During the months of isolation, many young adults have altered their lifestyles and picked up new hobbies.
“I’ve been following many TikTok recipes like blueberry ice cream, peanut butter cookies and others. They’ve all turned out to be now family favorites!” said Springfield resident Alejandra Caballero, a freshman at Virginia Tech.
“I am playing a lot of video games, trying to eat healthier and consume less since I’m barely working out, and I’m taking the ‘COVID-19 in Context’ course offered by UMW. It’s actually pretty interesting and super easy too,” said Springfield resident Peter Lermo, a freshman at the University of Mary Washington.
Many young adults have been spending their time in nature.
“My girlfriend and I hang out every now and then and we go do some outdoor stuff; we like hiking. There’s a nice 20 ft. ledge we jump off of at the Occoquan River. We did the billy goat trail by Great Falls and swam there,” said Lermo.
“During quarantine I’ve been doing a lot of hiking, some sewing and reading. I guess you could say a new hobby I picked up has been running. I’ve been trying to start running consistently to maybe do some races in the future,” said Carolyn Willmore, a Burke resident and sophomore at the University of Mary Washington.
Some have also been spending more time with their family.
“For hiking I’ve mainly been with my family and we’ve all been quarantined together,” said Willmore. “Whenever we pass other hikers we make sure to get at least six feet off the trail and let them pass before we get back on. For running I’ve been doing that myself around my neighborhood where I don’t come across anyone.”
“My family and I have also made it a habit to be more active and take daily family walks,” said Caballero.
“I’ve started to go on more runs and walks with my family. My sister and I started to go paint more to keep us busy and to go grocery shopping for our parents since they work from home and we have nothing to do,” said Burke resident Delaney Hagerty, an incoming freshman at James Madison University.
As Northern Virginia approaches phase three of its reopening, many people are starting to venture out in public again.
“I’ve started going on more hikes and I learned how to ride a skateboard. It’s been more outdoors but I’ve gone to the mall and beach too,” said West Springfield High School junior Jasmine Yasser from Springfield.
“I went on a trip to South Carolina for beach week June 13-20 with a group of eight people,” said Hagerty.
But even as businesses reopen, many are still taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I wear a mask when I’m indoors and social distance from everyone that I didn’t arrive with,” said Yasser. “I am worried about COVID-19, but I can only do so much to protect myself. I try not to stress about what I can’t control.”
“I’ve been wearing my mask when I leave my house but I did get tested yesterday after coming into contact with a person who later tested positive,” said Hagerty.
“I’m wearing my mask and only going hiking, not going to restaurants or anywhere where we wouldn’t be able to social distance,” said Lermo.
“My immediate family has really had minimal contact with outside people. We get all our groceries delivered and then wipe them down with Clorox wipes, and both my parents work from home so we’ve been very isolated,” said Willmore.
Overall, many are eager for life to return to normal.
“The boredom has reached a whole new meaning,” said Caballero.