Zina Alsheklee

Sophomore Zina Alsheklee says her quarantine experience has involved severe isolation. After Alsheklee’s father contracted COVID-19  from the hospital he works at, Alsheklee’s mother and sister caught it as well.

“[My dad] was the first to truly quarantine and confine himself to the basement and away from us. To give him food and other basic necessities, we’d leave them outside the basement door and he’d go out and get them,” Alsheklee said. “It was like feeding a lion at a zoo; I didn’t like any of it.”

Alsheklee’s sister was originally in charge of bringing their parents food and cleaning the house, but once she became sick, the responsibility fell to her.

“I understand that the odds of this becoming a severe issue are slim, but it’s impossible to go a second without worrying about what the future holds for me and my family,” Alsheklee said. “I’m constantly wondering how they’re doing, whether they’re improving, and what I can do to help, as I truly am willing to do anything and everything for them.”

Because Alsheklee cannot see her friends, she spends a lot of time watching Netflix, doing homework and FaceTiming. She is also currently working from home. 

“Another major obstacle during this time is the mental obstacle I’m constantly facing,” Alsheklee said. “I struggle to find the motivation to do schoolwork or any type of work as a result of my constant worries and stress, but all I can do during this time is tell myself to stay positive and keep smiling.”

Cases in Missouri continue to rise as the statewide stay-at-home order ended on May 4. The St. Louis region, however, is under an indefinite order.

“Something I kept reminding myself at the start of this crisis was that we’re all capable of overcoming this, but it’s important to have a ‘short term pain, long term gain’ mentality to ultimately get through it,” Alsheklee said. “Staying at home is hard and boring, and it’s everything we don’t want to do while not having to attend school, but we need to work together as a community to slow the spread and get our lives back to normal.”