In the new world of COVID—19, social life is dramatically changed. For universities, where some students who live on campus and off, have chosen to remain in town, there’s tension around physical distancing. Robbie Harris reports.
Social gatherings of no more than 10 people, and keeping spatial distance in public, has become the way of the world with COVID-19.
“I think with all things, there's a range, a continuum of emotions, behavior and education related to an event like a pandemic.”
Frank Shushok is Vice President for Student Affairs at Virginia Tech.
“On the very extremes, there are people who maybe are very slow to adopt public health directives and advice. I think if you go back two weeks ago, there were more people in that small number, both students and towns people.”
The whole thing has taken a while to set in, in southwestern Virginia. But by now, most people have gotten the memo. So now, Shushok says, when you see what looks like a lot of people together outdoors, it can quickly become an issue.
“People look very differently at four or five college students standing in the yard vs. a mom and dad and a couple kids standing in the yard.”
William Babb is Chief of Police and Sirector of Security at Virginia Tech. He points out that among the health recommendations for dealing with Coronavirus, is being outdoors and getting exercise.
“Using tennis as an example; if you put four tennis courts together, that's potentially 16 people playing tennis. But everybody on that court is spread out, well beyond social distancing. And it's an outdoor activity which are encouraged. But again, if people look at an environment and they see, (something that is clearly) reckless behavior, well beyond what should be allowed, it's putting everybody in danger.”
Some concerned Citizens in Blacksburg have been calling the police when they see groups of young people out and about. They’re doing their part to help flatten the curve of the Coronavirus. Blacksburg Chief of Police, Anthony Wilson says the callers have been courteous, and on the rare occasions when a squad car has gone out to the scene to check up at a gathering of young people, so have they.
“They've been very respectful. In fact, the thing that we find, with this vast majority of our younger population is when we do have interaction with them, they use it as a time to ask a lot of questions. You understand, they're seeing a lot of stuff and getting a lot of their, their information from social media.”
Chief Wilson says the tools are in place to enforce the rules against anyone who does not comply.
“We have the Dean of Students Office, we have Student Conduct, and we also have the code section, which the governors authorize the use for, in kind of a last resort situation. But our mission has been much more about guidance and mentoring.”
The goal is, of course, to keep Corona Virus from spreading.
“And while I won't go into great detail about the two cases that are positive in our (New River) Valley here, says Chief Wilson, “I will say that both cases involve young people. Both cases are the absolute model of what you want to see in a community. That these people were responsible, they quarantined first, they isolated second. And as a member of our public health task force, when you see a case pop up and you have no exposures to the external community, that's a tremendous win. And those are our young people.
Blacksburg Police Spokesman John Goad tells us “there have been no arrests nor citations issued” in Blacksburg for gatherings of more than 10 people.
