by Cesse Ip

On Christmas morning before our extended family gathering, my immediate family all took rapid COVID-19 tests per the extended family agreement. My oldest child’s test was positive. He started coughing the day before, and while it was incredibly mild, in this new day of COVID I immediately thought… “F*ck.”

For the next two and a half weeks we lived through a rolling quarantine while we waited for the rest of us to catch Covid and eventually recover from it.

My husband and I are both boosted, and my five-year-old had just received his second vaccine the day after Thanksgiving. My three-year-old is not eligible for a vaccine yet, but since cases are (statistically speaking) very mild in small children, we decided the logistical challenge of masking and isolating within our own house while wasn’t worth it.

While the Omicron Covid variant ravages through the District, it seems inevitable that many of you will find yourselves in the same position that my family was in three weeks ago: You have a COVID-positive family with little-to-no-illness, children that are bouncing off the walls, and nowhere to go because you do not want to spread Covid to anyone else.

In a useful and unfortunate homage to my Covid article from August 2020, here are some things that my family did to keep the children entertained and isolated, and keep our sanity from waning.

1) If you have access to a car, drive down to Ft. Totten to go look at the big trucks. We saw an enormous bulldozer and multiple garbage trucks. We also listened to Blippi’s Garbage Truck song on repeat while doing this. Very meta.

2. Drive-thrus! While we try to not make a habit out of going to fast food establishments, going to a drive thru and ordering Happy Meals was the highlight of my children’s day. They loved looking at the menu and the voice that came out of the speaker. Masks on for everyone.

3. A drive-thru car wash, the kid-version of a night club. Mr. Wash in Silver Spring, right at Georgia and East-West Highway, is a drive thru car wash. For $25 you can get 5 minutes of pure joy out of your kids faces as they see water and large sponges scrub the outside of the car. Every time we drive through, my 5-year-old asks to do it again.

3) Drive to Gravelly Point to watch the airplanes. What kid doesn’t like looking at airplanes? Also, a side benefit (at least when I was there), is that there were several people who LOVE the birds and you can see the birds go nuts.

4. Drive-in movie theater… starting at 5:30pm in Rockville. Lots of kids movies. Not the cheapest outing, but it’s OUT of the house and isolated at the same time.

5. Feed the llamas from the safety of your own Covid-car at Roer’s Zoofari. This one is expensive, but certainly the most exciting.

I am lucky that my family’s bout with COVID-19 was mild, and my biggest concern was getting out of the house. Some people have had it much, much harder.

The best way to protect yourself from severe illness from Covid is getting yourself and your loved ones the vaccine and then boosted. Be safe!