COVID-19 Spikes as Final Weeks of School Approach: Numbers of Students in Isolation and Quarantine Soar
We are almost to the end of the semester! In just a few weeks we will get the well-deserved break that we have been waiting for all semester. Some professors are even giving their final test online, or providing students with the option of completing it early so they are able to go home even sooner. However, to make it to this point, we all need to work together. As of the writing of this article (Nov. 5), there has been a spike in COVID-19 at Union. There are over 10 people with active COVID-19 cases who are in isolation, which is very concerning as Union only has 20 isolation rooms available. Some of these individuals may be able to isolate in their own homes.
Despite this, having this many active cases is concerning, and as the email from Vinita Sauder said, it is up to students to slow cases so that Union can continue to remain open. To this end, the cafeteria and student center seating will be changing to allow only one person per table or booth, starting Nov. 8. All sports games will be postponed starting Nov. 9, and all practices, including Gymnaires will be halted two weeks before finals. Other changes include adding that students must not only complete 14 days of quarantine, but also test negative for COVID-19 within the last five days of their quarantine period.
There are also behaviors we as students are responsible for. Things such as wearing our mask anytime we are around other people, meeting exclusively over Zoom for things such as tutoring, meeting for group projects or studying together. Eating together must also be done outside at least six feet apart, or via Zoom. Even in places where you may think it is okay to take off a mask, such as study rooms, you are required to still wear one, as the aerosol can stay in the air for a significant amount of time and potentially infect the next person that uses the room. If we work together, we can ensure that we stay on campus for these final weeks and successfully put the first COVID-19 semester in the history books.
Jade Covel is a Senior
Religion Major from
Topeka, Kansas