COVID outbreak puts a dampener on kids' summer vacation plans

“We get summer holidays only once a year. Vacation in December is only for 10 days. But now, due to COVID, we can’t leave the house,” said Tanya, a Class 6 student.

For many, summer vacation staples like spending time with friends and visiting family have been put on hold. “I usually go to the McDonalds opposite my school with all my friends or go for a movie or the park or the beach. We also take a trip to see my grandparents and my extended family in Thirunelveli during this time. But all that has been cancelled,” said 13-year-old Sanjeev.

The opportunity to meet friends in a non-virtual way has also been stripped away from them. “My birthday falls during the summer vacation. We had even planned the venue for the party. I wanted to watch the latest movie and do things with them,” said Rangesh.

With very little to occupy their time, some children note that schools were unable to assign holiday homework. This lack of activities at home has left them bored, they add.

Additionally, many had holiday plans, which were also cancelled due to international and national travel restrictions. “Every year, during summer vacation, my family and I go for a holiday. This year, we were supposed to go abroad. We had to cancel our trip because we were supposed to leave during the initial 21-day lockdown,” said Dhaniyalakshmi, a Class 4 student.

However, there is one silver lining to all this and that is extending time with family. “I’m spending more time with my family now. I also have been helping with things to do around the house, like washing, sweeping, and laundry. It’s been long since we all spent so much time with each other,” said Sanjeev.

The children have no illusions of what will happen after the shutdown is lifted. “There will still be social distancing and we still have to be clean. I feel sad that we lost our summer vacation,” said Rangesh.