Here is a wonderful story to motivate everybody.
In the 14th century, the Black Death, also known as the Great Bubonic Plague, the Great Plague or the Plague, wiped out between 75 to 200 million people in Europa and Asia, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351 in which it is believed that 30% to 60% of the European population was wiped out.
The disease was caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, commonly present in fleas carried by rats and mice. This is a very good reason why we must not have rubbish bags lying in our streets. They attract rats and mice, which endangers everybody due to the possibility of bubonic fever; even today.
Anyway, the plague repeatedly returned to Europe and the UK throughout the 14th to 17th centuries. In London, from 1665 to 1666, the Great Plague caused havoc.
It was during this period that young Isaac Newton was at university. Due to the seriousness of the disease, "social distancing" was applied and the University of Cambridge sent the students home. Newton went back to his family's estate and it was there where he came up with his theories in mathematics and physics. All by himself, without his professors to guide him. Everybody knows the story of the apple and Newton ...
The Washington Post recently published a wonderful article about Newton and his work at home. It is available here and a pdf version is here. It will hopefully motivate our learners to do their best and to work in their best interest for themselves.
A lot of interesting information is available about the Black Death, the Great Plague, Bubonic plauge, and even Newton's apple tree. To start reading, go here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plague_of_London
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plague/symptoms-causes/syc-20351291
https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/tangled-tale-nists-newton-apple-tree (pdf of this is here)