On August 11, 2020, Texas broke a new record. That was the day the number of Covid-19 cases in Texas exceeded 500,000. By August 17, 2020, Texas deaths due to the coronavirus had surpassed 10,000. To date, there have been over 53,000.
When the summer was just warming up this year, there seemed to be reason for some relief among the rural communities east of Lubbock and south of Amarillo. Maybe we were finally out of the woods and Covid had run its course. The vaccine was no longer hard to get, and the hospitals weren’t overflowing like they had been for months. Restaurants got to open and events weren’t being cancelled left and right. I got the vaccine, took off my mask and bought Willie Nelson tickets.
But as the school year approaches, only about 43% of Texans have been vaccinated. According to different sources, somewhere between 50% to 60% are vaccinated nationwide. The highly contagious Delta variant is causing a spike in the number of serious cases, and even fully vaccinated people can apparently spread it.
Unlike last fall, though, there aren’t so many protections in place for students and teachers. School districts have eliminated the option for online learning, and mask requirements have been dropped. An EdWeek article by Catherine Gewertz from July 28 focused on concern that schools will experience difficulties staying open without disruptions this fall. Both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise that all staff and students should wear masks, even if they are vaccinated.
Maybe it won’t be as bad as it looks right now. That’s what I told myself just a week ago—before my son and I were quarantined. We were surprised to learn we were exposed, and now we pose a risk of transmitting this new strain. I’m rethinking concerts and plans for the new school year. As much as I dislike starting this again, I can’t pretend the pandemic is over yet. We need to take precautions again.
I can wear the mask again because “personal responsibility” shouldn’t be code for doing whatever you want regardless of the risk to others. Since that phrase is the only protocol we have in place right now, perhaps Texans will do as our children are expected to do in 2021—and demonstrate that we learned from school last year.