Angelina Quilici
Elisabeth Borchers
English 102
Argumentative Essay Draft
The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 caused many extreme setbacks for thousands of individuals in society, sickening a wide majority of humanity on earth, and shattering the hopes of citizens all around the globe. If any ordinary individual was questioned about their opinion on the most stressful aspect of the lockdown, their most likely response would be fear of becoming ill or contracting the virus. But the sickness itself was not the worst terror brought forth by the societal shutdown; but it was the mental aspects that devastated society indefinitely. Because the world's community was so worried about becoming sick, a widely ignored/forgotten aspect of the pandemic was the mental toll it took on society. It is clear that the ravages of this virus created an extreme mental health crisis, further damaging society's reputation and development. And after the lockdown was lifted, civilians anticipated for their lives to return as they were before experiencing such suffering, but this was not the case. This exaggerated isolation of society inflicted more pain and suffering than saving. Many people believe that the worst component of the virus was the illness it inflicted and its cause of death, but the psychological impact it left on society will forever outweigh the physical aspect. Because of the obvious tolls the pandemic had on youth, adults, and the elderly, the mental effects of the lockdown are forever more damaging to society than the actual virus itself.
Of course, we know that the Corona virus infected and sickened many people, including the youth. But those who experienced the illness describe it to be nothing compared to the mental effects that subsided with the fall of social outcomes. This was not an illness crisis; This was a mental health crisis inflicted by society. During this time, youth and teens education was interrupted, as well as their social development, and essential life steps. In March 2020, students anticipated an enjoyable two-week spring break. However, this was not the case. A nationwide shutdown occurred, closing all public buildings, including schools, and imposing severe restrictions on socialization. And while society thought they were saving these kids and others, they were extremely wrong. Once the time finally came for students to return back to school, there was evidence of a significant "academic lag". According to Science News, "On average, kids are two to two-and-a-half months behind where we would expect they would have been if the COVID pandemic hadn't happened." ("What Kids Lost"). There was an obvious disruption that was caused by the isolated online learning environment children were forced to adjust to. It is without a doubt that the closing of in-school learning centers caused a setback for children's education. Not only was their education interrupted, but also their social life, especially for teens. This increased loneliness had an extreme effect on some of these teens, ultimately leading to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. In fact, according to the CDC, "more than a third (37%) of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year." ("New CDC Data"). Compared to a week and a half cold, the mental damages of the lockdown took more of a hold on teens, and continued to do so even after the quarantine was lifted. It became very common for feelings of loneliness to increase, causing many distresses for the teen age group. Many of these young adults opted in finding comfort through social media to stay connected to their peers, leading to social media addiction and poor social skills. Although some students were still able to learn fine virtually, this was not the case for some individuals. The pandemic caused an epidemic of self teaching and self motivation. There was an epidemic of learning struggles, where some students faced not even graduating at all. The shutdown of society doomed the future generation, expecting them to be able to learn through a screen and failing them if they cannot. According to ChalkBeat, "High school graduation rates dipped in at least 20 states after the first full school year disrupted by the pandemic, suggesting the coronavirus may have ended nearly two decades of nationwide progress toward getting more students diplomas." ("Graduation Rates Dip"). While society was trying to save people from contracting this illness, they were failing the future generations. It is obvious that this stunt in adolescent learning and mental health had a greater impact on society than the virus that occurred, permanently altering the learning system forever. While trying to avoid a mild sickness, youths' education was interrupted, as well as their social development, and futures regarding graduation and college educations.
Not only did children and teens fall victim to the dramatic shutdown of society, but adults as well. They also found themselves dealing with harsh mental health struggles, as well as employment issues and financial devastation. During this time, most public buildings were closed, which caused an extreme job loss trend. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, "The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown caused 114 million people to lose their jobs over 2020." ("Covid-19 Has Caused"). Not only was this a disruption for the hardworking citizens of the world, but this loss of jobs impacted the economy as well. This extreme interference caused setbacks for millions of families, leaving them in financial pain. This lockdown caused many many businesses to shut down ultimately leading to the job losses of millions. The CDC reports, "More than a quarter (of children) (29%) reported a parent or other adult in their home lost a job." ("New CDC Data"). While society thought they were saving their citizens from contracting an illness, they were actually creating a genocide of employement. Rather facing a cold-type illness, millions of people lost their jobs and possibly their homes due to the financial struggles forced upon them. And not only does this create financial issues, but mental health problems as well. When such a life changing occurrence happens like loss of a job or loss of income, an extreme stress rise is caused in the body. And, unfortunately during this time, employment rates were down, meaning the chances of finding a job were slim to none. Without being able to recover in a time like this, many adults found themselves facing mental health issues. According to Pew Research Center, "At least four-in-ten U.S adults (41%) have experienced high levels of psychological distress at least once in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak." ("At Least Four"). These symptoms of mental hopelessness were far more common in anybody than the coronavirus was. This pandemic lockdown sought to protect society caused more internal damage, changing the ability for adults to provide and live comfortably. And some, still to this day, struggle to get back on their feet after the world collapsed. The lockdown caused businesses to shut down, resulting in extreme loss of employment for adults and their families, further destroying how they live the rest of their lives.
While teens and adults were isolated struggling with things like mental health, education, and employment, society's elderly were profusely alone, in constant fear. They lived in fear of contracting the virus, and those who did most likely died alone due to the lockdown of public buildings. Only the sickest were allowed in hospitals, therefore frail elderly were alone without family members to comfort them in such a frightful time. This virus is nothing more than a flu, which ills many older members of society yearly, but for this instance, the coronavirus dramatically blocked families from being together. One of the pandemics biggest tragedies amongst its elderly was the restrictions put on them. Psychology Today writes, "Not only did visitor restrictions cause thousands of patients to die alone, many experienced significant loneliness, with disastrous consequences on mental and physical health." ("Covid-19 Lonely Dying"). Either way, the virus outbreak was going to happen, and the shutdown of society did not completely stop the spread of the illness. It did however, create an extreme mental toll on the elderly, where they were living alone out of fear, or isolated in a hospital with no visitors allowed, ultimately dying scared and alone. It is obvious that the mental toll the pandemic had on society outweighed any sickness possible, causing extreme suffering and mental anguish.
It is obvious that the true epidemic of 2020 was not the coronavirus outbreak, but the isolation of society's people and the true effects this event caused. While some may argue that this lockdown was absolutely necessary, this illness was no more than the flu, an illness that millions of people live with worldwide. And the reported death tolls proved inaccuracy, suggesting these deaths to be covid related, when actually, an underlying illness was involved with the body already, leading to the death rates. The NPR writes, "So unless a more virulent variant emerges, COVID's menace has diminished considerably for most people, which means that they can go about their daily lives, says Gandhi, "in a way that you used to live with endemic seasonal flu." ("Scientists Debate How"). Just like the flu, if an immunocompromised person were to be infected with Covid, they would also face complications. So why did society take these extreme measures so quickly? Within weeks of the virus hitting America, the public was quarantined without any further research. This dramatic choice that was made caused unnecessary isolation, mental disruption, employment disruption, and education ruin.
In conclusion, for all of these age demographics one trend can be seen, mental distress. It is obvious that the well being of individuals during this time was not thought about thoroughly. The mental effects that the 2020 pandemic caused on society will always outweigh the illness that we were trying to hide from. These extreme measures taken were more damaging to society than any sickness ever could be. These outcomes will forever be more damaging to society, leaving us wondering, were these extreme measures worth societal demise?
Works Cited
