In the recent months, a mysterious disease has suddenly emerged and caused fear and panic to the people across the world. A never before seen virus originated in Wuhan, China which has an official name of COVID-19, which stands for ‘CO’ for corona, ‘VI’ for virus, ‘D’ for disease, and ‘19’ for December 2019. This virus is rapidly spreading from person to person all over the world and this outbreak is now a pandemic because it’s already prevalent over the whole world. So, what exactly is COVID-19? It is a new respiratory disease with common symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath (CDC).
Prevention is better than cure because as of now there is no coronavirus vaccine yet so people should be staying home and practicing good hygiene in order to slow down the spread of the virus and help flatten the curve.Sacramento State especially President Robert S. Nelsen did an awesome job responding to this issue in a timely manner. In response to issues regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), Sacramento State should have closed the campus earlier than expected, as soon as California recorded the first case of the COVID-19. Sacramento State’s response to move everything online was good for prevention, but what they could’ve done better was to give students basic essentials such as face masks, sanitizers, and cough drops, and they could’ve also sent out a notice to sick individuals to not come to school.
Research Questions:
- How did Sac State respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?
- What could they have done better?
Problems Year 2020 is still a long way to go and we are barely in the fourth month, but it seems like it’s getting worse. Many unfortunate events just happened recently but COVID-19 is the biggest and the most talked issue causing panic and anxiety throughout the whole world. Is this coronavirus really hype like that or not? Let’s find out. As of today, April 8, there are now more than 1,356,780 cases in 212 countries and territories, and 79,385 people are now dead (WHO). To put it simply, this virus is a serious threat that needs preparation, not exaggeration.In March 2020, most universities across the country started implementing online courses and canceling classes in order to reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak.
Is closing the schools a good idea? Sac State cancelled school on March 16 (Sacramento State News). There are 10 CSU/UC schools that closed before March 16 while only 4 CSU/UC schools closed after March 16 (Mustang News). As a matter of fact, students, administrators, faculties are all being put in danger by keeping schools open any longer. Closing schools will help solve the problem but at the same time creates another one for some students. In the article, “During crisis, Sac State offers students laptops, other help”, Cynthia Hubert claims that “a flash poll of 30,000 students found that about 2 percent of them would be without a computer with a keyboard while off campus, and 6 percent without Internet services.” To put it simply, 600 students don’t have a computer and 1,800 students don’t have internet access at home. This means that a few students won’t be able to continue their education since teachers are now giving lectures through zoom and canvas and neither can they go to a public wifi because they don’t want to get exposed to the virus.Schools are one of the perfect spots for the virus to spread because there’s no way for students to practice social distancing especially during lunch, passing time and during class where it’s impossible to sit six feet apart. According to the WHO, “studies suggest that coronaviruses including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.” Sac State’s most crowded facilities like the library, the union, and the well should have been prioritized for disinfection like at least twice a day especially the computers, tables, printers, sports and gym equipment because every hour different students take advantage of those and are now will more likely catch the virus if not properly cleaned and disinfected.
In addition, according to UCLA Professor of Ecology and Biology, James Lloyd-Smith claims that “if you’re touching items that someone else has recently handled, be aware they could be contaminated.” Even before the campus closure, frequently touched surfaces by students didn’t get cleaned and disinfected often such as door handles, desks, textbooks, and electronics. If sick individuals used and touched those surfaces without getting cleaned and disinfected after being used, it just creates another problem by exposing thousands of students to the virus and it would have spread more and made this situation worse.Last but not least, Sac State did an amazing job in responding to the coronavirus pandemic by sending us relevant information through emails for us to take precautions and be aware of our surroundings.
That’s necessary but the problem is that they could have gone above and beyond because many individuals still went to school coughing, sneezing or in short, went to school sick. “You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within 1 metre of a person who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands” (WHO). We are breathing the same air, so if someone coughs and sneezes in a small classroom everybody else in the class can contract the virus. It’s hard to know if it’s COVID-19 or just a regular flu because the symptoms are almost alike. The “symptoms of covid-19 may appear 2-14 days after getting exposed” (CDC). What’s more important, the education of the few or the welfare of the majority? That’s a tough decision but you have to make one. So, whether they like it or not, sick individuals should have been forced to stay home no matter what, so it won’t create a domino effect.
