn’t have a flight going out right now where you can sit at instead. There’s no rule that says you have to sit at your crowded gate before your flight. When it’s time to line up to board the flight, try to keep some space. Just remember the CDC doesn’t count an exposure unless you’re within 6 feet of someone for 15 minutes or more. Just wait to get up and only get in line when it’s your turn. The person standing behind you is going to do what they want to do, and there’s not much you can do about it.”

ON THE PLANE

Q: I know I will need a face covering. What type would you suggest for the flight?

Landon: “You’ll want to bring a really high-quality fabric mask or a medical mask for traveling. You need to make sure your mask is super protective – not just preventive. Fabric masks are great for holding in your own respiratory droplets. But if other people aren’t wearing their masks, then they are not holding in their respiratory droplets. If everyone wears a preventive mask, then, together, everything is safer all around. But if you can’t count on other people to do that, then you need to have a really good fabric mask like the World Health Organization recommends. Probably two or three layers with a high thread-count cotton and/or silk inside of it or a filter pocket inside of it. One that fits you well. That’s what I would wear. I find fabric masks to be a lot more comfortable than medical masks.

“I would try not to take off my mask during the flight – you may need to in order to have a drink of water on a 4-hour flight. But on a short flight, you could probably get away with drinking before you board and then drinking again when you get off the plane.”

Q: What should I do when I arrive at my seat?

Landon: “I would wipe down the armrest and the tray table. If I’m in the window seat, then I would wipe that down, too, because that’s what people often lean against and put their hands on. Then I would sit in my seat, wash my hands again with hand sanitizer and sit tight. Leave your mask on for the flight.

“You’re really only at risk from the people within a couple of seats of you in any direction. So, two seats behind you, two seats diagonally, two seats in front of you. That’s what you’re really worried about.

“If someone is coughing in the back of the plane, then don’t freak out. People passing you in the aisle, don’t freak out. Theoretically, the window seat is the safest.”

Q: I see people sitting near me who have taken off their mask during the flight. What should I do?

Landon: “When we think about how to protect people out in the world from COVID-19, I like to describe it as a layered or stacked approach. We stack up interventions. None is meant to be perfect on its own. You can rely on cleaning your hands, wiping down your seat, keeping your distance from other people – these are all ways to reduce your risk when traveling. But some of them aren’t as easy to do when traveling, like protecting your eyes. So, if other people are coughing or sneezing or have respiratory droplets that are contagious, then that can get in through your eyes. A mask doesn’t protect them. And your regular glasses aren’t great protection either.

If you find yourself stuck on an airplane with someone two rows behind you or one seat behind you coughing – or, say, the guy next to you doesn’t look all that well – you want to be able to add an extra layer of protection.

Dr. Emily Landon, University of Chicago Medicine:

“I strongly recommend bringing one of these plastic face shields that covers your mask. It will help protect your face, your eyes and mask from becoming contaminated. They are really comfortable. The first time you put one on, you’re like, ‘This is ridiculous,’ but you can see your whole face through it. You can wear your mask underneath it. In fact, we’re recommending them for little kids at school, when schools go back, that they might be a better form of protection than trying to get them to keep their masks on. They are available on Amazon. You could even make one yourself. I would bring one with me. I wouldn’t, necessarily, wear it the whole time. I would definitely have it with me so I could add a layer of safety. If I feel like I can’t keep my distance from people and other people aren’t wearing masks, then that would be the time I would want to put on a face shield. The real time to need them is when you’re around people who aren’t wearing masks. I think you need to have something that will help you add a layer of protection if someone else isn’t doing their part. That, for me, would be a face shield.”

WHAT ABOUT STAYING AT A HOTEL?

CDC: If staying at a hotel, then check the hotel’s COVID-19 prevention practices before you go. When you are there, limit close contact with others in the lobby or other common areas, take the stairs instead of the elevator and choose contactless options for check-in when possible.

Q: I’ve arrived at my destination. Are there any inside surfaces at my lodging I should wipe down as a precaution?

Hartmann: “If you’re really set on taking matters into your own hands, focus on high-touch surfaces (keys, doorknobs, light switches, maybe remote controls).”

Q: What should I look for when booking a hotel?

Landon: “The most important thing is to look on the hotel’s website ahead of time and make sure the hotel has a good written policy about COVID-19. You want to see that they require masks to be worn – by staff and guests – in the inside common areas all the time. You want to see that they say something about their disinfection plan in rooms. Not just cleaning them in between guests, but they are disinfecting them using an EPA-registered disinfectant and they’ve trained their staff in how to do so. You want to see that they have a social distancing plan in place and they have policies for use of their common-use areas – like gyms or pools. That means the hotel is taking steps to protect its workers and guests. If the hotel is taking a lot of steps to protect their workers and guests, then it’s less likely there will be sick people wandering around your hotel, which makes it safer.

“It’s important that the hotel has a clear policy, but you want to go a step further. You want to find information on travel websites or talk to someone who’s been there recently. I would want to know what is really happening on the ground.

A lot of places have policies. If you call the front desk ahead of time and they have no idea what the hotel’s policies are, then that’s a bad sign.

Q: Is it safe to use a hotel’s pool?

Landon: “Pools are not inherently bad. Chlorine in pools should kill COVID-19. That’s not a problem, but people don’t wear masks when they are in pools. In general, the recommendation in Illinois is that pools are not open for recreation right now, but could be opened for exercise.

“Look for sun loungers to be spaced apart, signs saying the pool is not allowed to be used for recreation, only for exercise, and a limited number of swimmers can be inside at one time. If you scope it out and it appears you can safely do that, then, sure, go ahead and swim some laps.”

Q: What about camping?

CDC: Going camping at a time when much of the United States is experiencing community spread of COVID-19 can pose a risk to you if you come in close contact with others or share public facilities (like restrooms or picnic areas) at campsites or along the trails.

Q: What if I’m staying with family?

Landon: “Take care of yourself. Be pretty socially distant from people in the week leading up to your trip. If your family is really, really anxious about your visit, then plan to leave a few days early and take a break in a hotel for five days before you stay with family. And get tested, maybe, if everyone is really concerned.”

Q: What are some precautions to take for any type of travel?

CDC: Consider the following when leaving your home:

- If taking prescription medicine, then bring enough to last you for the entire trip.

- Pack hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

- Bring a cloth face covering to wear in public places.

- Prepare food and water for your trip. Pack nonperishable food in case restaurants and stores are closed.

- Follow state and local travel restrictions. Check state and local health department information at home, along your route and at your destination.

RETURNING HOME

Q: OK, I’ve made it back home after my trip. How can I prevent the entire trip’s germs from ending up inside my living space?

Hartmann: “Again, wash your hands when you return. Consider disinfecting high-touch objects that you may have had with you or objects that other people outside your trusted circle may have handled, if you intend on using them again very soon.”

Landon: “If you come home from a trip, then assume you’ve been exposed (to the new coronavirus). Get tested five to seven days after your last exposure, stay home for a little extra time. If I was going to travel like that this summer, then I would book another week off afterward so that I wasn’t spreading anything that I might have picked up.”

OK, THIS IS HARD

Q: My partner wants to travel this summer, but I’m unsure about it. Can you suggest some ways we can have a conversation and try to understand each other?

Bohnert: “Partners should strive to appreciate what their partners would and would not feel comfortable doing. It is also important to understand where those concerns come from. Does a partner have a health condition that makes them more vulnerable? Is a partner worried about losing time away from work and reductions in salary if they are exposed? Is your partner worried about the potential of encountering racism? Are they concerned about whether there would be adequate medical care in the place where they are visiting? If one partner is particularly uneasy with one locale, perhaps another that is more familiar, closer to home or involves less time away could provide a more comfortable escape. The more you can understand what specific things make your partner uneasy about traveling, the easier it will be to come up with some options that may be more palatable if one of the partners feels strongly about the need to get away.”

Q: After months of sheltering at home, I’m now afraid to head out into public and be around other people. What can I do to make a trip away from home seem less stressful?

Bohnert: “To start, I would encourage people to normalize these stressful feelings. After all, we have been told to avoid people and shelter at home to prevent getting sick. So heading out in public runs counter to the advice we have been heeding over the past three months – how could we not feel nervous about it?

It would be hard not to feel unsettled by the prospect of being in public after all the precautions we have been asked to take. So don’t judge yourself for feeling uncertain.

Dr. Amy Bohnert, Loyola University Chicago:

“Next, try and pinpoint exactly what makes you feel uncomfortable. Is it being in closer contact with others? Fears of dining out? If you can figure out what makes you feel uneasy, you may be able to control some aspects of that situation that will make it feel more manageable. As with most things, when we feel anxious or concerned about a situation, we may seek to avoid it so we don’t have to feel anxious. This, of course, reinforces that the situation is something to be feared because when we avoid it, we don’t feel worried. So figuring out what you can control – wearing a mask (properly), washing/sanitizing your hands and finding less crowded outdoor places where you can better manage how close you have to get to others – may make the decision to get out more palatable. All these behaviors will decrease (but not eliminate) the likelihood you get infected if you encounter someone who is contagious.”

Q: How can we have a fun, productive summer as a family if we decide to not take a vacation and choose, instead, to stay home?

Bohnert: “For many people, traveling introduces a lovely element of novelty to our lives. We get to see different scenery, eat different foods and have new experiences. With all the novelty we are currently facing and the uncertainty that lies ahead, the risk incurred by traveling may be more than families are ready for during challenging time. But finding little ways to enjoy the spaces and people around you, even while distancing, is important.

“There are many lovely places to explore in the Chicago area during the summertime that provide a nice respite from our homes. Some are closed but may be reopening in the coming weeks. The botanic gardens and forest preserves are lovely, nature-filled spaces. Some of our renowned Chicago university campuses also have splendid grounds in which to stroll. Springfield is a bit farther away but a great place to explore for history buffs, as is Cantigny in the western suburbs.”

