As the omicron variant continues to grip the nation, many schools are going virtual once again. With Bergen County's cases skyrocketing, especially in December (Dec 18-31) with 26,408 new cases of the Covid-19 infection, which jeopardizes the mental and physical health of each Student, Teacher, and families that put their trust into our schools. We need to do everything we can to slow this epidemic, and continuing In-person learning does not help at all. The Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus does not show as many symptoms as the regular infection. This makes it very hard to identify, meaning that students can come to school without realizing that they may have a case of the Omicron Variant, causing it to spread much faster than the initial outbreak. Clearly, this puts every student and teacher in higher danger than before. 

There is also a mental health issue posed with the rise of the Omicron variant. People with health problems are much more vulnerable to the virus, and I know that I speak for everyone who has a family member with a health problem when I say that the last thing I want is for that family member to get the Coronavirus. Just worrying about this is enough to set some students over the edge, but if a family member actually gets infected, a lot of us can develop serious mental issues. 

To any staff member capable of making the change to virtual- For the Physical and Mental wellness of the students studying at Bergen County Academies and Bergen County Technical High Schools, I implore you, consider going virtual and turning the tide against the COVID-19 epidemic!

-Anonymous Student