The city of Anaheim continues to be one of the hot spots for coronavirus infections despite Orange County being removed from the Coronavirus Watchlist. With 9346 cases since the tracking begin.  

The city of Anaheim’s dense population was struck hard by this global pandemic. Being one of the most tourist-friendly cities in California, the spread of COVID-19 was inevitable. It would permanently freeze the thriving economical businesses that the city is well known for, creating an uncertain future. 

The city of Anaheim entered a “red tier” starting September 8th, which means that if there are minimal cases of COVID-19 infections throughout the city for at least 14-days, schools are eligible to reopen their doors to the thousands of students living in Anaheim. 

“Will we actually be prepared as we say we will be? Our area code is still the highest one. Sure, numbers have been going down, but will they go back up once schools open up. Will kids actually feel safe or are they going to be more scared of returning home after being around other people?” Ariana Suarez, a Student at Anaheim High School, expresses her thoughts and questions on the topic of returning to school during a pandemic. She states, “Some students have been following the safety measures outside of school but others don’t seem to care. It truly depends on the person and if they care about their health  and their families.”

Not only has COVID-19 impacted communities in Anaheim significantly since the historic closure of schools and citywide lockdown back in March of 2020, but it has also shaped the way members in our community live their lives. For most, the use of masks and proper sanitation has become a lifestyle. For some, however,  the use of masks has started to become a dreadful hassle. 

Jose Rocha, a student and Walmart employee in Anaheim shares his experiences as an essential worker in our community, “Since this pandemic would be going on, the early parts of having a mask would not apply to everyone and they did not follow the rules. I’ve been promoted to inside for more than a month but while I was a cart pusher out there, I’ve seen my fair share of people not obeying the simple rules of wearing a mask. They would fight with the door hosts and saying ‘Why the hell do we need to wear stupid masks, I’m not sick!’ This would result in having the store to be restricted and only letting a certain amount of people in. Some understand this change and others complain, even more, we can’t make everyone happy. It does anger me sometimes that they can’t follow basic rules, it really does concern me for their well being.” Jose Rocha also shares some insight as to how he is doing his part to keep himself and his family safe and healthy.  “I, myself, have also taken precautions and use face masks, put on sanitizer, and keep my distance from others. My family also are mainly staying inside and doing our part to flatten the curve. Always double-checking before we leave to places if we have masks. We make sure to buy any disinfecting products when they’re in stock (…) the perks of working at Walmart, getting the items before the store opens. We are always making sure to be healthy and safe. That’s our main priority.”

Living amidst a pandemic has impacted the community of Anaheim in a diverse amount of ways. Many people fear the virus but are hopeful and optimistic about the future. While the future is uncertain, the city of Anaheim is providing local testing sites that provide free testing.

Vanessa Navarro, a student, and a resident of Anaheim share what the pandemic has taught her, “One of the biggest lessons it has taught me was to not have any regrets. We all thought school was gonna close for only two weeks max if not three. No one knew the school was going to close for the remainder of the year, going into our senior year. There are so many things I didn’t do that I wish I did, so many unsaid words, so many things that were left undone (…) I’ve handled stress by making time to unwind. I try to save some time for myself and do activities that take my mind off of these terrible times. I also try to connect with others even if it’s for 5 minutes. However, I know one day everything will be back to normal. ”