Consider setting some up some new family rituals – bike rides, walks to look for birds, berry picking and picnics can all be nice ways to escape.

• {{lL.name }} {{lL.languageCode | uppercase}}
• Skip to main navigation
• Skip to content
• Skip to footer

0"> {{suggestionHead.categoryName}}

{{bckdata.locationheading}}.

• {{ !!location.countrycode?location.countryName :location.officeName }}

{{headerData.hamburgerPrimaryFeatureHeading}}

0" ng-style="{'color': tile.tiletextcolor}" class="gpof-h-xs white bold padding-b-nill gpof-font-semi-bold margin-b-15">{{tile.title}}, {{headerdata.hamburgersecondaryfeatureheading}}, 0" ng-style="{'color': tile.tiletextcolor}" class="gpof-h-xs gpof-grey-dark bold padding-b-nill gpof-font-semi-bold margin-b-15">{{tile.title}}, how i spent my covid summer vacation.

As previously published in the Daily Report

• Practice Tips for Lawyers

After months of social distancing, many attorneys are planning a summer vacation and seeking some respite. The need to take time away from work obligations may be more necessary than ever.

Studies and surveys show that disconnecting from the office can be very important for attorneys. Attorneys grapple with high rates of stress, depression, suicide and burnout. Vacationing can help alleviate some of these mental health issues. Law practices that encourage and facilitate breaks may have more productive colleagues with longer and more fruitful careers.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, summer vacations may look different this year. Thus, there are some additional considerations to assess when taking time off. Here are some tips for lawyers considering vacationing during the summer months.

The New Normal: Consider Travel Restrictions and Self-Quarantines

Before planning any trips out of state, it can be helpful to consider whether your law firm has policies on local and international travel. Many law firms have travel restrictions or other parameters restricting an attorney’s return to an office after travel. If traveling out of state, depending on the destination since some states are considered “hotspots,” you may have to observe self-quarantining requirements before returning to the office.

If a planned vacation is to a hotspot area or an area with increased levels of infection, it can be helpful to consider beforehand whether you have the capability to work from home if you cannot return to the office for 14 days after travel. Many attorneys also are confirming whether their existing plans to visit other states still make sense at this time. For example, some states are requiring people to quarantine upon arrival. Other popular vacation destinations may pose an increased risk to vacationers who were otherwise practicing social distancing and other steps to reduce risks at home. Thus, the vacationing attorney may consider where the original plan can be revised or altered to reduce ongoing risk of getting sick or of being unable to return to the office in a timely way.

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed how many of us work, it is important to consider the ramifications of the new normal and the impact of the vacationing attorney on others. As such, the vacationing attorney can plan ahead to ensure that everyone is given latitude to adjust their schedules to accommodate potential additional work or issues that may require attention.

For many, effective vacation planning requires the following four steps.

First, review the calendar for any conflicting deadlines with the potential vacation dates. If there are conflicts, it can be helpful to address those ahead of time, such as by obtaining an extension, rescheduling or having the deadline covered by another attorney.

Second, notify the necessary parties of the planned vacation, including courts (where appropriate), parties, clients and the law practice. Notably, courts have little tolerance for legal gamesmanship by opposing counsel who fail to accommodate vacations and may even impose creative sanctions for unprofessional conduct. ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.3, comment [1], provides that: “The lawyer’s duty to act with reasonable diligence does not require the use of offensive tactics or preclude the treating of all persons involved in the legal process with courtesy and respect.”

Third, identify the ability to communicate with clients and colleagues during the vacation (i.e., access to phone or email). Some go completely “off the grid,” while others will periodically check email or voicemail. What works best typically varies by each attorney and their current obligations; the key is making sure everyone is on the same page.

Fourth, set up systems to minimize the risks, such as using technology tools and systems for email and voicemail. For work emails, consider utilizing “Out-of-Office Assistant” or other auto-reply emails. For voicemail, the same systems also work.

Typically, the earlier notice is given, the easier it typically is to manage obligations while away from the office.

Final Steps

While some attorneys have been returning to work in their offices, many attorneys are still working from home. Those attorneys may think that going on vacation will be no different from working from home, given that they have maintained less of a physical presence in the office over the last several months. However, it is still important to implement practices on the last day in the “office.”

On the last day before vacation, most attorneys will turn on the “out-of-office assistant,” record the “out-of-office” voicemail message and confirm who will be monitoring communications or providing back-up support during the vacationing attorney’s absence. Having an “out-of-office checklist” may be the most reliable tool available to the vacationing attorney. Additionally, it can be helpful to have a contingency plan in the event an unexpected development requires the immediate attention of the vacationing attorney.

For some attorneys, the idea of completely disconnecting from the law practice is simply too much. Those attorneys can set up a daily contact point. Typically, this includes a set time, place and procedure for someone in the office to reach the vacationing attorney to provide reassurance that everything is under control.

During the pandemic, many attorneys have been working from home, managing the cyber risks that are associated with logging into the office virtually, and working remotely. If a vacationing attorney simply must check in regularly while on vacation, the attorney can also be aware of the same cybersecurity concerns and risks.

While on vacation, an attorney may consider using smartphones and other electronic devices to access firm or client data that are password protected and require two-step authentication. At a minimum, smartphones and other devices should be secured with passwords. Some firms have also adopted the ability to remotely wipe the device clean if it is lost or stolen. Attorneys can also be mindful of using unsecured Wi-Fi connections (which could expose confidential data to risk) and of falling victim to “phishing” scams when away from their day-to-day computer setup.

How can the world's largest global law firm help you today ?

Contact us or find an office in your location..

Unsolicited emails and other information sent to Dentons will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others, may not receive a response, and do not create a lawyer-client relationship. If you are not already a client of Dentons, please do not send us any confidential information.

Redirection

You are switching to another language. Please click Confirm below to continue.

Leaving Site

You will now be taken from the global Dentons website to the $redirectingsite website. To proceed, please click Accept.

Leaving Dentons

Beijing Dacheng Law Offices, LLP ("大成") is an independent law firm, and not a member or affiliate of Dentons. 大成 is a partnership law firm organized under the laws of the People’s Republic of China, and is Dentons' Preferred Law Firm in China, with offices in more than 40 locations throughout China. Dentons Group (a Swiss Verein) ("Dentons") is a separate international law firm with members and affiliates in more than 160 locations around the world, including Hong Kong SAR, China. For more information, please see dacheng.com/legal-notices or dentons.com/legal-notices.

Important Notice

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

current events

12 Ideas for Writing Through the Pandemic With The New York Times

A dozen writing projects — including journals, poems, comics and more — for students to try at home.

By Natalie Proulx

The coronavirus has transformed life as we know it. Schools are closed, we’re confined to our homes and the future feels very uncertain. Why write at a time like this?

For one, we are living through history. Future historians may look back on the journals, essays and art that ordinary people are creating now to tell the story of life during the coronavirus.

But writing can also be deeply therapeutic. It can be a way to express our fears, hopes and joys. It can help us make sense of the world and our place in it.

Plus, even though school buildings are shuttered, that doesn’t mean learning has stopped. Writing can help us reflect on what’s happening in our lives and form new ideas.

We want to help inspire your writing about the coronavirus while you learn from home. Below, we offer 12 projects for students, all based on pieces from The New York Times, including personal narrative essays, editorials, comic strips and podcasts. Each project features a Times text and prompts to inspire your writing, as well as related resources from The Learning Network to help you develop your craft. Some also offer opportunities to get your work published in The Times, on The Learning Network or elsewhere.

We know this list isn’t nearly complete. If you have ideas for other pandemic-related writing projects, please suggest them in the comments.

In the meantime, happy writing!

Journaling is well-known as a therapeutic practice , a tool for helping you organize your thoughts and vent your emotions, especially in anxiety-ridden times. But keeping a diary has an added benefit during a pandemic: It may help educate future generations.

In “ The Quarantine Diaries ,” Amelia Nierenberg spoke to Ady, an 8-year-old in the Bay Area who is keeping a diary. Ms. Nierenberg writes:

As the coronavirus continues to spread and confine people largely to their homes, many are filling pages with their experiences of living through a pandemic. Their diaries are told in words and pictures: pantry inventories, window views, questions about the future, concerns about the present. Taken together, the pages tell the story of an anxious, claustrophobic world on pause. “You can say anything you want, no matter what, and nobody can judge you,” Ady said in a phone interview earlier this month, speaking about her diary. “No one says, ‘scaredy-cat.’” When future historians look to write the story of life during coronavirus, these first-person accounts may prove useful. “Diaries and correspondences are a gold standard,” said Jane Kamensky, a professor of American History at Harvard University and the faculty director of the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute. “They’re among the best evidence we have of people’s inner worlds.”

You can keep your own journal, recording your thoughts, questions, concerns and experiences of living through the coronavirus pandemic.

Not sure what to write about? Read the rest of Ms. Nierenberg’s article to find out what others around the world are recording. If you need more inspiration, here are a few writing prompts to get you started:

How has the virus disrupted your daily life? What are you missing? School, sports, competitions, extracurricular activities, social plans, vacations or anything else?

What effect has this crisis had on your own mental and emotional health?

What changes, big or small, are you noticing in the world around you?

For more ideas, see our writing prompts . We post a new one every school day, many of them now related to life during the coronavirus.

You can write in your journal every day or as often as you like. And if writing isn’t working for you right now, try a visual, audio or video diary instead.

2. Personal Narrative

As you write in your journal, you’ll probably find that your life during the pandemic is full of stories, whether serious or funny, angry or sad. If you’re so inspired, try writing about one of your experiences in a personal narrative essay.

