Hi, everyone.
As you have hopefully already heard, at the advice of our public health experts, we have
lifted most of the the temporary restrictions that we put in place about ten days ago, and
we have largely returned to the protocols in place at the beginning of the semester.
This means, among other things, that in-person gatherings are allowed if there are no more
than 6 people involved and that the IM-Rec facilities and the library will be open starting tomorrow.
Full details are in the email sent out this morning to the community.
I’m speaking to you now to say three brief things.
First, thank you.
Thank you for your sacrifice, especially over the last 10 days.
Because of your collective efforts, our case numbers dropped from a high of more than 200
new cases on February 16 to only 26 new cases on Wednesday.
I know it wasn’t easy, especially for our students.
I also know it that it can seem at times like these measures are intentionally punitive
or harsh, but I promise they are public health measures, not punishment, and public health
measures recommended by our public health experts, whose advice and recommendations
we have been following from the beginning.
We are all weary of this disease and how it’s changed our lives—faculty, staff, students,
and parents alike.
As the parent of two sons in college, I know this is getting old—really old--for everyone
and that it remains hard.
But I also know that the daily, smart decisions you have been making are working, and will
continue to work.
So to all of you, whether you are a living in Bonnycastle or Lambeth, on Grounds or off,
whether you are a law student or a linguistics major, a second year or a fourth year, a master’s
student or a doctoral student or anywhere in between, thank you.
Second, this isn't over.
We’re not yet in the clear when it comes to COVID.
Our numbers are better, but we would like to see them remain at this level or lower
over a longer period of time, so we can be more confident that we have contained the
virus to manageable numbers.
This is why we are keeping our public health measures from the beginning of the semester
in place for the time being.
If the trends we are seeing continue, we should be able to ease some of the current restrictions--and
increase the limit on the size of gatherings, for example, or allow more fans to attend
sporting events.
So please: follow all the public health measures.
Stay masked and physically distanced.
If you are eating with someone indoors, please limit your group to 2.
Do not gather in groups larger than six, and please do your best to stick with the same
six-person pod or bubble as much as possible, and limit your contact with others outside
that group, since mixing pods can spread the virus by increasing opportunities for transmission.
Third, and finally, we can do this.
I know that marathon analogies are overused, including by me, but they are hard to resist given that
we are approaching our one-year anniversary with Covid on grounds.
This moment feels, right now, like we have hit the 20-mile mark in a marathon.
This is the point in a marathon where runners are not just physically tired, but mentally
exhausted as well—it’s for both reasons that experienced marathoners often say the
race really begins at mile 20.
And so it is with us: We have come a long way, the end is not quite in sight but we
know we are getting there.
But most of us are also tired, physically and mentally.
And when that happens, it is easy to be short-tempered, and it is easy to feel anxious about your
ability to get to the finish line.
Runners, at this point, can turn on each other and be harsh in those last six miles with others who get in their way, and they
can also focus solely on their own needs and not think of others.
I remember, with embarrassment, running in a marathon on a really hot day, and at about
mile 22, I saw a young boy who looked like he was holding out a popsicle for me, so I
grabbed it.
As I did and ran away, I heard him say “Hey, that guy took my popsicle,” and I’m sorry
to say I just kept running.
You do come across other runners during this stretch who are much more admirable than I was
The very best are those who, while obviously tired themselves, offer an encouraging word or two—like
you have this, or we have this, or we can do this.
These runners make you feel not just like you can do it, but that you are in it together—not
just running your own race, but running as part of a community with a common goal of
reaching the finish line.
I urge you to remember that we are in this marathon together because we are part of the
same community.
When you are deciding, each day, whether to follow the public health protocols, I hope
you will remember that failing to do so not only puts you and others at risk, but it also
lets down those in the community who have been faithfully following the protocols day in and day out.
At the same time, innocent and honest mistakes have been made and will likely continue to
be made, and these deserve our grace and compassion.
More generally and finally, I would urge all of us to summon the strength to finish what we’ve
started and to do what we can to bring out the best in others—because that’s the
only way we will get to the finish line together.
We can do this. Thank you.