March Issue

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COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 Uncertainty causing hysteria March 19, 2019

theburlingameb.org

Issue 6 Vol. 130

BY BEN NEUMAN

Webmaster

the year. Around the same time, President Donald Trump announced a travel ban that restricts travel to and from Europe, where COVID-19 has hit countries such as Italy especially hard. On March 12, the San Mateo Union High School District school district announced that all schools would be closing for at least two weeks and that classes would take place online. Along with school, all sports and school-related events would be put on hold until further notice. This cancellation has since been extended through spring break for an additional two weeks due to San Mateo County orders. Among the students forced to learn from home is senior Matthew Pilch. “I think that it might be more serious than we actually think it is because the government knows so much and

they are just telling people to go home,” Pilch said. While the coronavirus is not usually deadly to healthy individuals, with many affected young people seeming asymptomatic, precautions are necessary to avoid spreading the virus to at-risk groups. In addition, hysteria about the uncertainty of the current situation has escalated tensions. It is hard to predict when the risk of infection will subside, making the future of many students, business owners and employees uncertain for at least the near future. This fear of the unknown is heightened by the plummeting stock market and short term economic ramifications of the virus. continued on PAGE 2

The WHO was first alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. The cases had no known cause. DEC 31

World Health Organization (WHO) A new type Media began of corona- reporting the virus was first known identified person to die and named from corona2019-nCoV virus. JAN 7

JAN 10

Washington State reported the first case in the U.S.

The WHO declared COVID-19 a global health emergency.

The WHO officially named the virus COVID-19.

The CDC confirmed first case in CA with no reported travel connection to China or exposure to another person with COVID-19.

JAN 21

JAN 31

FEB 11

FEB 26

The WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic after confirming over 118,000 cases in 114 countries. MAR 11

MAR 13

Super Tuesdays Paint Clearer Picture of Frontrunners in the Race for Nomination BY ELLIOT SKILLINGS and AIDEEN DELAHUNT

Staff Reporters

The biggest round of the Democratic presidential primaries took place on March 3, pitting five candidates against each other. It was clear heading into the night that Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden were the frontrunners, with Mike Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren and Tulsi Gabbard trailing by substantial margins. At the end of the night, Biden and Sanders were the only candidates with legitimate shots to win the nomination, as the two won all 14 states voting. Biden pulled off a historic comeback, even winning

WHAT’S INSIDE

Texas, and pulled in front of Sanders for the lead. On March 10, Biden expanded his lead over Sanders, winning every state besides North Dakota, which Sanders won. Biden’s delegate count is 1,181 as of March 19, compared to Sander’s 885. Tulsi Gabbard, who earned two delegates, dropped out this morning and endorsed Biden. Sanders remains in the running, although his main goal is to have a Democrat elected to office in November. He has stated that if he has to drop out to make that happen, he will. After the most recent primaries, he is officially “reassessing” his presidential bid. In less than a month, the future of the primaries has changed drastically. However,

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Got ink? Read about featured tattoos of the Burlingame staff

a candidate needs 1,991 delegates to win the nomination, so neither Biden nor Sanders can definitively claim victory yet. “Everyone that is saying it’s already been decided is maybe calling it a little too early,” history teacher Jim Chin said. Regardless of the outcome, the debates that go along with the primaries are an essential way to open up political discussions, unite parties and decide on the best decisions for the people. Following a back and forth debate on March 15, Sanders and Biden went toe-to-toe once again on Tuesday, March 17. Although four states postponed their primaries due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Flori-

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Burlingame sports at the mercy of COVID-19

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San Mateo County School District closes its schools through April 3.

MAR 15

MAR 16

BREAKING

da, Arizona and Illinois still allowed ballots to be cast. Even though the California primary passed on March 3, there will be many more voting opportunities for young people to get their voices heard, the most significant opportunity being the November election. The youngest voters have always been the group with the lowest turnout, with turnout growing drastically as age increases. “I think it’s important for [young people] to make our views known,” senior Anna Bronzini said. “And we can do that by voting. It’s the most direct way that we can influence politics.”

Our moment in history; student’s responsibility to define how we deal with state of emergency

First reported coronavirus related death in San Mateo County. This was the third coronavirus related death in the Bay Area. 31 confirmed cases in San Mateo county.

Source: www.VeryWellHealth.com

TIMELINE OF THE OUTBREAK

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, enabling $50 billion in federal aid. San Mateo County Health Officer issued a School Operations Modification Order from March 16 through April 3.

DESIGN BY RACHEL YAP

China has been suffering from the effects of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 since it was first discovered. Many citizens have had to evacuate, including Shanghai resident Mathew Lewis, who found refuge in Australia amid the crisis. “The hardest thing is that there is no certainty. We have no idea how long this will take. Who knows when everyone is going to return? Who knows when the schools are going to open?” Lewis said. Since being interviewed, Lewis and his son have been able to return, hopeful that school will resume shortly. In recent weeks, China has slowly become safer as the country’s infection rate has slowed.

In contrast, the infection rate in the U.S. is increasing daily, and the pandemic is having full effects on the local community. Just over a week ago, the coronavirus seemed a very distant threat to Burlingame. The first cases were just hitting the Bay Area, and many dismissed the virus as nothing worse than the seasonal flu, which is a big misconception due to COVID-19’s higher mortality rate and contagious dormant period. In the following days, national figures such as Rudy Gobert and Tom Hanks were diagnosed with COVID-19. While these diagnoses have no direct relation to Burlingame, they served as a wake-up call to the world and Burlingame students alike. In the 24 hours following, nearly every major sports league was canceled or suspended for

CORONAVIRUS

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n Jan. 10, a 61-year-old man died in a Chinese hospital from what was presumed to be pneumonia. Locals continued on as usual, assuming that the sudden outbreak of sickness in Wuhan was connected to food from a local fish market. But by the end of January, when there were over 200 deaths and over 9000 confirmed cases of this illness, it became obvious that the situation was much more severe. Now, less than three months after the new disease was discovered, nations around the globe are experiencing the detrimental results of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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see the SPREAD on PAGES 6 to 7

After months of hard work, the spring play, Puffs, has been postponed indefinitely


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