Here’s how Mary Laura Philpott begins her essay, “ This Togetherness Is Temporary, ” about being quarantined with her teenage children:

Get this: A couple of months ago, I quit my job in order to be home more. Go ahead and laugh at the timing. I know. At the time, it was hitting me that my daughter starts high school in the fall, and my son will be a senior. Increasingly they were spending their time away from me at school, with friends, and in the many time-intensive activities that make up teenage lives. I could feel the clock ticking, and I wanted to spend the minutes I could — the minutes they were willing to give me, anyway — with them, instead of sitting in front of a computer at night and on weekends in order to juggle a job as a bookseller, a part-time gig as a television host, and a book deadline. I wanted more of them while they were still living in my house. Now here we are, all together, every day. You’re supposed to be careful what you wish for, but come on. None of us saw this coming.

Personal narratives are short, powerful stories about meaningful life experiences, big or small. Read the rest of Ms. Philpott’s essay to see how she balances telling the story of a specific moment in time and reflecting on what it all means in the larger context of her life.

To help you identify the moments that have been particularly meaningful, difficult, comical or strange during this pandemic, try responding to one of our writing prompts related to the coronavirus:

Holidays and Birthdays Are Moments to Come Together. How Are You Adapting During the Pandemic?

Has Your School Switched to Remote Learning? How Is It Going So Far?

Is the Coronavirus Pandemic Bringing Your Extended Family Closer Together?

How Is the Coronavirus Outbreak Affecting Your Life?

Another option? Use any of the images in our Picture Prompt series to inspire you to write about a memory from your life.

Related Resource: Writing Curriculum | Unit 1: Teach Narrative Writing With The New York Times

People have long turned to creative expression in times of crisis. During the coronavirus pandemic, artists are continuing to illustrate , play music , dance , perform — and write poetry .

That’s what Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell, an emergency room doctor in Boston, did after a long shift treating coronavirus patients. Called “ The Apocalypse ,” her poem begins like this:

This is the apocalypse A daffodil has poked its head up from the dirt and opened sunny arms to bluer skies yet I am filled with dark and anxious dread as theaters close as travel ends and grocery stores display their empty rows where toilet paper liquid bleach and bags of flour stood in upright ranks.

Read the rest of Dr. Mitchell’s poem and note the lines, images and metaphors that speak to you. Then, tap into your creative side by writing a poem inspired by your own experience of the pandemic.

Need inspiration? Try writing a poem in response to one of our Picture Prompts . Or, you can create a found poem using an article from The Times’s coronavirus outbreak coverage . If you have access to the print paper, try making a blackout poem instead.

Related Resources: 24 Ways to Teach and Learn About Poetry With The New York Times Reader Idea | How the Found Poem Can Inspire Teachers and Students Alike

4. Letter to the Editor

Have you been keeping up with the news about the coronavirus? What is your reaction to it?

Make your voice heard by writing a letter to the editor about a recent Times article, editorial, column or Opinion essay related to the pandemic. You can find articles in The Times’s free coronavirus coverage or The Learning Network’s coronavirus resources for students . And, if you’re a high school student, your school can get you free digital access to The New York Times from now until July 6.

To see examples, read the letters written by young people in response to recent headlines in “ How the Young Deal With the Coronavirus .” Here’s what Addie Muller from San Jose, Calif., had to say about the Opinion essay “ I’m 26. Coronavirus Sent Me to the Hospital ”:

As a high school student and a part of Generation Z, I’ve been less concerned about getting Covid-19 and more concerned about spreading it to more vulnerable populations. While I’ve been staying at home and sheltering in place (as was ordered for the state of California), many of my friends haven’t been doing the same. I know people who continue going to restaurants and have been treating the change in education as an extended spring break and excuse to spend more time with friends. I fear for my grandparents and parents, but this article showed me that we should also fear for ourselves. I appreciated seeing this article because many younger people seem to feel invincible. The fact that a healthy 26-year-old can be hospitalized means that we are all capable of getting the virus ourselves and spreading it to others. I hope that Ms. Lowenstein continues spreading her story and that she makes a full recovery soon.

As you read, note some of the defining features of a letter to the editor and what made these good enough to publish. For more advice, see these tips from Thomas Feyer, the letters editor at The Times, about how to write a compelling letter. They include:

Write briefly and to the point.

Be prepared to back up your facts with evidence.

Write about something off the beaten path.

Publishing Opportunity: When you’re ready, submit your letter to The New York Times.

5. Editorial

Maybe you have more to say than you can fit in a 150-word letter to the editor. If that’s the case, try writing an editorial about something you have a strong opinion about related to the coronavirus. What have you seen that has made you upset? Proud? Appreciative? Scared?

In “ Surviving Coronavirus as a Broke College Student ,” Sydney Goins, a senior English major at the University of Georgia, writes about the limited options for students whose colleges are now closed. Her essay begins:

College was supposed to be my ticket to financial security. My parents were the first ones to go to college in their family. My grandpa said to my mom, “You need to go to college, so you don’t have to depend on a man for money.” This same mentality was passed on to me as well. I had enough money to last until May— $1,625 to be exact — until the coronavirus ruined my finances. My mom works in human resources. My dad is a project manager for a mattress company. I worked part time at the university’s most popular dining hall and lived in a cramped house with three other students. I don’t have a car. I either walked or biked a mile to attend class. I have student debt and started paying the accrued interest last month. I was making it work until the coronavirus shut down my college town. At first, spring break was extended by two weeks with the assumption that campus would open again in late March, but a few hours after that email, all 26 colleges in the University System of Georgia canceled in-person classes and closed integral parts of campus.

Read the rest of Ms. Goins’s essay. What is her argument? How does she support it? How is it relevant to her life and the world?

Then, choose a topic related to the pandemic that you care about and write an editorial that asserts an opinion and backs it up with solid reasoning and evidence.

Not sure where to start? Try responding to some of our recent argumentative writing prompts and see what comes up for you. Here are a few we’ve asked students so far:

Should Schools Change How They Grade Students During the Pandemic?

What Role Should Celebrities Have During the Coronavirus Crisis?

Is It Immoral to Increase the Price of Goods During a Crisis?

Or, consider essential questions about the pandemic and what they tell us about our world today: What weaknesses is the coronavirus exposing in our society? How can we best help our communities right now? What lessons can we learn from this crisis? See more here.

As an alternative to a written essay, you might try creating a video Op-Ed instead, like Katherine Oung’s “ Coronavirus Racism Infected My High School. ”

Publishing Opportunity: Submit your final essay to our Student Editorial Contest , open to middle school and high school students ages 10-19, until April 21. Please be sure to read all the rules and guidelines before submitting.

Related Resource: An Argumentative-Writing Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning

Are games, television, music, books, art or movies providing you with a much-needed distraction during the pandemic? What has been working for you that you would recommend to others? Or, what would you caution others to stay away from right now?

Share your opinions by writing a review of a piece of art or culture for other teenagers who are stuck at home. You might suggest TV shows, novels, podcasts, video games, recipes or anything else. Or, try something made especially for the coronavirus era, like a virtual architecture tour , concert or safari .

As a mentor text, read Laura Cappelle’s review of French theater companies that have rushed to put content online during the coronavirus outbreak, noting how she tailors her commentary to our current reality:

The 17th-century philosopher Blaise Pascal once wrote: “The sole cause of people’s unhappiness is that they do not know how to stay quietly in their rooms.” Yet at a time when much of the world has been forced to hunker down, French theater-makers are fighting to fill the void by making noise online.

She continues:

Under the circumstances, it would be churlish to complain about artists’ desire to connect with audiences in some fashion. Theater, which depends on crowds gathering to watch performers at close quarters, is experiencing significant loss and upheaval, with many stagings either delayed indefinitely or canceled outright. But a sampling of stopgap offerings often left me underwhelmed.

To get inspired you might start by responding to our related Student Opinion prompt with your recommendations. Then turn one of them into a formal review.

Related Resource: Writing Curriculum | Unit 2: Analyzing Arts, Criticizing Culture: Writing Reviews With The New York Times

7. How-to Guide

Being stuck at home with nowhere to go is the perfect time to learn a new skill. What are you an expert at that you can you teach someone?

The Times has created several guides that walk readers through how to do something step-by-step, for example, this eight-step tutorial on how to make a face mask . Read through the guide, noting how the author breaks down each step into an easily digestible action, as well as how the illustrations support comprehension.

Then, create your own how-to guide for something you could teach someone to do during the pandemic. Maybe it’s a recipe you’ve perfected, a solo sport you’ve been practicing, or a FaceTime tutorial for someone who’s never video chatted before.

Whatever you choose, make sure to write clearly so anyone anywhere could try out this new skill. As an added challenge, include an illustration, photo, or audio or video clip with each step to support the reader’s understanding.

Related Resource: Writing Curriculum | Unit 4: Informational Writing

8. 36 Hours Column

For nearly two decades, The Times has published a weekly 36 Hours column , giving readers suggestions for how to spend a weekend in cities all over the globe.

While traveling for fun is not an option now, the Travel section decided to create a special reader-generated column of how to spend a weekend in the midst of a global pandemic. The result? “ 36 Hours in … Wherever You Are .” Here’s how readers suggest spending a Sunday morning:

8 a.m. Changing routines Make small discoveries. To stretch my legs during the lockdown, I’ve been walking around the block every day, and I’ve started to notice details that I’d never seen before. Like the fake, painted window on the building across the road, or the old candle holders that were once used as part of the street lighting. When the quarantine ends, I hope we don’t forget to appreciate what’s been on a doorstep all along. — Camilla Capasso, Modena, Italy 10:30 a.m. Use your hands Undertake the easiest and most fulfilling origami project of your life by folding 12 pieces of paper and building this lovely star . Modular origami has been my absolute favorite occupational therapy since I was a restless child: the process is enthralling and soothing. — Laila Dib, Berlin, Germany 12 p.m. Be isolated, together Check on neighbors on your block or floor with an email, text or phone call, or leave a card with your name and contact information. Are they OK? Do they need something from the store? Help with an errand? Food? Can you bring them a hot dish or home-baked bread? This simple act — done carefully and from a safe distance — palpably reduces our sense of fear and isolation. I’ve seen the faces of some neighbors for the first time. Now they wave. — Jim Carrier, Burlington, Vt.

