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It was a random Tuesday. Our grade had just returned from Junior Freezefest the previous Sunday and we were having our first normal school day since before the trip as the day before, student-teacher conferences were held. When I walked into school that morning, I noticed Rabbi Ciner and multiple other faculty members meeting in his office, which seemed odd to me as it was so early in the morning. I was approached by another student who mentioned that they must be meeting about how an SAR parent tested positive for coronavirus that morning. Coronavirus? Isn't that that random infection in China? How could it be that it's now in our community. As more details came to light, it was revealed that the parent of an SAR student,  who lived in New Rochelle, where I live, was in the hospital with flu like symptoms and SAR and another elementary sent home their  busses while they were en route to school at 7:09 AM, and that their schools would be closed indefinitely. Throughout the day, there was hysteria around Frisch as this foreign virus that we never viewed as a threat had infiltrated our community. Multiple announcements were made over the loudspeakers assuring us to remain calm and that jokes directed toward students of Asian descent regarding the virus will not be tolerated by the school.

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As I was leaving the gym after my gym period and checked my phone, I saw dozens of text messages and emails from people freaking out. What happened? My shul, the Young Israel of New Rochelle, had just announced that they would be closed until March 8th because it was found out that the SAR parent who tested positive for coronavirus (not yet named COVID-19, and not yet a pandemic), was in the shul for both a bar mitzvah and a funeral the previous weekend and likely spread the virus to many people. Anyone who was in the shul on the days in question were told to self-quarantine until March 8th the earliest. I delivered the news to the teacher of my next class and she told me to see Rabbi Ciner. After a meeting in the back of the main office that I will never forget, the New Rochelle students were sent home. I was overcome with the realization that this was my 9/11 moment.

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Being in quarantine, I was forced to "Teams call" (not Zoom) into classes. It was immensely boring, and at one point I was so tired that I just got into my bed and did not go to the remaining classes. I figured I was just fatigued from having a low energy day and too much screen time, but as the day went on, my ability to move and keep my eyes open diminished. By the nighttime, I had completely lost my senses of taste and smell and felt like I got hit by a bus. My mom was panicking because she assumed the worst, especially after my flu test came out negative. We spent the night watching the news, because our community of New Rochelle was constantly featured, along with the Democratic primary elections being held that night.

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The second day of quarantine. I still could not physically get out of bed and my mom was trying to reach the CDC the entire day in order to get me tested for Covid. Eventually, she was able to get through to them and we scheduled for members of the health department to come to our house and test the family. It seemed like it was straight out of a horror movie when three people showed up to our house that night wearing full-on HazMat suits and carrying biohazard waste bags. They stuck the q-tips up to our brains, and left. The word had spread through various channels that there was a Frisch junior who lived and New Rochelle and was showing symptoms of COVID-19. After I was outed, dozens of texts from friends and family poured in to check up on me and make sure I was feeling okay.

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After a shabbos where the most exciting part was staring at the wall (I was not allowed to leave my room), this day was not much different, until around 8 PM. I was sitting in my jail cell, I mean, my room, when my mom knocked on the door frantically and notified me that I had indeed tested positive for the virus. I was shocked as I realized the significance of the situation, which is even more shocking a year later. I was one of the first people affected by a virus that ravaged our country. I texted all of the concerned parties about my status, and they were concerned, but I assured them that at this point I was already beginning to feel better. However, this meant 14 more days of quarantine for my family and I. The next day, this was confirmed when a CDC worker dropped off paperwork at my house that warned me not to leave the premises. I have always been an outdoorsy person, so this was borderline torture for me. That day, I made a vow to myself that I will spend as much time outside and disconnected from the internet as much as humanly possible.

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Looking back on that fateful week last much, it is difficult for me to believe that it actually happened. It still seems like one big nightmare. Despite this, I think my hard-hit community and I gained a priceless amount from the experience. To this day, I remain in awe of how our community rallied around each other in an effort to defeat the virus. Those that had the virus did not pity themselves or hide away in their houses, but rather they went out and donated their plasma to others diagnosed with the virus. Furthermore, the community as a whole rallied to assist those in need by grocery shopping for those who felt unsafe leaving their house or were not allowed to and simply sending their love and well wishes to members of the community sickened with COVID-19. New Rochelle’s resilience was best exemplified when walking the streets, one would see chalk drawings in just about every driveway with encouraging messages and notes thanking the essential workers. Volunteers also drove around and planted signs on lawns that read “New Ro Strong,” the community’s new slogan. My community was not ashamed that it was responsible for the first COVID outbreak in the U.S., rather, it took pride in its ability to dig its way out of the wreckage that the virus caused to so many. I also gained a lot personally from the experience. Ever since then, I have followed through on my "outdoors vow" as I spent most of last spring and summer hiking, biking, and playing golf. Being inside for that long gifted me a new appreciation of the outdoors and quality time with friends without the use of electronics. The future will hold many challenges for both my community and I, but I am excited to see how we will overcome them and flourish.