A world wide pandemic was declared in early March 2020, and ever since then, nothing has been the same. Businesses have closed down, strict mask regulations have been put in place, and a lot of summer plans have been changed.

Over a year has passed, and with the new vaccines, and a lowering number of cases, things may be starting to return to something more normal. However, there are still Covid risks that are impacting our lives, and for many this will impact what people choose to do over the summer vacation.

For Reese Vance, a sophomore, summer is always about being done with school, and spending your time having fun with family and friends and she enjoys camping. 

“With camping you can stay distanced from people on the campground,” said Vance, who feels like Covid hasn’t changed one of the things she loves to do that much.

Madelynn Tuning, a freshman, is also a big camper as well as a softball player. “I do get to travel quite a bit for softball tournaments… and we also have a big camping trip, but that probably won’t happen because of covid,” said Tuning.

A lot of outdoor activities will become available to do in the coming months, such as camping and going to national parks. The National Park Service has opened many of their parks up, requiring unvaccinated visitors to continue wearing masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas.

With camping the different restrictions can vary from campsite to campsite, but you can usually be unmasked within your own area in the campsites that are open.

Vick Kelly, a freshman, believes that there is just as much fun to be had at home with things like video games and hanging out with the family, but misses being able to see family, specifically his Grandma.

Kelly had always gone to see his grandma in California, however because the pandemic was raging away last summer, that never happened. Since he is the last person in his family to be vaccinated, his family will hopefully get to spend some time with Kelley’s grandma now.

And because the Pfizer vaccine is now approved and available to children age 12 and up, a lot of people will be able to see parts of their families that they couldn’t previously because of the virus.

But one of the big things for mainly the citizens of Yamhill and Carlton, is whether or not the pool will open. Students have different opinions about whether or not the Carlton pool will open or not Tuning does not think that the pool will be opening anytime soon.

“That’s a lot of people in one area, with covid, you’re not really allowed to do that, so I personally don’t think that (the pool) will happen, but there could be a chance,” said Tuning.

On the other hand, Kelly believes that because of the new vaccine, there is a high chance that the pool could be available for swimming, or at least being rented by a group of people. But the debate really just comes down to whether or not the restrictions on masks and social distancing are lifted this summer.