Read the entire article. As you read, consider: How would this be different if it were written by teenagers for teenagers?

Then, create your own 36 Hours itinerary for teenagers stuck at home during the pandemic with ideas for how to spend the weekend wherever they are.

The 36 Hours editors suggest thinking “within the spirit of travel, even if many of us are housebound.” For example: an album or a song playlist; a book or movie that transports you; a particular recipe you love; or a clever way to virtually connect with family and friends. See more suggestions here .

Related Resources: Reader Idea | 36 Hours in Your Hometown 36 Hours in Learning: Creating Travel Itineraries Across the Curriculum

9. Photo Essay

Daily life looks very different now. Unusual scenes are playing out in homes, parks, grocery stores and streets across the country.

In “ New York Was Not Designed for Emptiness ,” New York Times photographers document what life in New York City looks like amid the pandemic. It begins:

The lights are still on in Times Square. Billboards blink and storefronts shine in neon. If only there were an audience for this spectacle. But the thoroughfares have been abandoned. The energy that once crackled along the concrete has eased. The throngs of tourists, the briskly striding commuters, the honking drivers have mostly skittered away. In their place is a wistful awareness that plays across all five boroughs: Look how eerie our brilliant landscape has become. Look how it no longer bustles. This is not the New York City anyone signed up for.

Read the rest of the essay and view the photos. As you read, note the photos or lines in the text that grab your attention most. Why do they stand out to you?

What does the pandemic look like where you live? Create your own photo essay, accompanied by a written piece, that illustrates your life now. In your essay, consider how you can communicate a particular theme or message about life during the pandemic through both your photos and words, like in the article you read.

Publishing Opportunity: The International Center of Photography is collecting a virtual archive of images related to the coronavirus pandemic. Learn how to submit yours here.

10. Comic Strip

Sometimes, words alone just won’t do. Visual mediums, like comics, have the advantage of being able to express emotion, reveal inner monologues, and explain complex subjects in ways that words on their own seldom can.

If anything proves this point, it is the Opinion section’s ongoing visual diary, “ Art in Isolation .” Scroll through this collection to see clever and poignant illustrations about life in these uncertain times. Read the comic “ Finding Connection When Home Alone ” by Gracey Zhang from this collection. As you read, note what stands out to you about the writing and illustrations. What lessons could they have for your own piece?

Then, create your own comic strip, modeled after the one you read, that explores some aspect of life during the pandemic. You can sketch and color your comic with paper and pen, or use an online tool like MakeBeliefsComix.com .

Need inspiration? If you’re keeping a quarantine journal, as we suggested above, you might create a graphic story based on a week of your life, or just a small part of it — like the meals you ate, the video games you played, or the conversations you had with friends over text. For more ideas, check out our writing prompts related to the coronavirus.

Related Resource: From Superheroes to Syrian Refugees: Teaching Comics and Graphic Novels With Resources From The New York Times

11. Podcast

Modern Love Podcast: In the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic, People Share Their Love Stories

Are you listening to any podcasts to help you get through the pandemic? Are they keeping you up-to-date on the news? Offering advice? Or just helping you escape from it all?

Create your own five-minute podcast segment that responds to the coronavirus in some way.

To get an idea of the different genres and formats your podcast could take, listen to one or more of these five-minute clips from three New York Times podcast episodes related to the coronavirus:

“ The Daily | Voices of the Pandemic ” (1:15-6:50)

“ Still Processing | A Pod From Both Our Houses ” (0:00-4:50)

“ Modern Love | In the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic, People Share Their Love Stories ” (1:30-6:30)

Use these as models for your own podcast. Consider the different narrative techniques they use to relate an experience of the pandemic — interviews, nonfiction storytelling and conversation — as well as how they create an engaging listening experience.

Need ideas for what to talk about? You might try translating any of the writing projects above into podcast form. Or turn to our coronavirus-related writing prompts for inspiration.

Publishing Opportunity: Submit your finished five-minute podcast to our Student Podcast Contest , which is open through May 19. Please read all the rules and guidelines before submitting.

Related Resource: Project Audio: Teaching Students How to Produce Their Own Podcasts

12. Revise and Edit

“It doesn’t matter how good you think you are as a writer — the first words you put on the page are a first draft,” Harry Guinness writes in “ How to Edit Your Own Writing .”

Editing your work may seem like something you do quickly — checking for spelling mistakes just before you turn in your essay — but Mr. Guinness argues it’s a project in its own right:

The time you put into editing, reworking and refining turns your first draft into a second — and then into a third and, if you keep at it, eventually something great. The biggest mistake you can make as a writer is to assume that what you wrote the first time through was good enough.

Read the rest of the article for a step-by-step guide to editing your own work. Then, revise one of the pieces you have written, following Mr. Guinness’s advice.

Publishing Opportunity: When you feel like your piece is “something great,” consider submitting it to one of the publishing opportunities we’ve suggested above. Or, see our list of 70-plus places that publish teenage writing and art to find more.

Natalie Proulx joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2017 after working as an English language arts teacher and curriculum writer. More about Natalie Proulx

• Kids Learning
• English Essays for Kids
• How I Spent My Summer Vacation Essay

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Essay for Kids

Summer vacation is the most awaited time of the year in the lives of students. It gives them an opportunity to take a break from their daily routine, relax and enjoy their time with family and friends. Every year, students eagerly await their summer vacations with the hope of doing something worthwhile that liberates them from the monotonous and regular routine of school and studies. For kids, writing an essay on how I spent my summer vacation gives them a wonderful opportunity to reminisce and express what they enjoyed about their vacation.

In this article, we bring you – How I spent my summer vacation essay that mentions the essence of summer vacation in a student’s life and the experiences that they share after enjoying a wonderful vacation away from their hectic schedule.

Download FREE PDF of How I Spent My Summer Vacation Essay For Kids

How i spent my summer vacation essay for kids.

• I have a lot of fun during my summer vacation. I do new things.
• I love doing art work and playing with my friends.
• During my summer vacation, I visited my grandparents.
• My cousins and I played outside all day.
• Our grandfather loves gardening. We help him water the plants.
• Our grandmother makes tasty food.
• Our grandmother tells us stories at bedtime.
• We play hide and seek on the terrace.
• Our grandfather tells us stories about the moon, stars and the sun.
• I love visiting my grandparents.
• I love spending time with my family during our vacations.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Essay 100 Words

Holidays are an incredible time for us to visit hilly destinations with the family. The summer season is an excellent time for us to take stress-free excursions and get close to nature, which we are unable to do in our busy schedules for the entire year. Last year I visited my grandparents and stayed there for 15 days. The cool thing about the summer holidays is discovering and creating new things in the village. While enjoying my stay, I also learned some new things that expanded my knowledge. I spent the rest of the holidays playing games and cooking under my mother’s supervision.

Liked the above How I spent my summer vacation paragraph? Children can also attempt to write a few lines or a paragraph on how I spent my summer vacation and mention what they loved about their vacation. Want to explore more such mind-boggling stuff? Are you wondering where you can find more such interesting English essay topics for kids ? We’ve got you covered! You can visit our Kids Learning section, where you can find a huge array of resources such as worksheets, stories, poems for kids, GK questions, etc. and make your child fall in love with learning.

• Share Share

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

How to vacation safely amid the coronavirus pandemic

Guidance on non-essential travel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not relaxed because summer is upon us. "Travel increases your chances of getting infected and spreading COVID-19," the agency notes on its website. "Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick."

But with states across the country reopening and more Americans leaving home than they were in early April , it's all but inevitable that some will test the waters with a vacation or weekend away this summer, even if those trips look different than in previous years.

Related Articles

SLIDESHOW: Coronavirus outbreak sparks global health emergency

Can Americans vacation safely during a pandemic?

Experts say there's no way to completely eliminate your risk of contracting COVID-19 while traveling. But there are precautions you can take to reduce your chances of getting COVID-19 or sickening others while vacationing.

First the ground rules. If you're leaving your community, never travel if you are sick or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the CDC warns. Similarly, you shouldn't travel with anyone who is sick or who has been exposed to the virus.

And if you're coming from a high-transmission area, there's a chance you might be an asymptomatic carrier. Take extra precautions to avoid spreading the virus to an area that hasn't seen many cases yet.

Spontaneity is not your friend this summer.

Bring a face mask to wear in public places. Plan ahead by packing food and water, in case restaurants and stores are closed, as well as enough hand sanitizer and medicine to last you for your entire trip. Check the guidance of the state and local health departments in your planned destination and along your route before you leave. State or local governments may have stay-at-home orders in effect, mandated quarantines upon arrival (Hawaii for instance), or checkpoints at state borders. Follow those instructions accordingly.

Will this be a normal summer? "Definitely not," said Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

"And it also shouldn’t be," he added.

With those basics in mind, here's how you can vacation as safely as possible this summer, experts say.

At the beach or park:

Since the virus that causes COVID-19 is harder to transmit outdoors, outside spaces, including beaches, parks and hiking trails are good options for Americans who have been cooped up in their homes in apartments all spring.

But since those areas can also easily become crowded, it's still important to stay 6 feet from others and practice social distancing, even while outdoors. Practice universal mask wearing when social distancing is not possible.

MORE: National parks prepare to enforce social distancing on crowded Memorial Day weekend

Many popular national parks that closed in response to COVID-19 are reopening, which worries advocates, who are concerned about an influx of out-of-state visitors and limited park staff trying to enforce social distancing.

