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Theyâ•Žre new parents, retail workers, teachers. And theyâ•Žre fed up with all young people being labelled covidiots many of my friends live with others and can't buy into the idea of partying when there are six other people at home." Nishat Chowdhury, 19, is a Ryerson journalism student and has been working part- time at a clothing store in Scarborough Town Centre since the end of June. She was first asked to go back to work in April to help process online orders, as malls weren't allowed to open yet, but she didn't feel ready at the time. She currently takes the bus and the LRT to get to work from her home, which she shares with her family of five. "I do know people who go party and not wear masks and it's frustrating, but it's also unfair (to only blame young people) because there is a large number of people like me who are following public health guidelines," she said, adding that there are plenty of viral videos of older people starting fights in stores because they didn't want to wear a mask. "I have a group of seven to eight friends that I barely see because we live in different parts of the city, but when I do we're in a field where no one is around and we don't hug. People think we're dumb and not empathetic, but we have people at home who are vulnerable, and I have older coworkers to think about." It may be tempting to put the blame solely on young people. The "millennials are ruining everything" headline has become a meme at this point. Among the things millennials have been blamed for in the last 10 years: the end of the NFL, the declining housing market, the unpopularity of McDonald's, falling yogurt sales and falling pet food sales. "The trope of millennials ruining everything has followed all the stages of our lives," said Mira Dineen, a 31-year-old social worker who provides counselling to young women with anxiety. "It's frustrating because there's so much more going on." Dineen said COVID-19 has been a topic with many of her clients and they've been taking extensive caution. Lockdown fatigue has also been attributed to why younger people are more out and about. Lucia Hernandez, a 34-year-old translator working from her home in Roncesvalles, acknowledges the challenges young people have when circumstances make it harder to stay at home. "I know for me, living without AC, not having a backyard, some part of me gets it to some degree," she said. "And then there are people who have no choice and have to go to work." Still, Hernandez says she's not venturing out much out of concern for her husband's parents. Anne-Marie Longpre, 37, says she and her 33-year-old partner only go out for groceries and distanced gatherings at the park in their Little Italy neighbourhood. Longpre is a high school teacher, and come September, she will be back in the classroom. "I feel like being a teacher makes you an expert on how viruses spread," she said. "I They're new parents, retail workers, teachers. And they're fed up with al... https://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/10132226-they-re-new-parents... 3 of 4 8/6/2020, 2:12 PM