The CDC recommends “delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated”. They do not recommend travelling at all, but if it is still pursued, it is advised to wear a mask at all times, and avoid crowded areas. The question for us is, is it safe for students to come back to school on Monday having travelled out of state or participated in an event with unvaccinated people?

Inherently, there are many variables specific to Thanksgiving weekend that create the conditions to spread covid. The first is the mere fact of travel itself. Travel expands your circle of exposures significantly, whether it be out of state or instate, it is still a risk to open your circle. The second is Black Friday, which attracts large crowds in a short period of time. Garden State and Palisades mall surely created conditions of superspreading on Friday, so it is recommended to watch yourself for symptoms if you attended. 

Even with all of these risky conditions, students are still attending school on Monday. Although it sounds dangerous, it is significantly less dangerous than last year due to the distribution of the vaccine. Many Hills students have received the vaccine and or had the virus already, making it less likely to create an outbreak. And it is now a scientific fact that if you are vaccinated and/or survived a covid infection, you are less likely to get reinfected and less likely to become very ill. This is not saying that there won’t be any cases, though, because it is very likely that there will be a few, but compared to the risk that it posed last year, the risks are minimal.

Now, comes the risk of the influenza virus otherwise known as the flu. Flu season is upon us, and the influenza A strain is already spreading fast. It is recommended by the CDC that everyone over 6 months of age get a flu shot. Since it takes 2-4 weeks from the time you receive the vaccine until some immunity kicks in, if you have not received your flu shot yet, it is suggested you do so very soon. Last year’s flu season was an extreme anomaly in that it never happened. This was because masking and social distancing didn’t just prevent COVID, they prevented the spread of many respiratory viruses like the flu. Now that we are no longer isolated, the flu virus is emerging from its slumber and may actually come back stronger than ever. We must be aware of this change, and continue to practice social distancing to prevent an outbreak.

As the week progresses, we will see how the covid cases rise, however small, and it will be a product of the Thanksgiving weekend. It is helpful to be mindful of this as the holiday season creeps up on us, and use Thanksgiving weekend as an example for the consequences of travel and how to prevent an outbreak.