The risk of crowding is real, Allen explained, and Americans should be prepared for it.

"The burden is not just not the parks and park rangers, but it’s also on people," he added. Maintain physical distance between yourself and others, and if you need to pass within 6 feet of someone, put your mask on.

The same goes for beaches, most of which haven't previously had to manage flows of people the way that parks have. Beaches may want to set up walking lanes, so that people aren't threading through blankets at close range and reduce available parking spaces to limit density on the beach. Many places with beaches are already taking action to reduce density.

MORE: Future of air travel: How Delta hopes to reassure passengers

If crowded beaches need to turn visitors away, Americans should accept that they may not be able to go to their favorite beach on a certain day, Allen explained.

"We should view loosened restrictions on parks and beaches as a privilege that will be revoked if crowds don't act appropriately," he said.

"People are going to have to act responsibly," he added.

As for the ocean itself, experts are say that the risk lies with transmission between people. There's no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through water.

At the pool:

The CDC has new guidance for using public pools as swimming facilities across the country begin to reopen for the summer.

While on the pool deck, bathers should keep their masks on and avoid gathering in groups, according to the CDC. Lifeguards should focus exclusively on water safety, and other staff members should be assigned to enforce social distancing rules.

MORE: CDC provides COVID-related guidance for going to the pool this summer

If you visit a public pool, stay 6 feet from others on the pool deck. While swimming, remain 6 feet away from anyone you don't live with.

The only time you should take off your mask is while you're in the water.

"Cloth face coverings can be difficult to breathe through when they're wet," the agency said in its recommendation.

Again, there is no evidence of transmission of the virus through water and public pools are generally chlorinated.

When renting a car, boat, hotel room or AirBnB:

Do your research. Call ahead and ask what the company or host is doing to sanitize between guests.

"What special precautions are they taking?" asked Jack Caravanos, a clinical professor of environmental public health sciences at NYU's School of Global Public Health. Compare options and choose the company you feel most comfortable with from a safety and hygiene prospective.

Specifically, you should ask about COVID-19-specific changes to the company's cleaning practices, which a representative or the company website should be able to explain in detail. Outwardly visible signs that they went above and beyond a typical cleaning, like hand sanitizer or wipes in cars, are a good sign.

If you're renting a car or a boat, you may choose to wipe the surfaces down yourself, too. As for airing out a rental car for 30 minutes before getting into it, "that's probably overkill," Caravanos said.

You should similarly research rental companies if you plan to rent a boat, according to U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Adam Chamie, a commanding officer in Key West, Florida.

"I would do your due diligence in renting a boat, the same way you would with a hotel room," he explained.

In any situation, think about whether you'll be able to socially distance with ease. A sunset catamaran sail with 100 people? Not a good idea. A fishing charter with family members, on the other hand, may be able to be done safely. Be careful not to crowd spaces where boaters may gather, like marinas, and wear your face mask if you'll be within 6 feet of others.

He also warned against tying boats together to socialize.

"Would you raft-up your table together in restaurant with 10 other strangers?" Chamie asked. "The virus can be spread on the water between boaters who know each other, just like it can at a restaurant or grocery story, or on the streets of Brooklyn, " he said.

"It does't go away just because we’re on the water or on vacation."

When looking for a rest stop:

Rest stops are high-risk areas, according to Caravanos. Like airports, they may include crowds of people traveling from different areas.

When looking for a rest stop, large open bathrooms with plenty of airflow may be a better option than an often-used gas station with a single toilet, Caravanos explained.

As always maintain social distancing, wear a face mask and practice proper handwashing. "That triad is a requirement," he added.

If you're flying:

If you choose to fly, both Caravanos and Allen said your exposure risk is greater at the airport and during transit to the airport than on the plane itself.

Wash your hands often during your trip, keep 6 feet from others at the airport, if possible, and wipe down your seat and tray. Wear a mask the whole time. Masks generally help to protect others from you, but N95 masks, if worn properly, can help protect you as well.

Traveling from an outbreak hotspot to a place with few infections:

If the virus is spreading in your community, "be mindful that you might be a carrier," warned Allen. If you're traveling from a COVID-19 hotspot, like New York City or Chicago, you could unknowingly spread the virus to an area that doesn't have a large outbreak yet.

Editor’s Picks

Coronavirus map: Tracking the spread in the US and around the world

• Aug 07, 2020

New bill would forgive medical school debt for COVID-19 health workers

• May 05, 2020

Pass this course and work as a contact tracer

• May 11, 2020

Heed the guidance state and local health departments are putting out for visitors from other states. In Massachusetts, for example, people traveling from out of state are "instructed" to quarantine for 14 days . A Vermont mandate requires that out-of-stater travelers quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and should not go out for groceries, walks, hikes or bike rides.

"People have to abide by these rules themselves," Allen said. "It’s a social trust moment."

If you or a loved one is in a high-risk category:

Everything changes if you, or a family member or partner you'd normally travel with, is in a high-risk category for contracting a severe case of COVID-19. For individuals with underlying conditions, especially older Americans, COVID-19 can be especially deadly.

"I don't think the risk is very high, but the consequences are high. I’m not sure this is the time for family reunion in Vermont with a lot of people," Caravanos said.

For older individuals and high-risk groups, he added, "I would say, sit it out."

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.

Related Topics

• Coronavirus

Up Next in Wellness—

Guy Fieri shares how he lost over 30 pounds, including weight vested training

New study focuses on what happens if you stay on weight loss drug Wegovy for years

Neuralink says they’re looking to implant next 2 participants in coming months

Infant takes 1st breaths on her own after undergoing rare double lung transplant

Shop editors picks, sponsored content by taboola.

• Privacy Policy — 
• Your US State Privacy Rights — 
• Children's Online Privacy Policy — 
• Interest-Based Ads — 
• Terms of Use — 
• Do Not Sell My Info — 
• Contact Us — 

© 2024 ABC News

The impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and what it may mean for educators

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, jim soland , jim soland assistant professor, school of education and human development - university of virginia, affiliated research fellow - nwea @jsoland megan kuhfeld , megan kuhfeld senior research scientist - nwea @megankuhfeld beth tarasawa , bt beth tarasawa executive vice president of research - nwea @bethtarasawa angela johnson , aj angela johnson research scientist - nwea erik ruzek , and er erik ruzek research assistant professor, curry school of education - university of virginia jing liu jing liu assistant professor of education policy - university of maryland-college park @drjingliu.

May 27, 2020

This Chalkboard post from May 2020 draws on historical data and past research to forecast the possible impact of COVID-19 school closures on student achievement. With actual data from the 2020-21 school year now available, please see this December 2020 Chalkboard post for an updated analysis of this trend.

Virtually all K-12 students in the United States are currently missing face-to-face instruction due to COVID-19. Many parents and educators thus share a common worry: When the pandemic subsides, kids will return to school with lower achievement. There are also concerns that the gap between high- and low-achieving students will become larger. Given the need to address these concerns, we decided to use prior test scores from millions of students and leverage research on summer learning patterns to make informed projections of what learning loss due to the pandemic might look like. Ultimately, we wanted to know: What sort of learning losses could we expect from the shortened 2019-20 school year?

Answering this question is complicated by the unique circumstances of COVID-19. Current school closures have added to the time that most students already spend at home during the summer months without explicit face-to-face instruction from teachers. Meanwhile, teachers are scrambling to adapt content for an online platform and parents are juggling work responsibilities (if not joblessness) with caring for and educating their own children. Students themselves are faced with isolation, anxiety about a deadly virus, and uncertainty about the future. In so many ways, the current situation is unprecedented for most people alive today.

Yet there are parallels between the current situation and other reasons students miss school that can give us insight into how COVID-19 may affect achievement. This includes research on the effects of out-of-school time on learning due to absenteeism , weather-related school closures (e.g., Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans), and summer vacation . Existing evidence can provide a rough sense of how time out of school due to COVID-19 will affect achievement.

We relied heavily on past precedent when trying to understand how COVID-19 might impact achievement in the short and medium term. We used a national sample of over 5 million students in grades 3-8 who took MAP Growth assessments in 2017-2018. These assessments enable such estimates because MAP Growth is administered multiple times per year, which means test scores are available in fall, winter, and spring such that changes in achievement during the year can be understood and anticipated. We compared typical growth for students who completed a standard-length school year to projections under multiple scenarios. These scenarios were directly informed by out-of-school-time research.

The results are deeply concerning.

The two figures below show projected math and reading learning patterns from the beginning of the 2019-20 school year (before COVID-19 school closures) through the start of the 2020-21 school year. The solid lines represent average trajectories in a typical year with typical growth (estimated based on a prior year’s data) followed by normal patterns of learning loss over the summer (generally, student achievement/learning tends to decline during the summer, though this varies greatly by student). Next, we assume an extended summer loss would occur during the period since schools closed. We refer to this scenario as the “COVID Slide” (represented by the dotted lines). These projections give a sense of how much learning students could lose, though we hope they will be overestimations of loss, given the online instruction and home schooling occurring.

These preliminary COVID Slide estimates suggest students could begin fall 2020 with roughly 70% of the learning gains in reading from the prior year relative to a typical school year. In mathematics, students may show even smaller learning gains from the previous year, returning with less than 50% of the gains. In lower grades, students may be nearly a full year behind in math compared to what we would observe in normal conditions.

Though not shown in the figures, we produced similar estimates of learning loss based on research showing the effect of being absent on achievement. That is, we simply assumed students’ learning during COVID-19 school closures would be akin to what occurs when students miss school, a large assumption given the online learning and homeschooling now occurring. Results for absenteeism-based projections were often more dire.

We also examined how much more variable achievement might be in the fall—that is, how wide the range in achievement might be between very high and very low-performing students. This range has implications for whether teachers can provide similar content to all students in their classrooms, or if they might need to further differentiate instruction based on a broader range of needs.

