On March 11th of last year, the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Three days later Syracuse University students went on spring break. Two days later the university told staff and faculty to stay home until further notice and so began working, learning and studying remotely.
In some ways it feels like not a lot has changed. There is still a lull on campus without a lot of student activity. In person meetings with students have to take place on Zoom. The usual gatherings for events don’t happen, no Juice Jam, Ottothon. A number of students have chosen to stay all remote as well as some faculty who have chosen not to return to the classroom but rather to the computer for teaching their classes.
Maybe it’s the warmer temperatures or maybe it’s the sun getting higher in the sky or more likely, it’s the reality that vaccines are being pushed into arms and there is a sense that we are slowly seeing a way out of this pandemic.
Just speaking for myself, I sometimes will let my guard down and leave my office without my mask (I return quickly though and put it on!) without thinking. I just got my second shot and I have spoken to a number of students who have gotten their shots. It definitely feels like things are looking up.
But Dr. Fauci might say, “Not so fast!”
Yes, things are looking up but at the risk of sounding like a pest, let’s not let our guard down too fast. It’s been an awful year of lots of things missed. Let’s, as my father-in-law might have said, hunker down and see this thing through. A little more time with masks and social distancing please. It would so dreadfully awful if we had a relapse that prevented us from getting past this because we were impatient. I so want to see your faces again . . . in person!
Hang in there, we can do this!