With vaccinations taking place, should students expect to keep wearing masks in the fall?
In the past year, the world has seen an unprecedented amount of change ranging from how people see families to how people go and buy groceries. However, there is one change brought from the pandemic that is still highly debated. This is, of course, the wearing of the mask, as recommended by the CDC.
Aside from the discourse between people, one question remains on a lot of people’s mind, that being, “when will I be able to take this off and go back to normal?” However, there are a lot of steps in getting back to what people think truly normal is.
On Wofford’s campus, this question is being asked as well, and for good reason considering the campus having been abuzz with activity in the past couple of weeks. Events such as the Black and Gold ball were shut down halfway through due to students refusing to put on their masks at the concert. Emily Hathcock ‘23 is an executive post secondary/collegiate vice president for Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA), and spoke openly about her thoughts regarding COVID-19 restrictions.
“I believe that as we move forward and closer to the end of the pandemic, we will begin to use masks a little more loosely,” she said. “I don’t say this with the intent that we can throw our hands in the air and give up on precautions because COVID-19 is here to stay for a little while. However, with increased vaccination rates and our community reaching levels of herd immunity in the future, I think it’s safe to say that the use of masks on campus will dwindle down in the fall.”
Hathcock also expressed her personal belief about what the fall hopefully looks like for students.
“When we return to campus in the fall, I believe we will see each other’s entire face, instead of recognizing one another by half of our face,” she said. “With the CDC relaxing the guidelines recently, I see this trend continuing on their end — as long as we stay conscious and alert. Masks will eventually be a thing of the past, and honestly may stick around for when we catch a cold or the flu, out of respect for keeping each other healthy and our campus healthy. To continue on the path we’re on, besides getting the vaccine, we cannot give up on looking after one another. It’s all about patience and taking care of our community, not just ourselves. If we do anything, we do it together.”
Overall, it is important to note to continue wearing your mask at all times when interacting with others on or off campus.