The above figures show our estimate of that variability by subject for 4 th and 6 th grade. The shaded areas display the spread in potential outcomes between students who were in the 25 th percentile of summer learning loss (who showed steep declines) and those in the 75 th percentile (who showed flat lines or even small gains during the summer). In mathematics, we see a fair amount of variability in learning rates, though the majority of students show losses over the extended closure and summer period. However, in reading, there is an even wider spread of potential outcomes, with students who are in the 75 th percentile and above showing sizable learning gains during the summer. Further, the figure below shows that extended time out of school may lead to more variability in achievement when students return in the fall relative to a typical year. A wider range of learning needs like the ones suggested by the figure could create greater challenges for teachers.

The New York Times warns that today’s students could be the “COVID generation.” As we think through our road to recovery, we hope education leaders consider our projections among many data points when preparing to support students returning in the fall. Specifically, our results indicate that:

• Students may be substantially behind, especially in mathematics . Thus, teachers of different grade levels may wish to coordinate in order to determine where to start instruction. Educators will also need to find ways to assess students early, either formally or informally, to understand exactly where students are academically.
• Students are likely to enter school with more variability in their academic skills than under normal circumstances. Therefore, educators may need to consider ways to further differentiate instruction or provide opportunities for individualized learning.
• Students who lose the most during the summer tend to gain the most when back in school, but this may not hold for COVID-19 . Regardless, the ground that students have to make up during the 2020-21 academic year will probably be greater due to COVID-19. Therefore, educators may want to work with students to determine growth rates needed to catch up and set learning goals for the year that are ambitious but obtainable.

Finally, the effects of COVID-19 our study cannot examine may be the ones most worthy of addressing. Prior research on students displaced by Hurricane Katrina indicated that they had difficulty concentrating and often manifested symptoms of depression in the months following the hurricane. Understanding these impacts and how best to support students’ social and emotional needs after the huge disruption of COVID-19 will be essential. Many students may face greater food insecurity, loss of family income, loss of family members to the coronavirus, and fear of catching the virus themselves.

While the scale of the COVID-19 school closures is novel, the inequalities in our school systems are unfortunately anything but new. Our models cannot account for the reality that the crisis is having an unequal impact on our most underserved communities. Nonetheless, we hope these analyses, which synthesize what we know from existing bodies of research, will inform tomorrow’s decision-making.

Related Content

Online only

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT

A. Brooks Bowden, Rebecca Davis

May 26, 2020

Douglas N. Harris

April 24, 2020

Education Policy K-12 Education

Governance Studies

Brown Center on Education Policy

Annelies Goger, Katherine Caves, Hollis Salway

May 16, 2024

Sofoklis Goulas, Isabelle Pula

Melissa Kay Diliberti, Elizabeth D. Steiner, Ashley Woo

I tried to write an essay about productivity in quarantine. It took me a month to do it.

Americans feel pressured to work under the best of times. What happens during a pandemic?

by Constance Grady

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when it was just beginning to become clear that people who could stay at home would be doing so for a very long while, an argument began to emerge. It mostly played out on social media, but after a while it moved to news outlets, too: the New York Times, HuffPost, Forbes. It concerned working at home, because it is disproportionately easy for people like me who work in digital media to work at home, and the question it revolved around was: Is a pandemic the time to get extremely productive? Or is it the time to take a break?

First, there was the King Lear argument. Shakespeare, as people reminded each other, wrote King Lear when he was quarantined during a plague. And it soon became clear that Shakespeare was just one of the many geniuses of history who accomplished miraculous things while confined to his house. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity and invented calculus under quarantine . Mary Shelley, well, was not under quarantine when she wrote Frankenstein and invented science fiction, but she was at least cooped up in the house because of the year without summer , so truly, can’t she serve as an inspirational figure as well ? After a period, it began to seem somewhat astonishing that anyone ever managed to accomplish anything without some global catastrophe confining them to their home.

And then, inevitably, came the whispered implication: Shouldn’t you yourself be using this time at home — dare we say this gift — because you are at home and not working in an essential field? Shouldn’t you be using this time to become more productive? Shouldn’t you be buckling down and writing a masterpiece or inventing a genre or discovering fundamental laws of the universe? At the very least, shouldn’t you be taking up a new hobby, mastering a skill, or perhaps be reaching your fully fledged form as what Forbes termed a “ coronapreneur ?”

But then came the backlash. The push to be productive while sheltering in place during a once-a-century global catastrophe was the latest sign, critics argued, of capitalism corrupting our minds.

“Please don’t be guilted into being more productive during the coronavirus,” wrote Monica Torres at HuffPost .

“This mindset is the natural endpoint of America’s hustle culture — the idea that every nanosecond of our lives must be commodified and pointed toward profit and self-improvement,” wrote Nick Martin at the New Republic .

“I, too, am declining to write the next King Lear as protest against capitalism,” proclaimed Rosa Lyster at the Outline .

Since Lyster’s March 18 article, the Outline’s staff has been entirely laid off as a result of the pandemic’s toll on the economy. While I was working on this article, CNBC reported that Vox Media, Vox’s parent company, was planning to furlough multiple employees . That’s another layer of this fight: Many of the people who are arguing over how productive anyone should be right now are doing so with the knowledge that layoffs or furloughs or pay cuts are hanging over their heads. With that knowledge comes the whisper developing in the back of everyone’s minds that perhaps this is the time to get very productive indeed, because how else can they show their employer how valuable they are and ensure their continued employment?

Perhaps this is also the time to make our off hours very productive, because you never know when you’ll need a new hobby you can turn into a side hustle. At the very least, staying busy and using your time meaningfully will be the virtuous thing to do, and it will keep your mind off everything else that is happening ... right?

Unless that line of thought is yet another sign of capitalism getting into our heads, and we really need to process and mourn and deal with the overwhelming and exhausting anxiety of living through a once-a-century pandemic. Maybe?

In the end, it all boils down to one question: Under these very peculiar circumstances, should we be trying to be productive?

Time-oriented productivity was invented by industrial capitalism

The idea of productivity as we currently understand it — doing as much as possible, as efficiently as possible — is a product of industrial capitalism. In non-industrialized societies , human beings tend to organize their sense of time around how long it takes to complete certain tasks, measuring time not by hours but by how long it takes to boil a pot of rice, for instance. And instead of keeping to a strict work schedule from 9 am to 5 pm and reserving the rest of their lives for leisure, people in non-industrial societies tend not to establish strict divisions between their working lives and the rest of their lives.

Instead, they work on a task for as long as it takes to do it, with plenty of rest mixed in. Often they fall into what we might call the college student work system: long periods of idleness, and then sprees of frantic work as a deadline approaches (think harvest time, market time, or other similar markers). This way of thinking about work is called task-orientation .

As the West industrialized over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the rising capitalist bourgeoisie developed new ways of thinking about time, which, in turn, it passed on to the working class. A factory’s machines must be turned on at the same time every day, and so workers, it followed, must be at their posts at the same time every day. And as factory work became more common, workers learned to think of part of their time as their own, and part of it as belonging to the people they worked for. To the capitalist, time is money, and specifically, the worker’s time is the employer’s money.

To the capitalist, time is money, and specifically the worker’s time is the employer’s money

But the great switch from task-orientation to time-orientation did not happen overnight. It took centuries of social conditioning and moralizing, centuries of discussion of the importance of punctuality and the wickedness of idleness.

Moralizers wrote adages about how Satan finds work for idle hands. Factories instituted harsh punishments against lateness and loitering. Schools were designed to teach students that their time was not their own : If schools could manage to give poor students activities to work on for at least 12 hours a day, declared Bishop William Turner in 1770, “we hope that the rising generation will be so habituated to constant employment that it would at length prove agreeable and entertaining to them.” And over time, young children could become “habituated, not to say naturalized to Labour and Fatigue,” wrote the reformer John Powell in 1772.

The economist E.P. Thompson developed the ideas and examples I’ve outlined here in his classic 1967 essay, “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism,” which examines England’s shift from task-orientation to time-orientation. Thompson argued that as capitalism and Puritanism rose together in the West, the pair taught human beings a different relationship to time from the one they had before: one in which time had a value, in which it was literally equivalent to money. And for Thompson in 1967, the rise of task-orientation prompted a new question: How were capitalist human beings going to handle leisure time?

“If Puritanism was a necessary part of the work-ethos which enabled the industrialized world to break out of the poverty-stricken economies of the past,” Thompson wrote, “will the Puritan value of time begin to decompose as the pressures of poverty relax?”

Put differently: Now that more people are living out of poverty than ever before , now that we have, once again, the concept of leisure time, is it possible for us to break away from the idea that productivity is a moral good and idleness evil?

In the 21st century, people work even when they’re not supposed to be

In the US, it looks as though the answer to Thompson’s question is no. Americans are not learning to treat productivity as anything but a moral good, or idleness as anything but wicked. Many people spend their time working, even when they are ostensibly off work. Even rich American men — theoretically the people with the opportunity for the most leisure time, since they have plenty of money and fewer household obligations than women do —  spend more time working than their peers in other countries . One economist postulated to the Atlantic in 2016 that wealthy American men, like the children William Turner wanted to educate in the 18th century, are so habituated to the accumulation of wealth that they treat it as a form of recreation: It’s the closest thing they have to fun.

But even those of us who are not wealthy and who are not men spend most of our time working. This is especially true for millennials. As BuzzFeed News’s Anne Helen Petersen pointed out in her viral 2019 essay on millennial burnout , the youth of today’s workforce spent their childhoods optimizing to become more effective workers, only to graduate into a job market that had been decimated by the 2008 recession. Raised to be problem solvers, millennials like me responded by optimizing ourselves en masse, becoming ever more efficient and ever more committed to their work, while that work, in turn, seeped invisibly into even more corners of their lives, carried by smartphones and push alerts and long hours at the office.

