Many people that had a COVID-19 birthday at the beginning of quarantine are coming up on their second birthday during COVID. Many birthdays last year were celebrated outside while socially distancing to prevent COVID spreading while still having a fun time.

Melanie Loesftrand, a student at San Mateo High School had her birthday just after quarantine had started. She is now coming up on her second “COVID birthday” and this is how she feels about the experience.

The Catalyst (TC): Have you had a covid-19 birthday?

Melanie Loefstrand (ML): Yes

TC: How did you celebrate it? How did covid affect it? Are you planning to do anything this year?

ML: I celebrated it, I just like going on with like a normal day, like we usually have some presents it’s in case, just like a normal birthday. COVID kinda affected it by making me be able to celebrate my birthday with my family in Norway which I don’t usually get to do. This year I’m not really planning to do anything, just stay home and relax.

TC: Did you still enjoy your covid birthday?

ML: Yes, I did because it was different than usual so I had more time with my family which I never really did on my birthday and I played nice.

TC: How was it different from other birthdays?

ML: Well, as I mentioned before it was different because I was with my family which I’m usually not, and I don’t really get to have a COVID birthday so it’s kind of different and weird, just to not have a normal birthday if that makes sense.

TC: In what way was that birthday better?

ML: I kind of thought it was better in some ways, but also worse in different ways, like having to be and having to stay outside and not being able to really be inside with my family, like feel on the social distance and all that stuff.

TC: How did you feel about having a birthday during quarantine?

ML: It was good but then it was also boring because there’s not really anything to talk about really because you’re just staying at home doing the same thing every day so you don’t really have anything interesting to share or talk about.

TC: How was your birthday special to you last year?

ML: Well, it’s been special for me like I mentioned, with being able to be with my family and properly celebrate my birthday, with friends and family.

TC: Did you think that you would be in quarantine for a second birthday in a row?

ML: Well, I kind of did think that because I did not think that quarantine is gonna end quickly I thought it was gonna go on for like over a year maybe two, I don’t know. So I did expect to have my birthday this year in quarantine which it is going to be. But I wasn’t really expecting it to not be.

TC: Do you have any birthday traditions you couldn’t participate in due to covid-19?

ML: Birthday traditions like for me, I usually like to get woken up by family and come up with a piece of cake and then have cake for breakfast, but last year I did that.

TC: Do you have any ideas for covid-safe birthdays?

ML: Safe birthdays I would probably say social distance math like the outside. You could have a couple of tables spread out for different families. Maybe like do some fun, outdoor games that like you’d only have to touch each other or anything.

TC: Thank you so much.