By Kadie Gurley
As summer break comes to an end, students at Long Beach State are returning back to campus.
Most classes are being held in-person this semester, which means the campus will be packed on a regular basis. Lines for food in the University Student Union will be longer, finding parking will take forever and walking to class could take a while because of foot traffic.
These are just some of the issues that both myself and other students faced last semester.
This triggers the importance of campus safety. It’s great that more students are coming back to campus now that COVID-19 guidelines have been updated. However, we still are in a pandemic.
I am vaccinated, but still worry about the safety of others along with myself.
COVID-19 and monkeypox are slowly rising in terms of cases in California. Luckily, the chances of getting monkeypox are low.
According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, public experts have been vocal with parents with kids in school about the risk of catching the illness being unlikely, especially for those in covered clothing and distanced settings.
“The risk of spread is minimal from attending an event with fully clothed people, traveling with others on a plane or public transit, swimming in a pool, hot tub or body of water or going to a public setting such as a grocery store, restaurant or to school,” said Dr. Rita Singhal, chief medical officer for the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.
As of right now, I guess you can say we do not have to worry much about catching something like monkeypox.
Personally, I do worry about things like this because I live with family members ranging from ages three to 50. Some of them are not vaccinated, which makes me nervous when I come home from school because I don’t want myself or even the clothes that I was wearing to transmit anything.
At CSULB, we are fortunate to have free resources like testing for COVID-19 on a daily basis. Also, most students and staff that visit campus are already vaccinated.
CSULB President Jane Close Conoley recently shared health and safety updates in a letter statement that mentioned how the school is tackling the upcoming semester while facing COVID-19 and monkeypox.
“In light of the ongoing wave of COVID-19 infections from the current dominant variant, until further notice, our campus will continue to require facial coverings in many indoor spaces,” said Conoley.
President Conoley also shared that the administration is paying attention to the monkeypox cases that have occurred in Long Beach earlier this month.
“We are closely monitoring the advent of monkeypox in Long Beach and any necessary steps our campus community should take to stay safe,” said Conoley.
To be honest, knowing that health and safety is a priority at The Beach eases the worries and doubts that I had in the past.
Last year, I came to CSULB as a transfer student and became aware of all the resources that the campus had to offer in terms of COVID-19. I encourage you to take advantage of the health and safety resources you have available to you right away.
For more information, visit the campus website and click on the COVID-19 tab.
