The leaders of our university– and of the country, for that matter– have been neglecting the most important dilemma facing Americans. As we enter our second COVID winter, the question remains: What is the end goal?
The goals of the COVID response have been defined and redefined so much that no clear target is identifiable.
At the outset of the pandemic, in March 2020, the goal was to slow the spread of COVID-19. Billed as “2 Weeks to Slow the Spread,” health officials advised that Americans quarantine to “Flatten the Curve.” This unprecedented response was intended to help prevent hospitals from exceeding their capacity and allow more time for the healthcare system to prepare for the pandemic.
However, two weeks quickly became six weeks, eight weeks, and then, at least in New York, twelve weeks of continuous lockdown. When authorities finally permitted Americans to return to somewhat normal activities, it was with stringent mask and distancing requirements. Many states drifted back into and out of lockdown after successive spikes in cases. It was not just about hospital capacity anymore; the goalposts had shifted.
As we entered the summer of 2020, Americans came to understand that our end goal was to create a vaccine. If we could limit outbreaks until we had a safe and reliable vaccine, perhaps we could save lives. During this time, Cornell courageously and commendably led the nation by announcing a plan to return to in-person learning in the fall. It was a big step, and it showed that we were set on returning to normalcy.
By December, we were on the brink of achieving our goals. In record time, we had the vaccine! Better yet, we had three vaccines! Americans had weathered 8 months of restrictive COVID protocol, and now it was just a matter of how quickly everything could be rolled out. Cornell had completed a successful semester back on campus, albeit with limited in-person classes, stunted club activity, and an indoor and outdoor mask mandate (how silly was that, in retrospect?).
In the spring, students returned to campus later than usual in order to allow the vaccination process time to pick up speed. While the restrictions of the fall largely remained in place, enthusiasm grew as the semester progressed and vaccinations picked up. It became even more exciting as states repealed mask mandates and the vaccine became available to any adult that wanted it. We had achieved the goals of our COVID response. The complete return to normalcy seemed imminent.
States began to drop their mask mandates for the vaccinated (Cornell dropped theirs for the summer) and the economy was entering full swing. If there was any time to announce victory, this was it. President Biden even did–to some degree–calling America “closer than ever to declaring independence from [the] virus” in a speech on July 4th.
But then Delta arrived, and suddenly the goalposts had shifted again. Restrictions returned, a bit more piecemeal this time, and more lenient too, but back all the same. As the shots slowed down, the Biden administration began pursuing increasingly coercive vaccination strategies, despite past assurances to the contrary. This time the goal was undefined. Were we waiting out the wave? Waiting for a booster? Hoping the virus would just disappear somehow? It was all very unclear.
At Cornell the situation was much the same. Cornellians returned to campus for fully in-person classes, but still masked, with weekly and then biweekly testing. An intrusive vaccine mandate was leveled against students, faculty and staff. There were some vague promises to seek to reduce restrictions, but not much changed–other than a mid-semester reversion to testing once a week. University leaders were extraordinarily tight-lipped about the goal of restrictions going forward. And then, of course, the administration shockingly reverted to a shutdown when Cornell was hit with the Omicron blitz, despite the evidence that the cases among students were uniformly mild.
Since then, Cornellians have not heard much from the university administration, other than an ill-advertised but utterly predictable email announcing a booster requirement for spring 2022. As for goals, the administration indicated a general objective to “minimize the spread of the virus” and to “increase our preparedness for any future variants.”
To what end? By now we should know we will never eliminate COVID, and should expect it to stick around, like the flu. Most people will likely be infected with COVID-19 at some point–a fact that Americans have known since April 2020. In such an environment restrictions make little sense, particularly for a population as young as Cornell’s. There will be no “minimizing of the spread;” restrictions will only serve to delay the inevitable transmission the virus.
Yet, the current course of action seems to be to wait and rescind restrictions ever so slowly, if at all. If that is the course Cornell has elected to take, Cornell ought to tell its students. The administration owes its students an explanation for the continued existence of restrictions, and a concrete timeline for removing them. Cornell is run by amazing academics who claim to follow “the science”; they must have reasons behind their policies. Let them be known.
