Unfortunately, none of us knows how to tell the difference between someone who is pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic.
At Wesleyan, the only people who don’t have that privilege are people in traditional dorms with one shared bathroom for an entire hall. For virtually everyone else, if you live in a program house or a suite, you can talk to your `mates without a mask. For the majority of students it’s not that different from a normal school year.
Yep and it happens to them now. They try to be somewhat careful, but it’s not perfect. Some go to work. Wear masks if they are around anyone but mostly work alone in an office. Three have girlfriends who come and go. Yep that’s true. But they aren’t going to big parties or parties at all. Not eating inside restaurants. We all understand it’s not a perfect bubble.
We aren’t living in a perfect pandemic way here either. We see my in-laws and extended family. No masks and outside but not really six feet away. D21 sees her friends but it’s over a dozen kids by now and every one of them sees other kids so that’s no bubble. We all follow the rules when we have to - masks in stores, no gatherings over ten and always outside right now, dance classes with 20 kids inside but with masks, my husband and I go to the gym and take our masks off when we get our treadmill (it’s allowed!), and we do not eat inside at restaurants or go to bars. (Did you all read that story today that said that people who catch Covid are two to three times likely to have eaten in a restaurant or go to a bar?)
Anyway, my point is that life has to carry on. We aren’t taking big risks but some small ones I guess. There’s a balance to keep our sanity.
I spent six weeks not going anywhere and washing my stupid groceries only to find out we don’t need to do that. I know a lot of you did that stint a lot longer than we did. We will do what we have to to protect others when we are officially in “public” but, when we are around those we know (friends, family) who choose to live like we do , we don’t follow the mask and distance rule.
As for college, I get that it really can’t be a bubble but those rapid tests should get kids back to class. Many college are having students back to class with masks this semester and it seems like the Covid cases are spreading because of off campus parties, not chemistry class.
Our teachers here (K-12) haven’t fought back at all about going back to work. They want to go. I know this has been discussed as well but faculty would be in masks and distanced from the students in colleges too and, if those kids all had negative tests that morning, there’s no chance the prof will catch Covid.
The grocery store workers? Nope. They have masks on and all of the shoppers wear masks. No one is bringing home the grocery store worker’s germs.
And, if one roommate goes to class (at another school, not in S19’s case since they are remote) he’s not bringing home 40 kids’ germs. That are all wearing masks in classes at all colleges, no?
Safety of their community seems to be the common goal for every college but numbers of students and numbers of endowment dollars determine how to carve a path towards that goal. Luck is another factor as colleges doesn’t exist in a bubble, situation in surrounding area matters unless everyone (even staff or faculty)live on the campus and stay in the bubble.
@Knowsstuff @“Cardinal Fang” We got an email update from Hope College that was quite comprehensive and included the following about cases in the county where Hope is located. I have to say that overall I am pleased with how Hope College is handling the situation and how they are communicating:
They also gave an update on testing in addition to the weekly dashboard update:
Homer, I think you’re testing the limits of everyone’s knowledge of epidemiology. Doesn’t the whole concept of maintaining a “pod” or “bubble” assume a certain level of exclusivity? Otherwise, you are in danger of degrading the integrity of the bubble, no? Suffice it to say, people making agreements and then poking around at the margins to see how they can bend the agreement always makes me nervous.
@waverlywizzard My son that works in the gym was tested twice the first week, I think his brother just once so far. I don’t read other college Covid sites for tests but I saw a Boston article about BC positive cases higher than other area schools. I sent a text, no response yet.
Broad is testing and we are like many here, hoping and trying to stay positive. Like many colleges, BC has off campus housing, high rise apartments/elevators.
Mask play a huge role in keeping transmission under control but no denying that masks aren’t bullet proof vests, without sanitization, social distancing, testing and contact tracing, masks can only do so much. Unfortunately, people take it as an excuse to undermine value of wearing masks. Masks are your first line of defense during a pandemic mainly transmitted through mouth and nose. If no one wore masks, we’ll be in bigger trouble.
If students didn’t show extreme discipline then it may prompt CDC to shut all campuses down.
“ In just the past week, a New York Times survey has found, American colleges and universities have recorded more than 36,000 additional coronavirus cases, bringing the total of campus infections to 88,000 since the pandemic began.”
I’m sure many of you have seen this, but Fauci is saying that we might not get back to normal until the END of NEXT year. https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/11/health/fauci-normal-life-2021/index.html
If true, then maybe we are looking at Spring 2022 before there is a more normal experience at colleges.
Kind of goes along with what Brown is saying. Yikes!
Ok. I watched this. Fauci saying that it will take that long to get the vaccine distributed. That makes sense. Then he’s saying life could look a lot more like before pandemic. Fabulous. Why are so many of you saying we will still be wearing masks after a vaccine is widely distributed? Fauci says no such thing. Says life will look like before Covid when vaccine is distributed. I’m going with that.
Maybe college kids will be able to be vaccinated for fall 2021. I think we have a leg to stand on that they should be a group that gets the vaccination after the fiasco we are seeing right now on campuses.
Most medical experts I have heard seem to agree that Spring 2022 might have enough vaccine distribution to ease restrictions on campuses, with a good chance by Fall 2022. It takes a while to make and distribute the vaccines, and despite the numerous cases, the absence of hospitalizations and deaths among college kids puts them low on the priority scale. Older faculty might qualify earlier.
Suppose the vaccine (or all the available vaccines put together, whatever) succeed in reducing serious disease by around 60% and transmission not at all. And say vaccine takeup is around 60%. So then you’ve reduced serious disease (which presumably includes death) by about a third. Is that enough?
UW Madison now has 22 Greek houses under quarantine. The county is quarantining any house if 1 member tests positive. I assume they just feel that they live in too tight of quarters and share too much and consider them too much of a risk. All members have to test negative for at least a period of 14 days for the quarantine to lift.
But strangely enough just one day into quarantining the 2 largest freshman dorms they are loosening restrictions and allowing student to walk somewhere for food each day. I assume they aren’t coming in contact with other students and it seems like the students appreciate it, but it sounds like even they don’t think it’s a great idea.
As for Bowdoin and masks in fall 2021, if it’s looking like that, then S19 will likely take this whole school year off instead of this semester and deal with what I hope is a little better situation in fall 2021 than what we are looking at now. I still find it hard to believe that we will be in the EXACT same spot in fall 2021 than we are now. Things might look like pre-Covid but I just don’t think they will look like today. We are talking 12 whole months from now.
Wearing masks is one thing. All remote class is another. If our kids could get all of their classes in person then they’d be fine with masks. It’s the remote class plus the social distancing plus the “virtual” clubs. At the schools I’m thinking of, there’s no eating in dining halls, no visitors to your room, no studying with others in the library or anywhere else, no sports, and on and on. All of the above, to me, means it’s not worth the cost. I really can’t believe so many people are paying for such a sub-optimal experience.