Before quarantine, when was the last time you were completely alone?
Isolation is said to be one of the most challenging punishments a human can endure.

This Week in the News serves as The Quad’s space for reflection on current events at and around UCLA. Every week, Daily Bruin staffers will analyze some of the most significant stories to keep readers up to speed.

From books and electronics to pet supplies and groceries, there’s no denying that Amazon has it all. Our frequent clicking, scrolling and purchasing, though, may be more costly than face value.

Every morning for a year, with my headphones in and shoulders back, I walked the same path to class. I would make my way up the Strathmore Drive hill and through the chaos of Bruin Walk, running into familiar faces, listening to a podcast and grabbing a coffee from Kerckhoff Coffeehouse.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a test of perseverance for businesses, especially small businesses trying to stay afloat. The United States government, though, attempted a rescue – the Paycheck Protection Program.

Never has the UCLA community been more attentive to Chancellor Gene Block’s emails than we were these past two quarters.
After every buzzing tone, we anxiously grabbed our devices, checked our emails and received not only a new campus update, but also the basis for a whirlwind of emotions.

The coronavirus pandemic has drastically upended life in the most unforeseeable of ways. At UCLA, our community is remarkably united by similar feelings of loss, confusion and concern, but also by light, hope and perspective that the pandemic has brought to the forefront.

Crisis is an opportunity for change.
The 1918 influenza pandemic promoted national health care in Europe. The attacks of 9/11 brought heightened airport security with winding lines and shoeless passengers.

When the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31, it’s safe to say a life-threatening pandemic wasn’t part of most people’s 2020 plans.
Since the onset of the outbreak, the current news cycle has been consumed by coronavirus coverage, and each breaking update seems to bring worse updates than the day before.

Picture this: You sit down for your 8 a.m. final and find yourself yawning and complaining that you only got, say, four hours of sleep, only to have your classmate one-up you and say they got two.