Your Corona Chronicle for Thursday, February 4, 2021

Orange’s Last Stand

As you’ve seen on the dashboard, our positive cases are trending in the wrong direction. If we don’t change now, we’re headed to red. That could mean a 14-day lockdown and put us within a super-spreader event of going entirely remote. We still have time to turn this around.

So What Does This All Mean?

You received an email earlier today sharing what we need to do to curb the spread. We’ve heard some questions, so let’s get you some answers.

• Is Wake Forest just blowing all of this out of proportion?
  We want you here. And we know you want to be here — on a safe and healthy campus. We’re experiencing a surge, and we need to get it down. Taking action together, we can make that happen.
• What can I do now?
  Enjoy your classes. Study in reservable study spaces. Read around the fire pits. Mask up and take a walk with a friend. Watch the Super Bowl, make some wings and your favorite dip, but stay away from crowds.
• Do I really have to wear a mask all the time?
  Yeah. Wear a mask in all common spaces, including suites and living rooms. In your room, by yourself, take a breather; but mask up otherwise, and we will get this back under control.
• Can I just go home now?
  It’s complicated. In short — if you are feeling well, not currently in quarantine or isolation, and your classes are online, you could go home. If you are in quarantine or isolation (or have reason to believe you will soon get that call), you can’t go home until you fill out the declination form to be approved to travel to your permanent home and quarantine with your parent/guardian. And if you have face-to-face classes, you’d need to work with your faculty member, as course modalities can’t just be flipped like a switch.
• If we get to red and have to lock down, what is that going to be like?It means the whole campus would need to quarantine. At that point, we have to assume everyone has the virus, and we need to treat it like that. We can avoid that by working together to curb the spread.

And always remember… one of the least Pro Humanitate things ever may be putting everyone at risk by not reporting your symptoms immediately.

Have a question? Visit Our Way Forward, send us a question via this form or call our Call Center at 336-758-7500, Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST.