ERIC WHARTON, Staff Writer—

As we come up on the two year anniversary of COVID-19 hitting the country, it seems there may be an end in sight at last.

Since the end of the first week on campus, cases in Licking County have fallen from 372 down to just 35. Public schools in Granville, Heath, and Newark have lifted their mask mandates, and businesses in the area have long since lifted theirs. 

All this is coupled with the fact that some degree of “herd immunity” has surely developed between the vaccinations and those who have contracted the virus and survived. 

As far as campus is concerned, despite there having been some 200 student cases since the beginning of the semester, spirits seem to be high (or as high as they can be for Granville in February…), and no further restrictions have been levied on us. 

Though administration is unlikely to jump the gun as quickly as local communities and lift the remaining mask mandates on campus, it may be time for them to do so. It’s been two years since I’ve seen my peers and professors’ faces in class, and for some of us, we’ve never had a non-masked class at Denison. 

Of course this isn’t a hill worth dying on, at least for anyone that understands why we wear them. 

We all know individuals who still wear masks throughout the day, and without fail they have good reason to do so; normally because either they or someone they are close to has a pre-existing condition. 

But with the mask mandates lifted for dorms and social gatherings, and effectively for Slayter and dining halls as well, it may be time for the classroom as well. 

I find it a tough sell, believing we aren’t any more or less likely to contract the virus in class than crammed into a Sunnies party or Slayter Pit. 

Time will tell though, and probably sooner rather than later, whether another variant will rear its head and slow everything down again. 

For now though, we’re on the upswing– so whether you’re superstitious, or just a little stitious; cross your fingers, find a four leaf clover, toss some salt over your shoulder, sidestep sidewalk cracks, and wait.