It has been a very challenging year.  

Many are mentally exhausted and are tired of Zooming, battling cabin fever, feeling alone and fearing for loved ones. We may feel stressed, anxious and perhaps we are grieving the loss of people we love.   

Many folks are ready to get back to some semblance of “normal,” socializing and being together again. But moving too quickly can have disastrous results — increasing infection and death rates and resulting in being, once again, homebound. 

It is true that things are finally moving in the right direction, but we must take it slowly. We need to listen to the experts and continue to follow their guidelines until we are told it is safe to do otherwise. We need to do this, even if we do not agree with the recommendations, which include:

• Wearing our face coverings in public

• Physically distancing at six feet apart

• Washing our hands frequently with soap and water

• Not gathering in groups larger than 12

Some of the “tea” going around campus right now is students are testing positive and not isolating or taking precautions to protect others. In response, I want to share one of my favorite COVID-19 prevention commercials that shows folks wearing face coverings and a narration played over the video that says, “I wear my mask to protect you.” This is a perfect example of how we can continue to make progress toward returning to campus together as a community. 

We increase the probability of this happening more expeditiously by making choices that are in the best interest of all our community members. Now is not the time to disregard public health recommendations regarding isolating, taking preventive measures or avoiding gathering in large groups. We cannot forget that COVID-19 has impacted millions of lives and resulted in the deaths of 530,000 people in the U.S. alone. We are not yet on the other side of this pandemic, and we are still learning about this virus and its variants.

Another thought circulating on campus and affecting behavioral choices concerns students who have had COVID-19 and now believe they do not need to take precautions or wear face coverings. A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that some people who have previously contracted COVID-19 could become re-infected, so health professionals ask everyone to continue wearing face coverings until the data proves otherwise.  

Misinformation surrounding COVID-19 is everywhere, so the best way to get accurate information is to reference the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Orange County Health Care Agency, our Chapman CU Safely Back or other reputable websites and follow the recommendations of public health experts. 

We are social beings. We need to connect and interact with others, but there are lots of things we can safely do together without gathering and partying in large groups. If you have friends whose behavior makes you feel particularly anxious because they are not following recommendations, consider taking a timeout from those relationships — at least until we have gotten through these difficult times.

My position at Chapman University entails that I work directly with students. I have found that the majority are intelligent, mature and responsible individuals. I applaud and thank all of you who have followed the guidelines and continue to take care of our Chapman and Orange communities. I also look forward to the day when we can, once again, gather on the grounds of our beautiful Chapman campus. 

We will get through this together, but we need to continue to stay the course and follow the recommendations to protect ourselves and others. I am Dani Smith, director of PEER (Proactive Education Encouraging Responsibility)and Health Education at Chapman University, and I too, wear my face covering for you.