Impacts Of Not Having A Microwave

This year, many things have changed due to Coronavirus and lunch isn’t an exception. Not having a microwave in the cafeteria might not seem as catastrophic as other changes this year, but for many other students and I, this has made lunch more difficult. 

When we were told we couldn’t use the microwaves, staff said it was because of COVID and part of the measures EMS is taking to stop the spread. While we all want to stay safe, this rule doesn’t make much sense. Microwaves don’t spread Coronavirus, in fact, they can even kill Coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, “heat at 56 degrees Celsius kills the SARS coronavirus at around 10,000 units per 15 minutes”. 

If the staff is worried about lines, then I think that they could easily fix that. There are three microwaves and there are half as many kids in the lunchroom this year, so lines wouldn’t be that long, and besides, most kids are pretty good about staying six feet apart. If the constant touching of the microwave is a problem, then put a set of wipes beside the microwaves and we can clean the buttons between uses if we want. 

I personally would use the microwaves almost every single time I had cold lunch before Coronavirus, but when the EMS cafeteria deprived us (the student body) of microwaves, that wasn’t a choice. This means that anytime I had something that I wanted warmed up, I would have to put it in something that would hold the heat. Thankfully, I have one of those, but some students might not. Even if you have a nice container, it can be irritating each morning to make sure your food is in the right container every morning. 

Many EMS students, including 7th grader Jennie Lu, agree. “I think we should get them back, you’re not breathing into the food when you’re putting the food in. You’re just heating up your food,” Lu said. Carson Turner, EMS 6th grader, added that, “[microwaves] could help people with cold lunches, like bring better meals that they like. Because most meals don’t taste that great whenever they are cold, they might need to warm them up.” 

Turner is right, the EMS student body should be allowed to have microwaves in the cafeteria. Stay tuned to the Link for more stories!