Editor’s note: “The new normal” is a continuing series that looks into how members of the Los Medanos College community are coping with a shelter-in-place order amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contra Costa County sent out an emergency alert April 29, informing the public that the shelter-in-place is to be extended until May 31. As a result of this, both full and part-time Los Medanos College students are adapting to this new information.

Full time high school student and part-time LMC student Caelan Ohai has found the switch to online courses considerably easy to manage.

“I’m only taking one [English] class at LMC and it was a partial online class, so not much has changed for me since I already was turning assignments in online,” said Ohai.

Although she’s adapted to the online course format very quickly, Ohai is having a hard time missing out on work.

“The entirety of the shelter-in-place has been difficult but I’m managing,” she said. “I worked in childcare at Delta Valley Health Club, so I took care of the kids and played with them until their parents were done working out. It’s probably one of the main things I miss while being stuck at home.”

Due to the county-wide shelter, Delta Valley Health Club and all other non-essential businesses in the area have been closed until further notice.

Although Ohai is unable to work until non-essential businesses are reopened, she has found comfort in creating her own schedule and spending time with her family at home.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family; my brother convinced me to get Fortnite so I’ve been playing that with him. I also try to watch the sunset everyday so I can have a schedule of some sort during this time,” she said.

While Ohai and her fellow students continue to adjust to their ‘new normal,’ the Contra Costa Community College District works hard to determine whether or not classes will be returning in person in the fall.