Will there be another lockdown? With COVID-19 levels on the rise, officials are debating whether or not there will be another inevitable lockdown period. While numbers are still low in the United States, hospital stays and cases have been rising since the end of summer. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “COVID-19 hospitalizations have been on the rise since early July. In the first week of August, more than 10,000 people were hospitalized with COVID. That is a 60% increase over the course of a month, including a 14% bump in the most recent week.”
While some people think that the BA.2.86 variant is to blame for the sudden increase, this is not the case. According to a September 5, 2023 article published in NBC News, the surge in cases is most likely due to XBB subvariants. “The current increases in cases and hospitalizations are likely due to the XBB subvariants, the CDC says. Those include subvariants called EG.5 (which accounted for 21.5% of new cases for the week ending September 2) and FL.1.5.1 (14.5% of new cases).”
What does this surge mean for Crown Point High School? Will there be more lockdowns and mask mandates?
Right now, lockdowns are not in the near future. According to an August 31, 2023 article published in Wane News, COVID-19 will most likely become something that the world will have to get accustomed to, like the flu or cold. Dr. Thomas Gutwein, a Health Commissioner in Allen County agrees with this statement. “I feel 100% it will continue to be around for quite some time,” Gutwein said. “If you have symptoms consistent with either the flu or COVID you can test yourself, or get tested at a health care facility, and then you just take some days off work and most people are going to do absolutely well.”
So far, another lockdown is not in sight for Crown Point School Corporations. Principal Russ Marcinek does not believe that we will ever have another, saying that COVID will just be something that our community will slowly adapt to.
Mask mandates are another thing that was a struggle for most of the world. Indiana went into a mask mandate on July 27, 2020, and it ended on April 6, 2021. With COVID cases rising in America, mask mandates may be in the future again. Because of the spike in cases, some schools, hospitals, and businesses are starting to encourage – or even require – people to wear masks again.
While there are lots of places around the United States that are encouraging people to wear masks, there are some politicians that have opposing views on each side.
In Crown Point, another mask mandate will not happen anytime soon. Within Crown Point High School, students are able to wear masks if they choose to do so. However, mandates will not be set in place.
In conclusion, a lockdown and mask mandate are not on the horizon, but the community of Crown Point and the rest of the world should remain vigilant and take the proper precautions against COVID-19.
