The Coronavirus has taken a fast course. When the virus first started going around, my university sent out an email about having a low-concern for our health. The virus had just started to spread around and at the time was not too much of a concern. I too was not that concerned and even laughed at my mom’s worry. She would send me articles and told me to stockpile on food and household essentials. Now people are reporting of empty grocery shelves (so don’t be stubborn and listen to your mom!). Then as the news continued more people in different countries/states were diagnosed with the virus and people started panicking. With some of the diagnoses being too close (such as Rush Hospital) for comfort the panic makes sense. Despite the panic, it was surprising that they announced the choice to have classes held online. I heard about other universities doing this but with the “low-concern” I assumed that statement would be held true. When it was -50 degrees, UIC had hesitation to close so it was surprising how quickly they took action. With any major university choice there comes the comments and of course memes. Some people are not happy with this change and are saying they did not pay for online class. While that is very true, I think it is important to concentrate on the reason the university decided to do this. This decision was made for the health of the students! With many students being commuters, they are faced with large crowds almost daily. I have never experienced online school so this will be a change. We will see how I feel about it in a week. For now, I am happy that the university is taking precautions with the health of its students. Going to class I take the bus daily (partially due to laziness) but I am always faced with the paranoia of being in a bus with coughing, sneezing people. I can do whatever I can to protect myself but it is also up to others to do their unspoken health diligence. Here are precautions to take:
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Wash your hands with soap for more than 20 seconds
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Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and basically face mouth
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If you are not able to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer
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Wipe down commonly used objects in your house such as door knobs and light switches
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Take Vitamin C
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Drink lots of water
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Eat healthy
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Use your elbow to sneeze or cough
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Avoid crowded places
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Wrap your arm onto the bus/L pole instead of using hand
I do hope this is only temporary and that the people graduating can end the school year on a positive note. This is also my first semester with Her Campus so I hope our meetings can resume soon. It is scary not knowing when the online classes/event cancelations will end. What are your thoughts on taking class online?