Being able to move on from COVID-19 to the point where it did not affect anybody anymore is a wish that is likely shared by most – that is, those who are not oblivious or absent-minded to the point where they still deny its existence. Forgetting the pandemic ever happened is wishful thinking; as much as it may not seem like the case anymore, those years affected all of us. Thankfully, people are not being killed by the disease in droves like they were at the time. But does that mean that everyone should pretend that COVID suddenly does not exist anymore?
No. Doing so would be unwise, unrealistic, and honestly just unintelligent.
I admit it, I wanted to be naïve this year. Last year there was an outbreak of confirmed cases at the beginning of the fall semester, and while the university hasn’t provided any communication on cases this semester, it is safe to assume that something similar is happening this semester too. Some students have opted to masking again which is very understandable to stay safe right now. After all, new variants are circling; the newest is known as “BA.2.86,” which is a sub-variant of the highly infectious Omicron. As much as I have tried to avoid having to deal with this disease, I had to live a few miles away from campus to avoid getting sick for a few days due to people around me not being so lucky. After gaining the experience of an unofficial commuter student, I salute those who get up early every day to drive or take the bus to their classes.
Whether you do anything extra to protect yourself or not is okay, but it is very important that everyone respect those who may be more susceptible to illness if they wish for distance or for people around them to mask. Giving those who are immunocompromised problems just because they don’t want to be exposed to a disease that can harm them is not only rude but makes their life unnecessarily difficult. Nobody deserves that, and being susceptible to disease is not a choice either. Regardless of if it is a professor, someone in your circle or someone nearby, the least they can ask from you is to respect their wishes. If you do not understand or are irritated by their requests, that is a personal problem that needs to be evaluated.
And of course, this goes both ways. If a severe COVID-19 outbreak affects our campus and administration decides to turn a blind eye, that would mean that they are complacent. Having to modify our college experience is not ideal; online schooling is not something I would ever want to return to but if it is necessary – temporarily, of course so be it. Safety should be paramount here, ranging from physical safety to also not allowing pandemic-causing diseases to spread like wildfire. However, there may not be much to worry about. When there was a COVID-19 outbreak at the same time last year, it kind of fizzled out towards the middle of September and was mostly not an issue for the rest of the year.
Hopefully it’s the same case this year. But still, please be respectful of others’ wishes.