But that constant work, which was supposed to bring millennials a measure of the job security our parents took for granted, was unsuccessful.

“The more work we do, the more efficient we’ve proven ourselves to be, the  worse  our jobs become,” Petersen wrote: “lower pay, worse benefits, less job security. Our efficiency hasn’t bucked wage stagnation; our steadfastness hasn’t made us more valuable. If anything, our commitment to work, no matter how exploitative, has simply encouraged and facilitated our exploitation. We put up with companies treating us poorly because we don’t see another option. We don’t quit. We internalize that we’re not striving hard enough. And we get a second gig.”

We have become a society in which people feel constant pressure to work and to be productive, even when we are theoretically resting. And that’s under normal circumstances.

Millennials work; they cobble together side hustles and temporary jobs into something approaching a living wage; they post the result on social media for their friends to admire. But then social media, too, becomes a form of work, a place on which millennials are reminded that they must always continue optimizing their lives for clicks . Marie Kondo your home , cook your Alison Roman shallot pasta , organize your books by color , and post a picture of the shelf on Instagram.

We spend our time locked into the endless, infinite scroll of Twitter and Tumblr and Facebook and Instagram, all of which reward constant immersion and monitoring until they begin to feel like duties rather than products to use for fun. We listen to podcasts and audiobooks at 1.5 speed to consume them more efficiently; Netflix floated the idea of letting us speed up our binge-watches, too . We consult lists of the TV shows we must watch and the books we must read which come, over time, to look more and more like homework. Leisure today is not truly leisure; it is labor.

We have become a society in which people feel constant pressure to work and to be productive, even when they are theoretically resting. And that’s under normal circumstances.

So what happens during a pandemic?

It took me almost a month to write this essay. But I wanted desperately to produce something for that entire month.

My editor assigned this essay to me on March 19. “People keep talking about King Lear ,” she said. “Could you write something about that?”

“No problem,” I said. I started a file labeled “You don’t have to write King Lear ,” and then instead of writing anything in it I sat and stared at it for some time. Then I opened Twitter in another tab.

My mind felt as though it had been shattered. I couldn’t sustain a thought long enough to analyze anything. I just stared in a blank fury at that Rosanne Cash tweet reminding me that Shakespeare wrote King Lear during quarantine.

“What a stupid thing to say,” I thought. “We’re already dealing with a global emergency and now I’m supposed to write King Lear on top of that? Well, fuck you.”

Rosanne Cash was probably not trying to pressure anyone into writing King Lear . Probably she was just trying to remind us that great art can come out of very dark times, and that this too shall pass, and perhaps when it is over, it will have given us some great artistic gift. But I was in no place to think of her tweet that way.

Like nearly everyone else who is living through this, I was grieving. The world was a certain way, and then the pandemic came and changed things, and now that old world will never come back in quite the same way again: It’s dead. That’s a loss, and one we have to work through.

I was also angry. I am still angry. I am furious at the leadership in our government that has abdicated responsibility for handling this crisis. I’m furious that essential workers are putting their lives on the line without medical-grade protection. Looking at one industry and one city alone, at least 62 New York City transit workers are dead and over 6,000 more are in quarantine with suspected Covid-19 after management told them not to wear masks on the subway to prevent customers from panicking. How can anyone not be angry and afraid and sad right now? And how can anyone do meaningful work under those conditions?

I am also living through my second major financial crisis as a working adult at age 31. Those first few weeks, whenever I wasn’t listening to the sirens outside my apartment or trying to figure out safe ways to see my 72-year-old parents again, I was thinking about all the reports that said that traffic throughout digital media was high, but ad revenue was way down ; reports that showed layoffs and pay cuts and furloughs spreading through one media company after another.

I am a good well-behaved, high-achieving millennial. Every instinct I had said that now was the time to buckle down and put myself to work, to try to outwork whatever would come. But I couldn’t sustain a thought long enough to work on long-form analysis.

Still, I wanted to lose myself in a project, something I could finish, something that would give me a sense that I had produced something — and that I had thus been virtuous. I baked bread, and then bread pudding. I sewed masks. I started an advice column . I started a book club .

I felt like I still wasn’t being productive enough. I felt like I couldn’t ever be productive enough. The thought of this unfinished essay assignment haunted me every time I sat down to work.

“The thing is,” I told myself every time I looked at the empty file, “the thesis of this hypothetical piece is that capitalism is fake and you don’t actually have to be productive during a global crisis. So, capitalism is fake. Don’t be productive.”

I wanted to produce something, and I couldn’t do it, and the failure felt monumental

But the thought felt like cheating. It felt lazy and hackneyed. All I wanted was to produce something, and I knew where the desire came from, what historical and economic factors lent it moral weight and what quirks of my own brain chemistry made me internalize them so completely, but that didn’t make the desire less real. I wanted to produce something, and I couldn’t do it, and the failure felt monumental.

Eventually, I pulled myself together enough to be able to hold a thought in my head. I put this essay together, section by section, and the work felt soothing.

But I don’t have a good answer to the question of how hard you should be working or how productive you should be during a pandemic. We’re in a global crisis, and if we are extremely lucky, we’re sitting in our homes and trying to work through it. Taking on big and absorbing projects might be soothing right now, because we have been taught to experience labor as soothing and this is not the ideal moment to start deprogramming capitalism from our brains. But it also might feel impossible to take on any additional labor right now, because dealing with the loss we’re feeling is monumental enough.

Those are both perfectly reasonable, understandable reactions. Be kind to yourself. Do what feels good to you, and what you have to do to make it through this.

You don’t have to sit around and do nothing if the idea is scary to you. But also: You really don’t have to write King Lear .

Most Popular

Massive invasive snakes are on the loose and spreading in puerto rico, the republican party's man inside the supreme court, why are whole-body deodorants suddenly everywhere, take a mental break with the newest vox crossword, the misleading, wasteful way we measure gas mileage, explained, today, explained.

Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.

More in Culture

The video where Diddy attacks Cassie — and the allegations against him — explained

Is it ever okay to film strangers in public?

Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” the song of summer, explained

When TikTok therapy is more lucrative than seeing clients

You’re not imagining it — movies are getting longer

The controversy over Harrison Butker’s misogynistic commencement speech, explained

Inside India’s secret campaign to threaten and harass Americans

Why ICC arrest warrants matter, even if Israel and Hamas leaders evade them

Why the US built a pier to get aid into Gaza

Vanderpump Rules shows the limits of making money on reality TV

Bridgerton’s third season is more diverse — and even shallower — than ever

29 Pictures Of Global Tourism During The Coronavirus Pandemic

After the coronavirus pandemic brought global tourism to a virtual standstill, many destinations are slowly welcoming back visitors — cautiously.

Senior Photo Essay Editor

S ign up for the BuzzFeed News newsletter JPG for behind-the-scenes exclusives from renowned photographers and our hard-hitting photo stories.

For many of the world's most popular destinations, summer is the season when tourism peaks and travelers are most inclined to spend both vacation days and saved income on their getaways. With fears over the spread of COVID-19 and strict travel restrictions imposed by countries to help curb new infections, many travel plans have since been postponed or canceled entirely.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically disrupted the world's tourism sector with an estimated loss of $1.2 trillion, or 1.5% of the world's GDP. With air travel down more than 70% from 2019 and many would-be travelers opting instead for " staycations ," UNCTAD estimates that some tourist enterprises may never recover from the economic effects of this pandemic.

For recently reopened destinations like the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, a current hot spot for coronavirus infections in the US, there are fears that opening too soon will cause an uptick in new COVID-19 infections. Still, many countries are slowly returning to a new normal following weeks of lockdowns and have since implemented safety measures at popular tourist sites to help keep visitors safe.

These pictures show what summer tourism looks like around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A visitor has their temperature taken at the entrance to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi, Brazil, on July 11. After being closed for three months, the museum's patio was cleared for visitation following distance rules such as reduced opening hours, restricting the flow of people, and maintaining hygiene standards.

Empty deck chairs are pictured at Magaluf Beach, Spain, on July 16. Regional authorities on Spain's Balearic island of Majorca ordered the immediate closure of bars on three streets popular with hard-drinking tourists to limit the potential for coronavirus outbreaks.

American tourist boat Maid Of The Mist, limited to 50% occupancy under New York state's rules amid the spread of the coronavirus disease, glides past a Canadian vessel limited under Ontario's rules to just six passengers, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on July 21.

Guests walk past the Millennium Falcon in the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction on the second day of the reopening of Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on July 16. All four of Disney's Florida parks are now open, including Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom, with limited capacity and safety protocols in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Young women kiss while taking a selfie before the Coliseum in Rome on June 22, as the country eases its lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infections.

Yemeni women residing in Egypt visit the Giza pyramids on the southwestern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo on July 1, as the country eases restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. A spree of openings in Egypt comes after the country officially ended a three-month nighttime curfew. Cafés and shops have reopened but public beaches and parks remain closed.

Three young women walk by an advertisement on a bus shelter in Lisbon, Portugal, that says "Tired of the virus? Be careful, it is not yet tired of you," on June 28. Sundays are still slow in downtown Lisbon although the country is coming back to life with the third phase of the de-confinement that started on June 2.

A visitor wearing a protective face mask takes a picture of paintings in the reopened Louvre Museum in Paris on July 6.

Visitors wearing protective face masks admire the view from the Eiffel Tower in Paris during its partial reopening on June 25.

A receptionist talks with tourists behind a glass wall as hotels take strict measures to help tourists have a healthy and safe holiday in Antalya, Turkey, on July 3.

A staff member checks the temperature of a tourist at the Al Naseem hotel in Dubai on July 7.

