GHC student Abby Murphey’s family had a close call with COVID-19 when her mother was thought to have contracted the virus.
Murphy’s mother, who works in a public clinic, was asked to take a test after being in the proximity of four people who had the virus. Due to being immunocompromised with multiple sclerosis, the probability of Murphy’s mother contracting the virus was high.
When it came down to the test, Murphy’s mother did not go inside the building. “They reached inside her car,” Murphy said.
The people performing the test were all wearing surgical masks, goggles and gloves. The test was completed with a nose swab. “They go way back into her sinuses,” Murphy said.
The processing period for the test was five days. Before results came back, Murphy was helping with the cooking and cleaning. The test results came back negative.
Since her mother has been cleared of having the virus, Murphy and her family have proceeded with family time.
“We keep to ourselves but still have a good time,” Murphy said.
Murphy is a dual enrollment student who is taking four classes at GHC. She says juggling classes with her mother’s ordeal and the pandemic as a whole was made easy by Rome High School operating with a grace over grades policy.
“We have two weeks to do all assignments,” she said.
Murphy is not stressing over schoolwork but is sad about her high school experience being cut short, especially since she has a passion for education and loves going to class. She remains hopeful and has trust in her school officials.
“Graduation is the one thing our teachers are dead set on,” Murphy said. “They will find a way to honor us.”
She also has hopes that coming out of the pandemic will bring a lot more awareness to the needs of education.
“It’s no longer about schools. It’s about health,” Murphy said.