COVID 19- has disrupted everyday life; daily routines have been interrupted and major life events are being delayed. According to the CDC, Maryland has had nearly 36,000 COVID-19 cases as of May 14. Gatherings have largely been suspended under Governor Larry Hogan’s recent stay at home order, which means that people are supposed to stay at home and avoid contact with others.

One type of gathering that has been affected is baby showers, but people have created a new way to celebrate in the meantime. One such way is called Drop’N Go, where people can send invites to friends and family for them to show up to that person’s house and drop off gifts. Ashley Williams, who has had a Drop’N Go shower, says, “Being able to go live on social media and have my friends see me open my gifts and see the gender reveal, it really helps them notice what’s really going on without physically being there”

Trey Jenkins, a  sophomore at Wilde Lake High School, did a similar event for his birthday. Jenkins said, “Not being able to celebrate my birthday with my friends kind of sucks but having them deliver gifts to my house is a better idea so we can actually still receive things.“ 

Erica Fenelus’ friend Diamond Stevenson had a Drop’N Go baby shower on May 6. “When I first heard about this,I was a bit confused, but then Diamond told me more about it,” Fenelus says. “Arriving at her home and waiting in a line with other people was a little irritating. I couldn’t see Diamond but I did drop my gift off.”

People around the world have been hearing about this and started doing it for different occasions. “My husband and I planned this since we can’t really have an actual baby shower,”  says Dominique Willams. This is a popular idea because it allows people to have a celebration with family and friends.“ Doing this shows an appreciation from my friends and how they don’t mind showing up and how I’m not wasting their time,” Neisha Parker adds. 

COVID-19 has changed the way that people interact with each other, but it has also sparked innovation in many. People are coming up with different ideas so that they can still celebrate the important things in life with the people they love, while also staying safe in this changing world.