As UNK moves into Phase 2 of its COVID-19 procedure, we should all take a moment to feel proud that we have handled this pandemic so well up to now. The disease’s presence on campus has thus far remained under 3%, a fact we should all be relieved and encouraged by as we continue into the second half of the semester.
But even as we move into less stringent regulations, we must continue to be vigilant. Although campus has done a phenomenal job of keeping the virus under control, our state and even our health district have sadly not been so fortunate. COVID-19 remains in our communities around the state, waiting for any chance to be picked up and spread further.
In some sense, our campus resembles an untapped market. If the virus infiltrates this space in large numbers, the result could be a rampant spread as the disease infects those who have not yet fought the virus off, or worse, those who can’t fight the virus off.
We must all remember to be responsible with our newfound freedoms as we progress through the phases- even if at some point we can bring in guests from off campus and can remove our masks, we should consider these things before actually doing them. The payoff of having your parents see your room may not be worth the risk of getting your entire floor infected, or worse, getting your parents infected from an asymptomatic person on your floor.
And let’s face it, there have to be asymptomatic people walking among us. Yes, the university’s staff is doing its best to track these instances with measures like Test Nebraska and COVID tracing, but the simple fact is that some (perhaps many) students have already come into contact with the virus and not even noticed due to the nature of the beast.
This fact is somewhat troubling because it means that the numbers we are given each Monday evening may not entirely represent the risks we face on campus. In conjunction with the fact that the number of student cases increased 87% from 7 to 13 known positive cases the week after we moved into Phase 2, students who thought we were in the clear should think twice. And now that the numbers have jumped for the second week in a row to 17 students, maybe we should really consider taking this more seriously.
It’s important to think about the impact that someone’s single decisions can have on the entire community. Making smart choices such as getting tested when you have symptoms and wearing masks properly can go a long way. Make the decision to stay home if you’re feeling sick and it could save us from an outbreak. The fact that we’ve transitioned into Phase 2 doesn’t change the severity of the pandemic and the current state of our country.
It goes without saying that we all want things to get back to normal. But by trying to force the world to be normal now, we can only make things worse. Patience is the key to beating this virus and keeping our campus safe and our classes in person, even if it means we have to live with regulations a little longer.
