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Youth Commentary: Ever-Changing COVID-19 Restrictions Are Confusing

Wesley Kaopio is sitting outdoors. He is wearing a face mask and looking toward the camera.
Courtesy of Terri Meister
KUNR Youth Media reporter Wesley Kaopio.

At the beginning of the month, Nevada handed COVID-19 mitigation measures to county jurisdictions, and as KUNR Youth Media reporter Wesley Kaopio argues, the restrictions are confusing. He shares his thoughts in this commentary.

It seems like for a while now, we, as a whole, don’t really know how to handle the pandemic as of late. The rules can be different everywhere, and [they] can get confusing after a while. Not to mention [the] fluctuations between the rules and our situation over time.

Schools have had to switch between hybrid and all distance learning quite a few times. Businesses seem to go between full capacity and limited capacity sporadically. And it all can really get muddled down after a while. It definitely doesn’t get any less confusing when you look at countywide or statewide regulations either.

Every area can seem like they have different rules and things you need to follow. And that, on top of everything else I said, is chaotic to deal with; however, no matter how confusing our situation gets, I feel that all of this is necessary, sadly. The different rules will be able to help more affected areas more easily, and it will no doubt help improve our nationwide status. The continued rules and regulations make it so we don’t rush out of the situation because the last thing we want is to open up too quickly and have more cases pop up. I want to get out of this pandemic, not fall back into it.

Wesley Kaopio is a junior at Earl Wooster High School in Reno. KUNR’s Youth Media program partners with the Washoe County School District to train the next generation of journalists.


Learn more about the KUNR Youth Media program


Each fall and spring semester, our dedicated program coordinator partners with the WCSD educator to mentor a select group of high school interns. The internship classes are typically from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the high school, providing a structured environment where students receive comprehensive instruction.

The students are taught radio journalism, broadcast journalism, and media production, gaining real-world professional experience that helps them develop career skills. Students work with media professionals to produce creative audio stories and elevate voices from our region.

As part of the program, students are offered the opportunity to tour KUNR’s facilities and the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, where they will have the chance to record their broadcasts under the guidance of the WCSD educator and the program coordinator.

This semester-long project is designed to facilitate the airing of the students' stories on KUNR and the publication of their work on KUNR.org. Through this experiential learning approach, students gain valuable insights into public media and develop practical skills using industry-standard equipment.

The KUNR Youth Media Coordinator plays a crucial role in ensuring that students receive scholarly guidance on the standards and practices associated with audio journalism production.

Our program is committed to fostering a safe and constructive learning environment for all participants. KUNR is dedicated to nurturing the creative ideas of students in the program and, prior to publication, KUNR’s Managing Editor reviews all submitted work to ensure that it aligns with KUNR’s established media standards and expectations.

Learn more about WCSD Internships and view the KUNR Youth Media Program’s digital flyer.

This program was formerly known as Reno Youth Radio.

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