In five weeks, we will officially be on Thanksgiving break, our first break of the semester. While many of us are eager to return home, some for the first time since the semester began, it’s important for us to remember that we are still in the midst of a pandemic.
While there are options to remain on campus, many students are eager to return home and take a break from the school setting. But as we’ve seen in the past few months, adults ages 18-24 have the highest carrying and transmission rate of the virus, and adults ages 60 and older and those with preexisting conditions are the most susceptible to the disease.
Therefore, it’s our job to take accountability and responsibility. We encourage students to understand the risks of their behavior over the next few weeks and to take all possible steps to mitigate the chances of spreading the virus to their families and communities.
Being able to go to our hometowns and visit old friends is tempting. We understand the difficulty that comes along with balancing health and safety guidelines and the substantiated human desire to be social with our friends and family. But, the high transmission risk with this virus implores us to consider the larger picture of our communities’ health and safety.
The U.S. has not moved past this pandemic. We have not solved this problem. We are still facing hundreds of thousands of new cases each week, and in Philadelphia alone, there were 1,857 new positive cases as of Oct. 17, which is the city’s second highest daily total ever.
It is our job to make responsible decisions if we choose to return home, otherwise we are putting our families, friends and communities at risk.
We understand this message may be ignored, just as it has been ignored on and off campus where many St. Joe’s students continue to see friends and not observe social distancing guidelines. We have witnessed firsthand, and seen advertised on social media, the selfish behavior of students who party and congregate in large numbers. With over 200 confirmed cases on our campus in the past two months, it is clear that there is still work to be done on our end. If we want this pandemic to end, we have to do better.
As we quickly approach Thanksgiving break, we ask that St. Joe’s students take care of each other, their families and their communities. Before returning home, we encourage students to take a COVID-19 test to supplement their safe travel plans, avoid activities where social distancing is not possible and wear your masks.
There are plenty of ways to still have fun with friends virtually and safely. Utilizing the new “GroupWatch” feature on Disney+, Netflix Party and one of our favorite online games, Among Us, are a few examples. Or, plan outdoor activities for friends and family who are within your social bubble.
It is a part of St. Joe’s Jesuit values to protect our communities and families. The responsibility to uphold the Jesuit mission does not fall only on the university. It is all of ours.
We’re not asking for students to completely isolate and avoid any human interaction prior to returning back home, or once you arrive home. But, we do ask for students to be safer and smarter when making their plans. We must put the health and safety of ourselves and others before our desires to conduct life as we did before the pandemic.
—The Editorial Board
