End of Summer Life During Covid-19
As Labor Day quickly approaches us, we have to keep in mind ways to play this holiday safe. Being that the pandemic is still relevant in our lives, we have to remain as cautious as possible when proceeding with our holiday plans. Not only do we have a major summer holiday approaching, but we also have back to school creeping in as well. While some schools have decided to continue with online classes, there are some universities that have made the decision to bring students back into the classroom. Regardless if the classes are online or in person, colleges and universities are still a huge risk due to the amount of parties that are taking place. This is an issue because there is no real way to stop it, due to the fact that these events are organized by students and not the school itself. This factor, on top of the holiday weekend, can be detrimental to the amount of cases we are seeing within the Covid-19 pandemic.
Just to put things into perspective, university classes have only been in session for about two weeks and so far there has been at least 26,000 positive Covid-19 cases across 1,500 different colleges and universities. For example, the University of Alabama at Birmingham has 972 cases alone and that is not to mention the other two universities in Alabama with cases totaling up over 500 each. Alabama is not the only state with this issue, there are plenty of others; however Alabama is one of the more extreme examples. Dr. Ricardo Franco, the assistant professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham stated, “Bars are especially bad news for Covid-19 transmission.” This is due to the fact that not only do bars draw in eager college students, but they also promote an abundance of people in a tightly packed room. As well as, combining a bunch of people and alcohol can deter people from following the mask and the six feet rule. Not to mention, this is expressed by a professor at one of the epicenters of the virus, so this message is not to be taken lightly. Also, this message goes for just about anywhere; if a place is over crowded and it is difficult to maintain 6 feet then it may be smart to remain at home.
These numbers are horrifying when you really think about it, schools have not even been open for a month and these numbers are sky rocketing. Imagine what these numbers are going to look like by the end of the semester, that is if the colleges and universities remain open that long. Maybe reopening these big universities was not the brightest idea or maybe it needed to happen in order to see how it affects the public. Either way, the numbers are rising and at this rate, we may be wearing masks longer than we thought.
Despite the issue traveling across colleges and universities, this weekend may hold the same fate if we don’t make wise decisions. Labor day is a widely known and celebrated holiday, it is a day to spend with family and friends, barbecuing, on the beach, or just hanging out in the backyard. Wherever you celebrate Labor day, it is a fact that the surrounding area will be crowded. This is why we must play this holiday safe in order to keep these case numbers as low as possible. If we let this holiday slip through our fingers, the case numbers will spike further past what these universities have already managed to do in such a short amount of time.
What most people don’t realize is that the virus is not gone. Just because stores, beaches, gyms, and more are opening; that does not mean that we can continue on with our day as normal. We must still take the precautions as we have been since the pandemic first arose. If we choose to go back to normal too soon, we may suffer the consequences of a spike in cases.
There are multiple ways we can avoid the case numbers spiking further this holiday. Whether you are at university or at home, it is important to take the precautions enforced by your state. We must remain wearing a mask when it is recommended, those situations include: when at a store, mall, restaurant, office, and or anywhere else were it is public and difficult to remain 6 feet apart. You, however, do not need a mask when you are outdoors on the beach, in the park, or further at an outdoor restaurant; that is only if you can keep your distance from others. It is the little things such as that, that will make a big difference in the numbers that are starting to emerge. So let’s play this holiday safe, both at home and at school!
