Nothing can replace physical school

The world has been dealing with COVID-19 for two years now. Late summer and into the Fall of 2021, the spread of the virus had gone down due to the various vaccines that were introduced. I was hopeful and excited to finally start in person learning since starting high school during the pandemic was challenging with online learning. I felt the most challenging part of it was having social interactions with your classmates. Jumping into grade nine online was quite a struggle, but you can always learn from your past experiences.

Things were beginning to feel almost normal, like what I thought high school would be. It’s such big part of any kids’ life. I was experiencing in-person classes five days a week and meeting classmates I only previously saw on screen. I even joined the swim team. While online education was not a favorite for students, me included, I am glad that before the winter break, we were able to have almost a normal academic life. At my school clubs and sports teams came back into play since 2020 which was exciting. I was also able to meet face-to-face with the other students in my grade before the winter break. It was almost like I was meeting everyone in my grade again or reliving my previous grade nine year. This is because while I knew these people were in my class, to meet them in-person is way different than online.

A large majority of my school, myself included, live quite a far distance from our school. This means many of us use public transportation like the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to get to school and home every day. But how could I stay safe on my trips to school when using public transportation?

I was still cautious knowing the pandemic was not eliminated. TTC ridership was close to 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. While riding the TTC over the last stretch of 2021, I noticed the subway starting to get busier. Jobs in Toronto were starting to come back to working in offices making the subways busier and recommended social distancing next to impossible. Travelling during less busy times makes sense if you want to be distanced from other riders. However, this was not an option, unless I wanted a late slip every day! Instead, I followed some basic COVID-19 health guidelines and travelling smart on my TTC trips.

So, what did I do? Since the start of the pandemic and lock downs in Ontario, everyone has been told multiple times how important it is to wash your hands. While this is important anywhere you go in Toronto, when travelling on public transit, it is even more necessary. The amount of people travelling on the TTC subway has been increasing as restrictions eased last summer. This means that more people touch and use the hand railings in TTC vehicles. So, to combat the transmission of the COVID-19 variants, I remember to wash my hands after each trip. As soon as I enter the school building, I always head straight to the washroom to wash my hands.

Toronto’s transit system gets a bad rap about their reliability of their service. Unfortunately, the pandemic seems to have made it worse. If I am running late to school because of the many delays on the TTC, I always have hand sanitizer in my backpack. Whether it is a boring gel hand sanitizer or a rose scented one from Bath and Body Works, I then use it on my way to class. I also use it between classes just to keep safe, and it smells good.

My trip to school and back is the same every day, so I know my standard route to limit my exposure on public transportation. But sometimes I need to adjust my route and travel times due to swim practices or tutorials. For these instances, planning is key to stay safe and protected on the TTC. I make sure to plan any of my new TTC trips. I like to understand where I’m going first. Before starting a trip, TTC encourages riders to plan their trip before getting on the many TTC vehicles. You can use TTC’s TripLinx trip planner to determine the best routes based on your departure. For me, this helps me to limit the amount of time spent on the TTC where social distancing may be hard to follow as the amount of people on the TTC increase. With this limited amount of time, I’m limiting the amount of exposure to the virus as a TTC passenger.

These new habits that I now follow are especially important for me to stay safe and to keep my family safe at all times during the current lockdown (sometime till February) in Ontario and the ones we might face in the future. One huge reason is because of my Nonna (grandmother) whom we all have to keep her protected at all times. While isolated during this pandemic, I have picked up different skills that I know am grateful of learning. I have recently learned how to knit. It is just basic stitches to start and at this time I’m certainly not a pro! However, it is quite an interesting hobby that connects me to my Nonna. She taught me how to knit and I find the process so therapeutic. She is also one of the reasons I try to stay safe and away from COVID these times. I know while COVID might not negatively impact my body as much, there is a much higher risk in the older population.

And now with the spread of the new Omicron variant that has emerged in our lives this past Christmas, the rate of infection doubled in December alone. Because of this, I take many precautions when going to school and hanging out with friends. At the back of my mind, is my Nonna’s wellbeing. While this sounds like not the most entertaining action it is the safest at the time. A must for me is staying safe when travelling on public transit.