A hotel employee cleans a glass barrier on a terrace overlooking a beach in Lloret de Mar, Spain, on June 22, as beaches reopen following a national lockdown.

People attend a scaled-down version of the Myrtle Beach spring bike rally in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, on July 17. The event had been scheduled for May but was postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A cruise ship arrives without passengers in Rostock, Germany, to a beach full of tourists on July 18. It's one of the first cruise ships to arrive in Rostock after the start of the season, which was planned four months ago, was canceled due to the coronavirus.

Passengers walk to their gates at the nearly empty Barcelona airport on June 22.

The sun shines through the roof of the Oculus at the World Trade Center Station in New York City on July 13.

Broadway theaters stand closed along an empty street in the theater district of New York City on June 30. The Broadway League, a trade organization representing producers and theater owners, announced that performances in New York City will be suspended through the remainder of 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Daniel Hawkins of California rolls the dice at a craps table at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on July 1, after the Las Vegas Strip property opened for the first time since being closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Friends pose in front of "the Bean" at Millennium Park in Chicago on July 8.

Visitors take a selfie in front of Buckingham Palace in London on July 3.

Customers sit at socially distanced tables at a restaurant in London on July 4, as restrictions are further eased during the coronavirus pandemic.

A beachgoer relaxes behind a bilingual sign describing the coronavirus as "Inimigo Público" or "public enemy," and giving instructions to prevent contagion in Cascais, Portugal, on July 3.

Tourists ride camels from Oakfield Ranch camel rides on Birubi Beach, Australia, on June 25. Domestic tourism has started to resume following the easing of travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. All intrastate travel restrictions were lifted in New South Wales on June 1, allowing people to travel to regional areas within the state.

Tourists walk through Tiananmen Square in Beijing on July 15.

People take photographs in front of a hot spring source at the Kusatsu Onsen resort in Kusatsu, Japan, on June 27. More than a month has passed since Japan ended its state of emergency and begun relaxing its restriction requests for businesses.

Tourists take a selfie while visiting Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during its reopening on July 12.

A server wearing a protective face mask sanitizes her hands at a beach bar in Barcelona on June 28.

Visitors wearing face masks watch the sunset at Niterói City Park in Niterói, Brazil, amid the coronavirus pandemic on July 11.

A man sunbathes at Glyfada Beach on the island of Corfu, Greece, on July 1, as the island welcomes its first tourists after months of closure due to the spread of the COVID-19.

Topics in this article

• Coronavirus
• Climate Change

Elections Today

Recent projections, delegate tracker, georgia, oregon, idaho and kentucky primaries 2024: willis, mcafee win; tough night for progressives.

• Coronavirus health and science

How to vacation safely amid the coronavirus pandemic

There's no way to completely eliminate your risk. But you can take precautions.

Guidance on non-essential travel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not relaxed because summer is upon us. "Travel increases your chances of getting infected and spreading COVID-19," the agency notes on its website. "Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick."

But with states across the country reopening and more Americans leaving home than they were in early April , it's all but inevitable that some will test the waters with a vacation or weekend away this summer, even if those trips look different than in previous years.

SLIDESHOW: Coronavirus outbreak sparks global health emergency

Can Americans vacation safely during a pandemic?

Experts say there's no way to completely eliminate your risk of contracting COVID-19 while traveling. But there are precautions you can take to reduce your chances of getting COVID-19 or sickening others while vacationing.

First the ground rules. If you're leaving your community, never travel if you are sick or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the CDC warns. Similarly, you shouldn't travel with anyone who is sick or who has been exposed to the virus.

And if you're coming from a high-transmission area, there's a chance you might be an asymptomatic carrier. Take extra precautions to avoid spreading the virus to an area that hasn't seen many cases yet.

Spontaneity is not your friend this summer.

Bring a face mask to wear in public places. Plan ahead by packing food and water, in case restaurants and stores are closed, as well as enough hand sanitizer and medicine to last you for your entire trip. Check the guidance of the state and local health departments in your planned destination and along your route before you leave. State or local governments may have stay-at-home orders in effect, mandated quarantines upon arrival (Hawaii for instance), or checkpoints at state borders. Follow those instructions accordingly.

Will this be a normal summer? "Definitely not," said Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

"And it also shouldn’t be," he added.

With those basics in mind, here's how you can vacation as safely as possible this summer, experts say.

At the beach or park:

Since the virus that causes COVID-19 is harder to transmit outdoors, outside spaces, including beaches, parks and hiking trails are good options for Americans who have been cooped up in their homes in apartments all spring.

But since those areas can also easily become crowded, it's still important to stay 6 feet from others and practice social distancing, even while outdoors. Practice universal mask wearing when social distancing is not possible.

MORE: National parks prepare to enforce social distancing on crowded Memorial Day weekend

Many popular national parks that closed in response to COVID-19 are reopening, which worries advocates, who are concerned about an influx of out-of-state visitors and limited park staff trying to enforce social distancing.

The risk of crowding is real, Allen explained, and Americans should be prepared for it.

"The burden is not just not the parks and park rangers, but it’s also on people," he added. Maintain physical distance between yourself and others, and if you need to pass within 6 feet of someone, put your mask on.

The same goes for beaches, most of which haven't previously had to manage flows of people the way that parks have. Beaches may want to set up walking lanes, so that people aren't threading through blankets at close range and reduce available parking spaces to limit density on the beach. Many places with beaches are already taking action to reduce density.

MORE: Future of air travel: How Delta hopes to reassure passengers

If crowded beaches need to turn visitors away, Americans should accept that they may not be able to go to their favorite beach on a certain day, Allen explained.

"We should view loosened restrictions on parks and beaches as a privilege that will be revoked if crowds don't act appropriately," he said.

"People are going to have to act responsibly," he added.

As for the ocean itself, experts are say that the risk lies with transmission between people. There's no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through water.

At the pool:

The CDC has new guidance for using public pools as swimming facilities across the country begin to reopen for the summer.

While on the pool deck, bathers should keep their masks on and avoid gathering in groups, according to the CDC. Lifeguards should focus exclusively on water safety, and other staff members should be assigned to enforce social distancing rules.

MORE: CDC provides COVID-related guidance for going to the pool this summer

If you visit a public pool, stay 6 feet from others on the pool deck. While swimming, remain 6 feet away from anyone you don't live with.

The only time you should take off your mask is while you're in the water.

"Cloth face coverings can be difficult to breathe through when they're wet," the agency said in its recommendation.

Again, there is no evidence of transmission of the virus through water and public pools are generally chlorinated.

When renting a car, boat, hotel room or AirBnB:

Do your research. Call ahead and ask what the company or host is doing to sanitize between guests.

"What special precautions are they taking?" asked Jack Caravanos, a clinical professor of environmental public health sciences at NYU's School of Global Public Health. Compare options and choose the company you feel most comfortable with from a safety and hygiene prospective.

Specifically, you should ask about COVID-19-specific changes to the company's cleaning practices, which a representative or the company website should be able to explain in detail. Outwardly visible signs that they went above and beyond a typical cleaning, like hand sanitizer or wipes in cars, are a good sign.

If you're renting a car or a boat, you may choose to wipe the surfaces down yourself, too. As for airing out a rental car for 30 minutes before getting into it, "that's probably overkill," Caravanos said.

You should similarly research rental companies if you plan to rent a boat, according to U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Adam Chamie, a commanding officer in Key West, Florida.

"I would do your due diligence in renting a boat, the same way you would with a hotel room," he explained.

In any situation, think about whether you'll be able to socially distance with ease. A sunset catamaran sail with 100 people? Not a good idea. A fishing charter with family members, on the other hand, may be able to be done safely. Be careful not to crowd spaces where boaters may gather, like marinas, and wear your face mask if you'll be within 6 feet of others.

He also warned against tying boats together to socialize.

"Would you raft-up your table together in restaurant with 10 other strangers?" Chamie asked. "The virus can be spread on the water between boaters who know each other, just like it can at a restaurant or grocery story, or on the streets of Brooklyn, " he said.

"It does't go away just because we’re on the water or on vacation."

When looking for a rest stop:

Rest stops are high-risk areas, according to Caravanos. Like airports, they may include crowds of people traveling from different areas.

When looking for a rest stop, large open bathrooms with plenty of airflow may be a better option than an often-used gas station with a single toilet, Caravanos explained.

As always maintain social distancing, wear a face mask and practice proper handwashing. "That triad is a requirement," he added.

If you're flying:

If you choose to fly, both Caravanos and Allen said your exposure risk is greater at the airport and during transit to the airport than on the plane itself.

Wash your hands often during your trip, keep 6 feet from others at the airport, if possible, and wipe down your seat and tray. Wear a mask the whole time. Masks generally help to protect others from you, but N95 masks, if worn properly, can help protect you as well.

Traveling from an outbreak hotspot to a place with few infections:

If the virus is spreading in your community, "be mindful that you might be a carrier," warned Allen. If you're traveling from a COVID-19 hotspot, like New York City or Chicago, you could unknowingly spread the virus to an area that doesn't have a large outbreak yet.

Heed the guidance state and local health departments are putting out for visitors from other states. In Massachusetts, for example, people traveling from out of state are "instructed" to quarantine for 14 days . A Vermont mandate requires that out-of-stater travelers quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and should not go out for groceries, walks, hikes or bike rides.

"People have to abide by these rules themselves," Allen said. "It’s a social trust moment."

If you or a loved one is in a high-risk category:

Everything changes if you, or a family member or partner you'd normally travel with, is in a high-risk category for contracting a severe case of COVID-19. For individuals with underlying conditions, especially older Americans, COVID-19 can be especially deadly.

"I don't think the risk is very high, but the consequences are high. I’m not sure this is the time for family reunion in Vermont with a lot of people," Caravanos said.

For older individuals and high-risk groups, he added, "I would say, sit it out."

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.

Related Topics

• Coronavirus