Although COVID-19 is still very much present in our lives, life (but most importantly the economy) has resumed. People are going into work or working virtually, some highschools are making the full transition to online and some are opening in person causing an inevitable outbreak of cases. However, if you’re like me, then you might be trying to navigate the murky waters of college living during this pandemic.
I go to Wells College and returned, like many, back to campus living and (some) in person classes. The difference with Wells and many major institutions reopening right now is that we are a much smaller school located in a very rural and low populated area. So far, we’ve seen no active cases which is great and we’re all very thankful for. As we begin our second round of testing the campus population, I want to lay out the guidelines we all need to be following in order to keep on campus living a reality.
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Masks
They’re mandatory everywhere besides your own room. The exceptions to this rule are if you’re eating (either in the dining hall or outside on campus provided you’re 6ft away from another person) or brushing your teeth or something. This means you must wear your mask if you’re in any public space on campus. I don’t want to see any noses either, that shit doesn’t count.
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6ft rule
Masks do NOT cancel this rule out. If standing closer than 6ft to someone, even if you’re both wearing masks, you are not social distancing. There are markers on the floors, desks and dining hall tables are spread out as well so there’s no excuse to be within 6ft of another person.
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<10 People in a Group
Masks also do NOT cancel this rule out either. If you happen to be in a group of larger than 10 people, even if you all have masks on, you are not social distancing. You should be actively trying to limit the amount of contact you have with other people, and the first step to that is limiting the amount of people you’re around.
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Hand Washing, Hand Sanitizer, and Disinfecting
Washing your hands often, with soap and warm water is a habit we should’ve made mandatory years ago. It helps keep you safe from picking up germs and stops you from spreading them onto other surfaces. Washing your hands however, doesn’t really help if you never wipe down your doorknobs or your phone screen. Which is why it’s equally important to wipe surfaces that you use regularly down with wipes that are at least 75% alcohol.
Let’s face it, this pandemic sucks and so does every little thing we have to (or can’t do) because of it. But if we all do our part on campus to stop of the spread of COVID-19, then we might actually get to stay on campus until Thanksgiving.