Back in the days of print, “DA Voices” used to be a section where the De Anza community’s voice was spotlighted. La Voz reporters would ask the same question to different people related to a certain issue and arrange their quotes side by side so that readers could see varying points of view. This week, our reporter Michael Davis asked, “How has the latest omicron surge affected you?” 

“Before omicron, I only knew people through the internet and social media that were getting the new variants. But now, the people that got sick started getting closer to me, Like people that I personally know. School also moved online again, and now the communication I crave is gone. I like to talk and socialize, and while COVID made it hard, omicron made it tougher.”

“The new variant has affected my college experience. With most of the departments closed and few people on campus, school has become boring.”

“I can’t hang out with my friends anymore because they got infected. I felt inconvenienced because I already have to get tested every week for work, otherwise I might infect a lot of people.”

“I think it has affected school life because we have to take more precautions, and many students still aren’t comfortable coming back. I think others might find it difficult to return because of all of these precautions or they are used to an online environment altogether.”

“My classmate tested positive, so my whole class went online. I’m just tired of all the variants and everything like the library being closed as a result.”

“It has definitely affected my ability to go to practice for track and field and get ready for the season that is coming up in February. For my personal life, I have not been able to go out as much because I am afraid to infect family members who already have pre-existing ailments. If they get infected, it could be detrimental for them.”