EDITORIAL: Welcome back, take precautions, stay safe

Published 10:11 am Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Today begins the bulk of move-in activities at Georgia College. Campus move-in will be carried out over two days instead of the traditional single day to minimize the number of people involved due to the pandemic. 

We already see signs of growing campus activity as students trickle back to town. 

This time last year, however, this annual rite of passage garnered Milledgeville national headlines as students returned to campus amid the pandemic and an increase in local COVID-19 outbreaks among college students soon followed. Images of college-age people crowding local bars were shared on social media and made headlines. 

Eventually, though, the number of campus cases of the virus subsided and everyone got on safely with the school year. 

We are fortunate for that. 

Hopefully lessons were learned, however. 

We want everyone to have a great semester and that students and faculty staff safe. 

The best way to ensure that is to take precautions. The pandemic is not over, and cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in every state, including Georgia and throughout central Georgia. The Baldwin County School District just Tuesday returned to a mask requirement due to the increasing number of area COVID-19 cases. 

Follow all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidelines and campus protocols. 

Then, go beyond. Get vaccinated, wear masks and act responsibly. 

Be smart.

We know everyone wants students to enjoy the full college and campus experience. 

But you can’t do that if you aren’t here. 

You can’t do that if you’re hospitalized or if activities are shut down. 

Please, please do what you can to protect yourselves and protect others. 

We can, and should, all work together to help keep everyone — including college students — safe from COVID-19. 

Welcome back to campus and welcome to the community.

Be healthy. Be responsible. Be safe.