After spending nearly a year between lockdowns and quarantines, many cities and states have given up on restricting their citizens. At this point, it has become largely “at your own risk.” While many places still strongly suggest the usage of masks, they do not require them nor do they regulate the number of people entering the location and how close they get to others. This deregulation has forced people to live at their own discretion, having to determine whether an activity is safe for them.
At NSU, we have rather strict mask requirements, no visitor rules and social distancing implemented in places like the dining hall and classrooms. However, even with rules like this on campus, students may still feel unsafe or uncomfortable. This feeling of discomfort also applies when students leave campus, whether they’re just going grocery shopping or going out for coffee with a friend.
Obviously, everyone feels differently about going out during the pandemic. Depending on factors, such as pre-existing conditions, cases in the area and how the location you’re looking to visit is handling it, you’ll have to make the decision to go out or not.
Orion Good is a sophomore art and design major at NSU and is one of many who has to make this decision every day.
“My friends and I go out almost every day. We’re not really the type that go out to clubs or anything like that, though. We mostly go to stores and coffee shops, and on occasion, we’ll go sit in a restaurant if occupancy allows,” Good explained. “We always make sure to wear masks and try to stay as far away from others as possible. I also always have hand sanitizer somewhere close —in my bag, in my car, in my friend’s bag, even the hand sanitizer stations that places have been setting up since reopening after the initial lockdown.”
Good feels that masks, hygiene and physical distance are the biggest factors in preventing the transmission of COVID-19.
“I’m rather comfortable with going out at this point. Of course, I’m always taking precautions, though. Sometimes, my friends and I will have plans to go to our favorite coffee shop, sit down with a drink and work on some homework, but once we arrive, we notice there’s more people inside than we’re comfortable with,” Good said. “When this happens, we just get our coffee to-go and figure out what to do from there. It’s all about flexibility, to be honest, and my friends and I haven’t caught COVID-19 so far, so I guess we’re handling this safely.”
Kaitlin Walsh, a freshman biology major at NSU, expressed similar feelings.
“For the most part, I’m comfortable going out in public here in Davie. I try to follow all the recommended CDC guidelines to the best of my ability to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 in the community. However, I do have some concerns about new variants of the virus and community adherence to the CDC guidelines,” Walsh said.
When out and about, Walsh admits to always being sure she has a bottle of hand sanitizer and a mask on hand.
“Wherever I am, I try to avoid touching as many surfaces as possible. I also do my best to avoid touching my eyes or readjusting my mask,” she said.
As far as off-limits locations, Walsh said she has no desire to visit movie theaters, theme parks or beaches.
“To be honest, I have no interest in going out to these places at the moment. It’s a bit concerning to me seeing how densely populated some of those areas are,” Walsh said.
In the end, as long as they are following COVID-19 guidelines, it’s up to the individual. Some may feel safer staying home and ordering food and groceries to their door, while others are comfortable going out to eat in restaurants. After nearly a year in this pandemic, many people have adopted new ways of life corresponding to how they feel safest.
