Quarantine and social distancing due to COVID-19 has presented difficulties for everyone, including rupturing all sorts of relationships.

On Friday, April 24, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer extended her stay-at-home order until May 15, putting a strain on the economy and family life. Aside from family life, teens everywhere are dealing with the difficulty of quarantine on their social lives. Those in relationships are especially dealing with this strain. John Gelle ’22 has been in a four-month relationship with his girlfriend and said he finds quarantine to be a struggle because he hasn’t been able to see her.

“It’s difficult having to text and call her all the time instead of being able to talk in person,” Gelle said. “We’ve been communicating through Facetime and Netflix Party, which is always fun, but it’s sad not being able to see her like I used to. It definitely makes me want to not take my time with her for granted or anything.”

Sarah Nischik ’22 has been dating her boyfriend for almost seven months and has found that quarantine has been a huge obstacle for her and is making her relationship weaker. She has a lot of faith that they will get over quarantine and social distancing because of how strong their relationship is.

“It’s definitely different having to talk mostly over the phone with him, so it’s a little bit more challenging, but it’s not a lot different because we already have this really healthy relationship,” Nischik said. “Constantly communicating over the phone has been a change, but it really hasn’t been that different for us as long as we can spend time together.”

According to Ellie Shuster ’23, the strain of quarantine has had its advantages and disadvantages on her relationship with her boyfriend. Shuster has been in a five-month relationship and is facing the struggles of social distancing.

“It has made it harder because you can’t see that person, and things can get a little weird at times because you aren’t spending time with that person in real life,” Shuster said. “I feel like it’s making our relationship stronger because of how difficult it is right now, which is good. We’ve been talking through Facetime, Snapchat, texting and going on walks.”

Gelle lives almost a half hour away from his girlfriend, which presented a challenge pre-quarantine. However, they’ve dropped off sweet treats at each others’ homes and have continued to do small yet meaningful things for each other since the beginning of quarantine.

“I still get to see her in person from time to time,” Gelle said. “Heer mom will drop her off at my house for a bit, and we’ll sit on opposite sides of the door and catch up. I really feel like it helps to do that in order to stay positive and hope for the best until all of this is over.”