Students must and will follow precautions

We haven’t seen most of our brothers since March. We’ve missed our crisp handshakes, victory hugs, and warm embraces. Although vaccines have reached phase three, there seems to be no tangible end in sight. 

    Everywhere we go, people complain about the uncontrollable situation at hand. Why can’t we eat inside? Aren’t they exaggerating the severity? Who needs these strict rules? At Haverford, it’s different. 

    Our student body is much more willing to take the adaptations in stride, excited for the first taste of in-person learning since early spring. Rather than complaining about the extensive list of sacrifices, losing sports, dining-hall lunch, and the seven-period schedule, we remain thankful for the school’s opening strategy and don’t want to risk losing it.

    We respect the severity of the virus and see mask-wearing as a rule for everybody, not just the student body. 

    “I feel like most people will realize this isn’t just some dress code thing but something needed to prevent COVID-19 spreading,” Fifth Former Bowen Deng said, on behalf of his peers. 

    Students have a mutual understanding of the stakes, respecting Mr. Fifer’s email that laid out mask-wearing guidelines: “Students who fail to meet this requirement will be sent home,” Mr. Fifer wrote, and we hear him loud and clear. 

    Sixth Former Ryan Ngo strongly agrees that everybody will take this new rule seriously.

    “If the students are inside the buildings, I think they will follow the rules,” Ngo said. “Similar to any dress code policy, the faculty will enforce it pretty hard. Even more than normal rules like tucked-in shirts, students know better about this one.” 

    Adding another layer of assurance that students will follow the rules, the faculty will play a crucial role in enforcing compliance.

    “Normally, I get frustrated when a teacher tells me I’m out of dress,” Sixth Former Joey White said. “With COVID-19’s seriousness, as long as the teachers enforce it, I’m going to do exactly as they say.” 

    The teachers should have no problem with students being stubborn about this rule, and Sixth Former George Laveran explained why.

    “We will definitely follow precautions because people are simply scared to get the virus,” he said. 

    Collectively, we appreciate all the work put into creating a safe learning environment and understand the cost of not following the simple guidelines laid out.

    Sixth Former Chris Sims said, “Hopefully we realize how lucky we are to be in this situation at all. Let’s work together to make sure it isn’t taken away.”