It has been over a year since the beginning of the pandemic, and we have started to adapt to wearing masks, social distancing and staying at home instead of going somewhere public. With multiple vaccines in distribution and development stages, things may begin to go back to normal.
But the real question is, will things get back to normal soon at Georgia State? What will happen in the upcoming fall semester?
With the way things are going now, a new normal is too far beyond our reach.
Most likely, things will not go back to normal, even if we get vaccinated before the fall semester starts.
Until then, we will have to find ways to find at least a semi-normal life on campus during these times. Even though we strive for a taste of what life used to look like, it would be a lie to say we are not comfortable in our new normal. We have gotten so used to wearing the masks, and it would most likely still be a mandate if we go back to in-person classes in the fall.
Last fall semester, things were more strict than before. In the library, no more than two people could be at a table due to social distancing. In the class buildings, you must always wear a mask.
It is hard to imagine change when things have been this way for the past year; just last semester, we were finally allowed to go back to classes. Then, we found that classes would be blended.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to get the vaccine to return to campus in the fall. But even then, the vaccine isn’t going to solve all of our issues at this time. Even with the vaccine, it is hard to imagine stores letting us go in without a mask or social distancing.
Why would the university change after the vaccine or the possible pill in the works?
Many students are asking, “Will there be a type of normal back at campus without the need for the blended program at school?” Since the vaccine is starting to get spread around more, will it change things at campus? Are we going to find a way to be normal this fall because of the vaccine?
Some are concerned that we might not get back to normalcy until 2024, a three-year difference than what we hoped would happen. Even though three years seems like a lifetime, changing our new ways just because the vaccination has begun distribution would be difficult to validate. The pandemic has taught us that we have to be patient for things to go back to normal.
