Look, I get it. You’ve been stuck at home since March and have been dreaming of going to the first party or block you can get to. Although I’d personally strongly advise against doing that, because even though there isn’t as big of a risk that you will experience severe symptoms, which has happened to some, it’s the risk of getting professors, essential workers and their family members sick. Now I’m not going to babysit you or tell you how to live your life, so here are some suggestions on how to be as safe as possible. 

Obviously, students and faculty will have to test twice a week and those who fail to test or contract the virus won’t be admitted, there are still ways to be even more proactive in trying to limit this virus. 

Wear a Mask

This isn’t political, nor is this trying to invade your rights. This notion is backed up by science, results and common courtesy to others around you. The Center for Disease Control, the nation’s health protection agency, who is funded to handle situations like pandemics, backed by scientists who have spent a majority of their lives studying their respective fields, recommends wearing a mask because they found that respiratory droplets have a large role in the transmission of COVID-19. 

There have been countless peer-reviewed studies from prestigious and renowned publications, such as The New England Journal of Medicine, that show wearing a mask makes a difference. 

Take it from Bill Nye, every American child’s favorite scientist, who cannot stress the importance of wearing a mask enough. 

I’m really not sure where this anti-science rhetoric/doubting experts in science and medicine comes from, but facts are facts. 

Avoid door handles

With several thousand students returning to campus, door handles will inevitably be one of the most frequently used objects on campus. If you can, using your shoes or shoulders to open doors would drastically reduce the amount of contact you have with germs and bacteria. 

Have a personal hand sanitizer bottle with you to disinfect your hands when you have to pull a door. 

Try to order takeout

The CDC highly recommends not dining in to eat at restaurants, even if it’s outdoors. Since the virus is transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets, eating at restaurants poses a significant risk of spreading the virus to others. Considering the fact that masks have to be off when eating, ventilation isn’t ideal indoors, and there is usually not a lot of space inside restaurants to properly social distance restaurant staff and consumers. 

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