The outbreak of coronavirus in the United States has resulted in the closure of schools, forcing over 76 million students enrolled in U.S. schools to stay inside and complete their courses online. Kids of all ages are being advised to remain in their homes, which makes it nearly impossible to physically interact with people that they do not live with. 

Many students that are currently in romantic relationships find being in quarantine difficult since they cannot see their significant other. Sophomores Sammy Oliver and Chase Kloman have been dating each other for a few months now and are putting in the effort to continue their relationship while in isolation.

“It makes me very sad that I went from being able to see him every day to not being able to see him for three weeks and now more. I miss being able to be around him and having in-person conversations,”  Oliver said. 

Oliver explains how she is upset that she cannot see her boyfriend for an uncertain amount of time as a result of the current lockdown. The couple has made keeping in touch with each other while being inside by calling one another and using social media as their main priority at this time.

“While in quarantine we tend to have lots of phone calls, Facetime and Snapchat throughout the whole entire day whenever we have the chance. Both of our schedules sometimes prevent us from communicating since I have work and Sammy has her hobbies,” Kloman said. 

Even though the two interact virtually throughout the day, they still find it challenging to keep up without seeing each other physically. 

“Sometimes I think it will be difficult to maintain the relationship because of how long the distance between us is, but I also believe that the distance will help us grow as people and within our relationship,” Oliver said.

Dealing with the uncertainty of the duration of this pandemic and when someone will be able to see people can take a toll on someone emotionally resulting in feelings of isolation and dejection. 

“It has affected me more in an emotional way because I always relied on seeing them every day and having social interaction with them,” Oliver said. “Recently I tend to get very down and lonely.”

Keeping positive during this time and looking forward to the future after quarantine motivates the couple to keep their hopes up. The current situation that Oliver and Kloman are in is not ideal, however, staying motivated and keeping in touch through this difficult and lonely time is helping their relationship along with their personal growth. 

“It sucks to know that I won’t be able to see her or any of my friends for probably a very long time and it makes me feel sad. I just try to focus on improving myself and the relationships I have, all I could possibly do is just look forward to the future,” Kloman said. 

Not only for people in intimate relationships are going through these challenges, but best friends also. Sophomores Julia Danois and Sofia Osio have been best friends since elementary and are also trying to keep their spirits up during quarantine.  

“It’s weird not seeing each other every day like we used to, but we do our normal routine of talking on the phone and snapping. We both try to do new activities we see on TikTok, like doing new dances.” Danois said.

Social media is a great outlet for people to stay in touch during quarantine. Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. keeps people in touch with one another during the pandemic.

“I normally pass the time on social media during the day. Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are the apps I routinely go on. At that point, a couple hours pass by, and I talk to my friends on Zoom or Facetime,” Osio said. 

Being in quarantine has its challenges for people interacting with their different relationships, being either best friends or in an actual relationship. Although social distancing has been deemed the answer to slow the pandemic spread, it has presented itself as an obstacle in maintaining social relationships.