A little over one year ago, Stevens closed its doors after the threat of the coronavirus proved to be too great. Online classes were designed to be the plan for two weeks following spring break of 2020, only to eventually be extended to the rest of the semester. And for most students, extended to the following academic year too.
What started as 93,000 cases and 3,000 deaths has now grown into over 133+ million cases and 2.8+ million deaths. A single day alone in April 2021 can result in 60,000+ cases reported in the U.S. The New York Times reported over 82,000 total cases and 2,000 deaths in Hudson County, NJ, with a share of 1 in 8 residents being infected.
Over the past year, we’ve all been experiencing “pandemic life:” social distancing has become a part of normal life, not wearing a mask can sometimes feel out of the ordinary, and staying home is our everyday routine. Most industry professionals and students have universally shifted to an online environment, forcing them to spend countless hours staring at a screen. “Pandemic life” has also shifted our perception of work-life balance and blurred the line between work and play. In many instances, peoples’ workspace also doubles as their workout area, bedroom, quiet area, and the place where they wind down.
So has anything improved? In a way, yes. One outcome of the now year-long pandemic has been the manufacturing of vaccines at a record-shattering pace. Over 171 million vaccines have been administered in the U.S. – in New Jersey, all individuals aged 16 and over will be eligible for the vaccine starting April 19. New Jersey recently lifted some restrictions, allowing 50% capacity for restaurants, gyms, and salons.
However, the possibility of a surge in U.S. cases has been reported: a deadly variant first found in Britain is likely to spread, and with the increase of vaccine availability, premature relaxing of social distancing and mask wearing may also result in an uptick of cases. Cases in New Jersey have been on a sharp incline since late February. Despite Hudson County being flagged as an area with extremely high exposure risk, Stevens is hoping and planning for as normal a fall semester as it can possibly be.
Acknowledging that Stevens “remains subject to orders and limits from the State of New Jersey,” President Farvardin stated in a recent email that administration is “looking forward to the possibility of a full campus experience for all students and all members of our community in the fall.” There is still a possibility some students may continue remote, online learning for fall 2021, but it is likely that most will return to on-campus learning while adhering to social distancing and other restrictions.
While experts see the light at the end of the tunnel, they’ve acknowledged that a speedy return to normalcy is only possible for Western developed countries, according to Bloomberg. Countries like the United States and Israel have been rapidly distributing vaccines, with hopes of vaccinating 70% to 85% of the population by the end of the year. However, with the pace of vaccine distribution around the world, it will take nearly seven years to have the global population fully vaccinated. Despite this, vaccine production will accelerate the pace at which we return to normal life, and will remain as a symbol of hope through the “beginning of the end” to this pandemic.
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